Plantain

Common · Plantago spp

Healing · Nutritional · Defensive

Terrain Coast, Forest, Grassland, Hills, Urban

Description

Plantain is a perennial herbaceous plant with large basal ovate or lanceolate leaves that form a rosette close to the ground and a long flower stalk bearing a dense cylindrical spike of tiny brownish flowers.

Location and Habitat

Very widely distributed in the temperate zones of Europe, Asia, and North America, it is found along roadsides, in meadows, fields, wastelands, settlements, pastures, and forest edges.

Rarity and Availability

Plantain is an extremely common and accessible plant; it is not considered a rare or protected species, grows everywhere, and is easy to collect.

Effects and Uses

Plantain is most widely used as a medicinal remedy. Even Avicenna used plantain leaves and seeds as a hemostatic and wound-healing agents.

Harvesting & Preparation

• Many folk traditions describe plantain as a first-aid “friend” for travelers, always close by if you need it.
• Collecting leaves or seeds requires a DC 9 Wisdom (herbalism kit) check to ensure you gather high-quality parts without damaging them.

Items & Effects

• Plantain Poultice.
  • Characters can create a quick, improvised wrap from crushed plantain leaves.
  • Creation (One Action or Bonus Action in Combat). A DC 10 Wisdom (herbalism kit) check. No special equipment is needed beyond fresh leaves.
  • Use.
    • If applied to a wound (self or ally), the target immediately regains 1d4 hit points. This can only be done once per short rest; subsequent attempts have no effect until after a short rest.
    • If you use it to stabilize a dying creature with a Wisdom (Medicine) check, that creature regains 1 hit point instead of remaining at 0.
• “Roadside Salve”. A more refined preparation requiring fresh leaves, seeds, and a little time to boil them into a salve.
  • Creation. Requires 1 hour and a DC 12 Wisdom (herbalism kit) check. Produces 1d4 doses.
  • Use (Applied Topically).
    • Applying the salve during a short rest confers 1 additional hit point per Hit Die spent during that rest, to a maximum of 3 additional hit points.
    • For 2 hours after application, you have advantage on saving throws against diseases resulting from open wounds.

Lore

Plantain is the largest genus of the plantago family, comprising about 260 species. They are mainly distributed in the temperate regions of both hemispheres, and some species even grow in the tropics.

The plant we're going to discuss is quite unremarkable. It blooms with modest, brownish tiny flowers gathered in a dense spike. This herb is always in plain sight. Whether you're walking along a forest path, a village street, a riverbank, or a pasture—it is always nearby. The plant hugs the ground tightly to avoid having its leaves trampled or broken, but don't think it is weak—try to tear off a leaf. You probably won't succeed right away. Even its Latin name, Plantago, is derived from the word "planta," meaning "sole," because the leaves resemble the shape of a foot.

You won't find plantain in remote, uninhabited places. Its attachment to humans is simply extraordinary. This is because, without realizing it, we help plantain spread and occupy new areas. Here's how it happens.

From Witch’s Herbs 5E, p. 74 · Fern Flower Press