We've caught the hiking bug. We live in one of the most beautiful places to really indulge it. Our valleys like the Maggia and Verzasca are ideal, and now in spring, you hardly meet a soul on remote paths. But who hasn't experienced that feeling, especially when traveling with children, when you sometimes get the occasional "ouch" or mosquito bite . We promptly forgot our bag with our emergency oils at home because we absolutely had to pack our nature book. But then I remembered that ribwort plantain is great for inflammation , so we simply crushed the leaves a bit and applied them, and hey presto, it worked, and we were able to continue the hike. It also helps with blisters ; just put the leaf on, put a sock over it, and off we go.

Cough medicine for children and much more

I'll elaborate a little now because I think this plant is simply brilliant.

Long before humanity knew about the existence of bacteria and the infections they caused, people were already using plants such as plantain to help cure them.

Sebastian Kneipp (1821-1897) praised the plant for its blood-purifying and detoxifying effects throughout the body. It also has an expectorant effect and is ideal for treating coughs, hoarseness, sore throats , and even asthma .

Herbal priest Künzle (1857-1945) also found the plant wonderful and recommended plantain especially as a cough remedy for children.

My favorite healer, Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179) recommends applying the juice externally to insect bites and painful areas .

Scientific studies

So that I don't serve you up an old joke, here are the facts:

Clinical studies today demonstrate the antibacterial, astringent, wound-healing effectiveness of ribwort plantain against inflammation of the respiratory tract and skin.

From searching and finding

That's the great thing about the plant: you can find it almost everywhere , as the name suggests, especially along roadsides. It's best to use the young leaves from the center. Make sure it's in a meadow where there are no cars and there's as little pollution as possible. You might even find it in your garden.

Making a tincture - precious drops

A plantain tincture should be in every household, including your travel medicine kit. Taken internally, the tincture helps with nausea, and externally, it's a relief for painful stings! What you'll need:

Here's how:

When to use and dosage

Since tinctures are administered drop by drop, the alcohol content is comparatively low. A glass of water with ten drops contains no more than 0.1%, while a ripe banana contains 0.6-1.2%. Tinctures can therefore also be given to children. If you have concerns, you can also use a good organic apple cider vinegar (but keep in mind that this tincture has a maximum shelf life of 6 months in the refrigerator).

Helps with:

Dosage internally for adults: 3 times daily 10-15 drops in some water

Internal dosage for children (from one year): twice daily one drop per age in some water or juice.

It's best to stock up now for autumn/winter.

Have fun collecting

fragrant greetings

Ursula