The Backyard Weed to Save Your Tooth - and Your Wallet

Jul 1 / Matthew Wood, MS
One of our most valuable little friends is plantain (Plantago majus)-- That's the little broad-leaf weed in your yard with strings running up and down the leaves-- is perfectly safe if you have the right stuff. Plantain is a cousin of Plantago psyllium, the active ingredient sold in drug stores and recommended by doctors as a bulking agent to prevent mild constipation.

But we want to use it for something else, something magical, secret, and unscientific. It is called a "drawing agent" in herbal medicine. Put it on an abscess and it draws out the pus and infection. Most useful of all—chew it up and put it on an abscessed tooth or infected root canal. It will probably (we can't make promises) pull out the pus and infection. I have known it to work dozens of times and save people hundreds of dollars in dental bills.

People have had great results by doing the following: Just chew up a wad and put  it against the tooth morning and evening for five minutes. Or buy a tincture, swish a dropperful around your mouth morning and night. Continue as needed. To ensure the best results, follow after two weeks with some oak bark. This is pretty  astringent, so the dose is small—half a dropperful in water, morning and night.

Learn how to properly ID plantain, the parts used, medicinal properties and much more in our free, downloadable Seasonal Herbalist cards.


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