Reviewed records available

Broadleaf plantain

Plantago major

Broadleaf plantain is the common lawn and path-side plant Plantago major, not the banana-like food crop. The reviewed cards below concern specific standardized topical formulations used in clinical wound care. They do not establish that a fresh leaf, homemade poultice, seed preparation, or unspecified extract has the same effect.

Evidence snapshot reviewed October 16, 2026

Check the botanical identity in the Plant Atlas →

Botanical identity

Which plant this profile means

This profile is tied to Plantago major. The bare common name plantain can also mean Plantago lanceolata or the banana-like food crop.

Scientific name
Plantago major
WCVP taxon ID
2569743
Atlas record
Open this name in the Plant Atlas

Preparation boundaries

Same plant, different exposure

These forms stay separate in the evidence bank. A result for one cannot be copied onto the others.

Fresh topical use

fresh leaf · Applied to skin

Traditional fresh-leaf use, including insect-sting use, has no pre-approved efficacy claim.

Whole-plant powder

dried leaf · Route varies

Dried leaf is not automatically equivalent to a standardized topical extract.

Standardized extract

leaf · Applied to skin

Study-specific topical formulations do not establish equivalence to a home-prepared poultice.

Mixed preparations

varied or incompletely reported · Applied to skin

This evidence synthesis spans multiple non-interchangeable formulations, extraction methods, bases, and concentrations. It cannot be mapped to one extract or transferred to a home-prepared poultice.

Other extract or formulation

not fully resolved · Taken by mouth or used as a rinse

Syrup and rinse studies require formulation-level review.

Whole-plant powder

seed · Taken by mouth

Seed powder cannot be generalized to leaf or topical preparations.

Other extract or formulation

leaf in multi-ingredient product · Applied to skin

A combination product cannot isolate the effect of Plantago major.

Research-bot status

Some evidence cards are public. The rest of the queue isn’t.

The reviewed cards below cleared a separate publication check. The remaining candidate extractions stay private until their source, wording, and preparation match are reviewed.

Sources in review
5
Possible claims found
5
Still awaiting review
5
Blocked source
0

Research connections

What this ingredient has been studied around

Wound healing

A reviewed, preparation-specific evidence card is published for this source.

Reviewed evidence

2 source-linked records

Randomized trial Early signal 130 patients with stage 1 pressure ulcers

Standardized Plantago major topical formulation: early pressure-ulcer signal

A 14-day triple-blind randomized trial in 130 patients reported greater resolution of stage 1 pressure-ulcer damage with a standardized Plantago major topical formulation than with control. The accessible abstract does not provide the group sizes, comparator formulation, or numerical effect estimate, so the size and practical importance of the difference cannot be judged from this source alone.

What was studied
A topical Plantago major formulation standardized by HPLC to quercetin content; not a fresh leaf, home poultice, dried powder, or oral product
Setting
Mixed treatment settings
Why it ranks here
Randomization, blinding, and 130 participants make the study worth following, but the abstract lacks the effect magnitude and enough intervention and comparator detail for a stable clinical conclusion.
Limits and cautions
  • The PubMed abstract reports a statistically significant difference but no group sizes, absolute resolution rates, confidence interval, or effect estimate.
  • The comparator formulation and background wound care are not described in the accessible abstract.
  • The study lasted 14 days and included stage 1 pressure ulcers; it does not establish outcomes for deeper, infected, diabetic-foot, or chronic wounds.
  • The tested HPLC-standardized formulation is not equivalent to a fresh leaf, homemade poultice, unspecified extract, or another Plantago species.
  • The abstract reports no formulation-related side effects, but 130 participants over 14 days cannot establish uncommon or longer-term safety.

Pressure ulcers need appropriate clinical assessment and pressure-relief care. This record does not recommend replacing wound care with Plantago major or applying a homemade preparation.

Randomized trial Promising, with limits 120 randomized; 94 completed and were analyzed (50 intervention, 44 control)

Plantago major 10% topical gel: promising but limited wound-healing trial

In this open-label pilot trial, 94 of 120 randomized patients completed two weeks of treatment. Mean wound-size reduction at day 14 was 86.85% with the 10% Plantago major gel plus routine care and 52.87% with control dressings plus routine care. Complete healing was reported in 64% versus 20.45%. The result is promising, but the short per-protocol study was unblinded, lost 26 randomized participants, combined different ulcer types, and used several control dressings.

What was studied
A 10% hydroalcoholic Plantago major leaf-extract gel applied once daily with cleansing, dressing, and routine wound care for two weeks
Setting
Studied with standard care
Why it ranks here
The trial reported a large between-group difference in clinically relevant wound outcomes, while its open-label design, attrition, per-protocol analysis, mixed ulcers, and nonuniform comparator leave substantial risk of bias.
Limits and cautions
  • Twenty-six of 120 randomized patients did not complete the study, and the analysis excluded them rather than following an intention-to-treat approach.
  • The trial was open-label and had no placebo; participants and assessors could know treatment assignment.
  • Control dressings varied with wound characteristics, while the intervention group used the study gel and sterile gauze, making the groups more difficult to compare cleanly.
  • The study combined diabetic foot ulcers and stage 2 or 3 pressure ulcers, had only two weeks of follow-up, and was described by the authors as a pilot study.
  • The 10% hydroalcoholic leaf-extract gel is not equivalent to a fresh leaf, homemade poultice, dried powder, oral seed product, or retail product with an unspecified formulation.
  • One author was affiliated with a pharmaceutical-company research and development department; PubMed reports no declared competing interests. Independent replication was not established in this review.

Diabetic foot and pressure ulcers can become serious or infected and need professional wound care. This record does not support self-treatment or substituting a homemade plant preparation for standard care.

Profile sources

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