The Lazy Forager: #22 – Plantain Syrup

 

It's about time for another truly lazy foraging recipe! This one really couldn't be easier, and can't even in all good conscience be called a 'recipe'. 

For the last month or so, you may have noticed good old plantain making its annual come-back. Whether in the garden, along dusty (or muddy) tracks or in our urban parks, you can't move for the stuff at the moment! And yet it is consistently underrated and overlooked. This brilliant plant is not only effective in treating external cuts and bruises, it can also be taken internally to address an impressive array of complaints, including - wait for it: diarrhoea, gastritis, irritable bowel syndrome, haemorrhoids, cystitis, bronchitis, catarrh, sinusitis, asthma and hay fever! This probably shouldn't come as much of a surprise, seeing that it has a reputation for being packed full of vitamins and minerals such as potassium, zinc, calcium and vitamins C and K, to name but a few.
Source: https://sovetplus.com/en/health/family-health/plantain-syrup-how-does-it-work-on-the-body-how-to-do-it

Plantain is also said to have antibacterial and antiviral properties which can combat respiratory tract infections and coughs. So, seeing that I have more plantain on my allotment than I know what to do with, I decided to bottle myself some of this goodness by making a plantain syrup. 

Here's how: 

• Pick a good few handfuls of plantain leaves
• Find a wide-necked jar and fill it with alternating layers of leaves and sugar
• Leave the jar in a dark place for about two weeks, giving it a swish and a shake every now and again 
• After a few weeks, strain off the leaves (giving them a good squeeze, as always) and bottle the sugary liquid.
  

Source: https://sovetplus.com/en/health/family-health/plantain-syrup-how-does-it-work-on-the-body-how-to-do-it

There you go, immunity in a jar!

So if you spot this versatile herb in your garden, stop the weeding and start the whooping! Its many other uses include applying it as a poultice, making a pretty pleasant tea, or using it as part of an invigorating spring tonic to fight off any remaining Frühjahrsmüdigkeit.