Plantago major.  Greater plantain, Broad-leafed plantain, Common plantain  Family: Plantaginaceae      
PART USED: Leaves- Gathered during the flowering period.
TASTE: Astringent   ODORLESS
ACTIONS
GROUP: Herbs for trauma and recovery- Hemostatic.
1. Hemostatic.[1,2,3]
2. Diuretic.[1,2,3]
3. Astringent.
4. Expectorant.
5. Vulnerary.
6. Anti-inflammatory.[3]
INDICATIONS
1. Hemorrhoids.[1]
2. Coughs. Bronchitis asthma. Tuberculous ulcers.  Sore throat- gargle
3. Cystitis with hematuria.[1] Nocturnal enuresis. Urinary diseases.
4. Diarrhea. Bacillary dysentery.
5. Menorrhagia.  Leukorrhea.
6. Syphilis.
7. Slow healing wounds. Boils. Splinters. Insect and Nettle stings. Burns. Eczema.
8. Hepatitis.
SPECIFIC INDICATIONS: Hemorrhoids with bleeding symptoms.[1]
COMBINATIONS
- Gastric hemorrhage and Hemorrhoids, use with Comfrey Root.[1]
PREPARATIONS  3X /day
Dried leaves  2-5 g, or by infusion.[1]
Fluid extract  1:1 in 25% alcohol  2-4 ml.[1] 2.5-5 ml.[3]
Fluid extract: leaf in 45% alcohol.[3]
Tincture  1:5 in 45% alcohol  2-4 ml.[1]
Local- Ointment. Poultice, lotion, eyewash.
ORIGIN: Most of world. Britain.
HABITAT: Grows in wild places such as roadsides.
DESCRIPTION: Perennial herb. Rhizome short. Leaves; radical, clustered in a basal rossette, broadly ovate or oval, apexes acute or obtuse, margins intact to irregularly undulate-dentate, veins 3 to 7 , the central 3 particularly noticeable, with long petioles. Flowers; in summer, flower stem growing from leaf cluster, in a spike inflorescence up to 50 cm high, flowers small and greenish-yellowish-white. Fruit; a capsule. Seeds blackish-brown.
References
Constituents
Research: Aucubin is a mild aperient, it also stimulates the secretion of uric acid by the Kidneys.[1,2] Apigenin is an anti-inflammatory agent.[3,4] Baicalein is anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic, as in Scullcap.
Whole extracts have been found to be anti-microbial, and have complex effects on the cariovascular system in animals.[5]
References
[1] Kato, Y. (1946) Folia Pharmacol. Jap. 42, 37
[2] Inouye, H. et al. (1974) Planta Med. 25, 285
[3] Middleton, E. and Drzewiecki, G. (1984) Biochem. Pharmacol. 33, 3333
[4] Busse, W.E. et al. (1984) J. All. Clin. Immunol. 73, 801
[5] Pharmacology and Applications of Chinese Materia Medica Vol 1. Ed. H. Chan and P. But, Pub. World Scientific (1986) Singapore

The traditional uses, chemical constituents and biological activities of Plantago major L. A review.
Samuelsen AB.
Abstract
Plantago major L. leaves have been used as a wound healing remedy for centuries in almost all parts of the world and in the treatment of a number of diseases apart from wound healing. These include diseases related to the skin, respiratory organs, digestive organs, reproduction, the circulation, against cancer, for pain relief and against infections. P. major contains biologically active compounds such as polysaccharides, lipids, caffeic acid derivatives, flavonoids, iridoid glycosides and terpenoids. Alkaloids and some organic acids have also been detected. A range of biological activities has been found from plant extracts including wound healing activity, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antioxidant, weak antibiotic, immuno modulating and antiulcerogenic activity. Some of these effects may attribute to the use of this plant in folk medicine.
PMID: 10904143  J Ethnopharmacol. 2000 Jul;71(1-2):1-21.  ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Immunoenhancing properties of Plantago major leaf extract.
Gomez-Flores R, Calderon CL, Scheibel LW, Tamez-Guerra P, Rodriguez-Padilla C, Tamez-Guerra R, Weber RJ.
Abstract
Plantago major (PM), also known as plantain, is a weed found in temperate zones worldwide. PM leaves have been associated with various biological properties ranging from antiinflammatory, antimicrobial and antitumour to wound healing. However, its mechanism of action associated with boosting of the immune function remains to be elucidated. We found that endotoxin-free methanol extracts from PM leaves, at doses of 50, 100, 250, and 500 microg/mL, were associated with 4.4 +/- 1, 6 +/- 1, 12 +/- 0.4, and 18 +/- 0.4-fold increases of nitric oxide (NO) production, and increased TNF-alpha production (621 +/- 31, 721 +/- 36, 727 +/- 36, and 1056 +/- 52 U/mL, respectively) by rat peritoneal macrophages, in the absence of IFN-gamma or LPS. NO and TNF-alpha production by untreated macrophages was negligible. In addition, PM extracts potentiated Con A-induced lymphoproliferation (3- to 12-fold increases) in a dose-dependent fashion, compared with the effect of Con A alone. The regulation of immune parameters induced by plant extracts may be clinically relevant in numerous diseases including chronic viral infections, tuberculosis, AIDS and cancer.
PMID: 11113999  Phytother Res. 2000 Dec;14(8):617-22. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effects of Plantago major L. leaf extracts on oral epithelial cells in a scratch assay.
Zubair M, Ekholm A, Nybom H, Renvert S, Widen C, Rumpunen K.
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE:
The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effects from different leaf extracts of the traditional medicinal herb Plantago major L. (plantain) on cell proliferation and migration in vitro, as a test for potential wound healing properties.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
Water and ethanol-based extracts were prepared from Plantago major fresh and dried leaves, and tested in vitro in a scratch assay with oral epithelial cells.
RESULTS:
The scratch assay produced reliable results after 18 h. Most of the tested extracts increased the proliferation/migration of the oral epithelial cells compared to the negative control. A concentration of 1.0 mg/mL (on dry weight basis) appears to be optimal regardless of type of extract, and among the alternatives, 0.1 mg/mL was always better than 10 mg/mL. Ethanol-based extracts with a concentration of 10 mg/mL had very detrimental effects on cell proliferation/migration. At the other two concentrations, ethanol-based extracts had the most beneficial effect, followed by water extracts of fresh leaves, ethanol plus water extracts of dried leaves and, finally, water extracts of dried leaves.
CONCLUSIONS:
This study suggests that both the water extracts and the more polyphenol-rich ethanol-based extracts of Plantago major leaves have medicinal properties. Further research is, however, needed to determine what compounds are responsible for the wound healing effects.
PMID: 22465512 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2012.03.016  J Ethnopharmacol. 2012 Jun 14;141(3):825-30. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2012.03.016. Epub 2012 Mar 21. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The Effects of Plantago major on the Activation of the Neutrophil Respiratory Burst.
Reina E, A-Shibani N, Allam E, Gregson KS, Kowolik M, Windsor LJ.
Abstract
Plantago major is a common plant that grows worldwide in temperate zones and is found in fields, lawns, and on the roadsides. Its leaves and seeds have been used in almost all parts of the world for centuries as a wound healer, analgesic, antioxidant, and antibiotic, as well as an immune system modulator, antiviral, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory agent. Baicalein and aucubin are the two most biologically active components of P. major, and both have been shown to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties. Neutrophils have a pivotal role in wound healing and inflammation. Their principal mechanism of host defense is the killing of pathogens via the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The aim of the present study was to determine the in vitro effects of P. major extract, baicalein, and aucubin on human neutrophil respiratory burst activity. The cytotoxicity of the agents was assessed by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays. A standard luminol-dependent chemiluminescence (CL) assay was utilized to monitor the respiratory burst of the neutrophils after exposure to P. major extract and its two active ingredients, baicalein and aucubin. Three replicates per group were included in each of the three runs of the experiments and analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for statistical analysis. P. major and baicalein were not toxic to the cells at any of the concentrations examined. Aucubin was toxic to the cells only at the highest concentration tested (P = 0.0081). However, genistein was toxic to the cells at all of the concentrations examined except for the lowest concentration of 16.9 µg/ml (P = 0.985). P. major (-0.10 ± 0.11), aucubin (0.06 ± 0.16), baicalein (-0.10 ± 0.11), and genistein (-0.18 ± 0.07) all significantly (P < 0.0001) inhibited ROS production from the neutrophils. P. major extract inhibited neutrophil ROS production, as did aucubin and baicalein. Therefore, these components should be investigated further with relation to the regulation of destructive ROS production in conditions such as periodontal disease.
PMID: 24716188 PMCID: PMC3924996 DOI: 10.4103/2225-4110.119706  J Tradit Complement Med. 2013 Oct;3(4):268-72. doi: 10.4103/2225-4110.119706.  ncbi.nlm.nih.gov