08-29-2012, 05:08 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-29-2012, 07:52 PM by Bring4th_Austin.)
This information is strictly anecdotal...I just want to share a particular treatment that has worked for both my mom and myself.
A while ago my mom poked herself in the finger with a syringe full of livestock medication. Within a few hours, her finger was swollen and stiff. She took some antihistamine which had no effect. A day later it had gotten worse and was throbbing, so she considered going to a doctor to get a steroid shot to take care of it. She didn't particularly like that idea, and her health insurance wouldn't cover it, so she decided to consult her herbalist friend before she finally went in. She recommended crushing some plantain (a weed/herb, not the fruit) and wrapping it on the finger. The stuff is everywhere; she didn't even have to step off of our front porch step to pick some. She wrapped it around her finger and secured it with a bandage. She said that within moments she could feel a reaction, the discomfort seemed to be leaving with the throbbing. Within the hour she said she hardly felt a thing, but as soon as she took the bandage off it began itching and throbbing again. She kept the bandage on for 3 or 4 days before the swelling disappeared completely.
A few days ago I woke up in the middle of the night with a really nasty spider bite on my toe. It was incredibly swollen and itched probably worse than anything I've ever felt before. I treated it with a comfrey herbal rub through the night so I could sleep, which only relieved the itching. I woke up to find the swelling spreading to my foot, so I went to pick a couple plantain leafs, crushed them and wrapped them around my toe. Just like my mom I felt instant relief, the heat seemed to be leaving and the throbbing and itching disappeared within 5 minutes. I left the first wrap on for about 8 hours before changing it. As soon as I took it off the itching and throbbing started again. I left a wrap on it throughout the night, and the next day the swelling had reduced a significant amount though the itching was still there. Another day of wrapping it in plantain and the swelling and itching is completely gone.
Like I said, this bite itched worse than anything I've experienced before. Without this treatment I would have been incredibly uncomfortable for who knows how long. It allowed me to move about the farm and get work done.
It's an incredibly common weed and is found all over the world. It's possible you have some right around your home. Supposedly, to activate the medicinal effects, you have to crush it a bit...just enough to bruise the leafs. After that just apply it to the affected area and secure it somehow. My mom's herbalist friend uses it for a wide variety of thing, but most commonly for bug bites or any type of swelling.
![[Image: Plantago_major.jpg]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Plantago_major.jpg)
A while ago my mom poked herself in the finger with a syringe full of livestock medication. Within a few hours, her finger was swollen and stiff. She took some antihistamine which had no effect. A day later it had gotten worse and was throbbing, so she considered going to a doctor to get a steroid shot to take care of it. She didn't particularly like that idea, and her health insurance wouldn't cover it, so she decided to consult her herbalist friend before she finally went in. She recommended crushing some plantain (a weed/herb, not the fruit) and wrapping it on the finger. The stuff is everywhere; she didn't even have to step off of our front porch step to pick some. She wrapped it around her finger and secured it with a bandage. She said that within moments she could feel a reaction, the discomfort seemed to be leaving with the throbbing. Within the hour she said she hardly felt a thing, but as soon as she took the bandage off it began itching and throbbing again. She kept the bandage on for 3 or 4 days before the swelling disappeared completely.
A few days ago I woke up in the middle of the night with a really nasty spider bite on my toe. It was incredibly swollen and itched probably worse than anything I've ever felt before. I treated it with a comfrey herbal rub through the night so I could sleep, which only relieved the itching. I woke up to find the swelling spreading to my foot, so I went to pick a couple plantain leafs, crushed them and wrapped them around my toe. Just like my mom I felt instant relief, the heat seemed to be leaving and the throbbing and itching disappeared within 5 minutes. I left the first wrap on for about 8 hours before changing it. As soon as I took it off the itching and throbbing started again. I left a wrap on it throughout the night, and the next day the swelling had reduced a significant amount though the itching was still there. Another day of wrapping it in plantain and the swelling and itching is completely gone.
Like I said, this bite itched worse than anything I've experienced before. Without this treatment I would have been incredibly uncomfortable for who knows how long. It allowed me to move about the farm and get work done.
It's an incredibly common weed and is found all over the world. It's possible you have some right around your home. Supposedly, to activate the medicinal effects, you have to crush it a bit...just enough to bruise the leafs. After that just apply it to the affected area and secure it somehow. My mom's herbalist friend uses it for a wide variety of thing, but most commonly for bug bites or any type of swelling.
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