Plantain

Even if you live in a city, you can find this weed in any local park or wayside. The Greek physician Dioscorides in the 1st century A.D. describes how this green plant was used externally by the Roman army on body sores. A neighbor of mine once developed a terrible finger infection from a manicure "nick." Despite emergency room lancing and constant use of antibiotics, it wouldn't heal. We walked to a nearby park, picked up some plantain, and wrapped her throbbing finger. She felt almost immediate relief. We took home a batch of this low growing weed and placed the leaves in water, so she would have a constant renewable bandage for this infection. Using it, the infection cleared in a few days.

Apply the leaves to the face to relieve some earaches, or chew it, gargle with it, or drink plantain tea for relief of a toothache.

Use the leaves to relieve the pain of bee, wasp, and hornet stings.