Herbs - Plantago Major

This is my favorite herb. Why ?  Simple -  this is one herb that my mother used to boil for us to drink, and I have no fear of recommending to readers to try it.   In truth I am a bit skeptical about the use of Herbs, unless there is strong scientific merit or from personal experience.  Readers can read more of this herb in this link :  http://www.altnature.com/gallery/plantain.htm , so I do not need to cut and paste here.  Believe it, or not this herb does sound like a miracle herb with its various  medical usage, supported by scientific research and studies .  My mother used to pick the whole plant, including roots and everything. After washing thoroughly , esp the roots; she boiled this herb with the sugar cane that she had in her garden. The sugar cane was the reddish type, not the yellow type. Sometimes one can see both this plant (in bunches) and sugar canes  (cut into short blocks) being sold in the wet market.  Lately  my mother would boil the herbs with barley too.  She said the  herbal drink was cooling and good for cleansing the bladder. 

This herb grows easily and does not need any special care. It propagates by wind pollination, the seeds can be found at the tips of the flower spike. I just allow this plant to grow wild in my garden, and gather them whenever I want to use them. Despite its leafy appearance this plant is quite tough with strong root system. It is not fussy about the soil it grows on ; sandy or compact does not matter, this plant just thrives. In drought season, this plant might disappears, but when conditions are good, it reappears.  So I hardly bother about this plant,. Just take care not to weed the babies when I do weeding. If I do pull them out  by accident, I just stick them back.....