Plantago major (PROSEA)

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Plant Resources of South-East Asia
Introduction
List of species


1, fruiting plant; 2, inflorescence; 3, flower; 4, dehisced fruit; 5, seeds (Achmad Satiri Nurhaman)

Plantago major L.

Protologue: Sp. pl. 1: 112 (1753).

Vernacular names

  • Great plantain, waybread, nipple grass (En).
  • Grand plantain, plantain majeur (Fr)
  • Indonesia: daun sendok, daun urat (general), ki urat (Sundanese)
  • Malaysia: ekor anjing (general)
  • Philippines: lanting, lantin, lanting haba (Tagalog), llantin (Spanish).

Distribution

P. major is cosmopolitan; in the tropics it is most common in mountainous regions.

Uses

The seeds have a great reputation as a remedy for dysentery and diarrhoea. They are considered pectoral, demulcent, quieting, antirheumatic and tonic, and to conduce fertility. In Indonesia, an extract of the whole plant is used as diuretic in cases of renal calculi, often in a mixture with 5 parts of Clerodendrum, and also to treat diabetes and skin diseases. Leaves are used to heal wounds and to treat pimples. A decoction of the plant is used in Japan to treat asthma and cough, and of the leaves in the Philippines as emollient. In Thailand, the whole plant or leaves of P. major are used as diuretic and antipyretic. The seeds are used as laxative, anti-inflammatory and carminative. The uses of the leaves as diuretic, astringent, and to treat wounds, insect stings and skin diseases are widespread all over the world. Other applications are against malaria (fresh leaf juice or decoction of whole plant), earache (leaves), dysentery (decoction of leaves), burns, contusions and ulcers of the mouth (decoction of leaves), gonorrhoea (decoction of leaves) and as eyewash (decoction of leaves) and mouthwash against inflammation of gums (decoction of leaves).

Observations

  • A small perennial herb up to 30(-70) cm tall, with numerous fibrous and whitish roots.
  • Leaves in one or few rosettes, ovate to elliptical, (1.5-)5-30(-40) cm × (0.5-)3-10(-15) cm, entire or irregularly dentate, glabrous or nearly so.
  • Spike 5-20(-35) cm long, densely to rather laxly flowered, bracts ovate, 1-2 mm long.
  • Fruit 2-4 mm long, (4-)6-34-seeded.
  • Seeds ellipsoidal or ellipsoidal-trigonous, 1-1.5 mm long, dark brown to dull black.

P. major is a variable species in which several subspecies and varieties have been described. However, the different types are often connected by a series of intermediates. It is common in open grasslands and along roads, particularly on more fertile and compact soils, from sea-level (but usually above 700 m) up to 3300 m altitude.

Selected sources

  • [30] Ahmad, M.S., Ahmad, M.U. & Osman, S.M., 1980. A new hydroxyolefinic acid from Plantago major seed oil. Phytochemistry 19(10): 2137-2139.
  • [97] Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr, R.C., 1963-1968. Flora of Java. 3 volumes. Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands. Vol. 1 (1963) 647 pp., Vol. 2 (1965) 641 pp., Vol. 3 (1968) 761 pp.
  • [190] Brown, W.H., 1951-1957. Useful plants of the Philippines. Reprint of the 1941-1943 edition. 3 volumes. Technical Bulletin 10. Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Bureau of Printing, Manila, the Philippines. Vol. 1 (1951) 590 pp., Vol. 2 (1954) 513 pp., Vol. 3 (1957) 507 pp.
  • [193] Bruneton, J., 1995. Pharmacognosy, phytochemistry, medicinal plants. Technique & Documentation Lavoisier, Paris, France. 915 pp.
  • [202] Burkill, I.H., 1966. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. Revised reprint. 2 volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol. 1 (A-H) pp. 1-1240. Vol. 2 (I-Z) pp. 1241-2444.
  • [287] Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, 1948-1976. The wealth of India: a dictionary of Indian raw materials & industrial products. 11 volumes. Publications and Information Directorate, New Delhi, India.
  • [317] Dat, D.D., Ham, N.N., Khac, D.H., Lam, N.T., Son, P.T., Van Dau, N., Grabe, M., Johansson, R., Lindgren, G. & Stjernstrom, N.E., 1992. Studies on the individual and combined diuretic effects of four Vietnamese traditional herbal remedies: Zea mays, Imperata cylindrica, Plantago major and Orthosiphon stamineus. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 36(3): 225-231.
  • [332] de Padua, L.S., Lugod, G.C. & Pancho, J.V., 1977-1983. Handbook on Philippine medicinal plants. 4 volumes. Documentation and Information Section, Office of the Director of Research, University of the Philippines at Los Baños, the Philippines.
  • [350] Dharma, A.P., 1981. Indonesische geneeskrachtige planten [Indonesian medicinal plants]. De Driehoek, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. 168 pp.
  • [545] Handjieva, N., Spassov, S., Bodurova, G., Saadi, H., Popov, S., Pureb, O. & Zamjansan, J., 1991. Majoroside, an iridoid glucoside from Plantago major. Phytochemistry 30(4): 1317-1318.
  • [549] Hänsel, R. et al. (Editors), 1992. Hagers Handbuch der Pharmazeutishe Praxis [Hagers handbook of the practice of pharmacology]. Springer Verlag, Berlin, Germany. 1209 pp.
  • [580] Heyne, K., 1950. De nuttige planten van Indonesië [The useful plants of Indonesia]. 3rd Edition. 2 volumes. W. van Hoeve, 's-Gravenhage, the Netherlands/Bandung, Indonesia. 1660 + CCXLI pp.
  • [614] Holm, L.G., Plucknett, D.L., Pancho, J.V. & Herberger, J.P., 1977. The world's worst weeds. Distribution and biology. East-West Center, the University Press of Hawaii, Honolulu, United States. 609 pp.
  • [851] Li, H.-L., 1978. Plantaginaceae. In: Li, H.-L., Liu, T.-S., Huang, T.-C., Koyama, T. & DeVol, C.E. (Editors): Flora of Taiwan. Vol. 4. Epoch Publishing Co., Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China. pp. 701-703.
  • [1012] Nasir, E. & Ali, S.I. (Editors), 1970-1988. Flora of West Pakistan. No 1-188. Department of Botany, University of Karachi and National Herbarium, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, Islamabad, Pakistan.
  • [1151] Ponce-Macotela, M., Navarro-Alegria, I., Martinez-Gordillo, M.N. & Alvarez-Chacon, R., 1994. Efecto antigiardiasico in vitro de 14 extractos de plantas [Antigiardiasic activity of 14 plant extracts in vitro]. Revista de Investigacion Clinica 46(5): 343-347.
  • [1178] Quisumbing, E., 1978. Medicinal plants of the Philippines. Katha Publishing Co., Quezon City, the Philippines. 1262 pp.
  • [1287] Saralamp, P., Temsiririrkkul, R., Chuakul, W., Riewpaiboon, A., Prathanturarug, S., Suthisisang, C. & Pongcharoensuk, P. (Editors), 1996. Medicinal plants in the Siri Ruckhachati Garden. 2nd Edition. Siambooks and Publications Co., Bangkok, Thailand. 263 pp.
  • [1439] Taikun, Z., Tanaka, T., Sakai, E., Yoshida, M. & Matsuo, K., 1990. Pharmacognostical studies of Plantaginis Herba 6. Anatomy of Plantago major in Hokkaido, Japan. Shoyakugaku Zasshi 44(3): 145-150. (in Japanese)
  • [1566] Wichtl, M. (Editor), 1994. Herbal drugs and phytopharmaceuticals. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, United States. 800 pp.
  • [1571] Wijayakusuma, H.M.H., Dalimartha, S., Wirian, S.W., Yaputra, T. & Wibowo, B., 1993. Tanaman berkhasiat obat di Indonesia [Plants yielding medicine in Indonesia]. Vol. 2. Pustaka Kartini, Jakarta, Indonesia. 138 pp.

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Authors

  • Lilis Pangemanan
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