By Penelope A. Domogo, MD
Lanting or Plantago Major (plantain- English; dildila- Bila-Kankanai) is a common garden plant, native to Europe and some parts of Asia. Interestingly, I don’t remember seeing this in our yard when we were kids. It’s a beautiful plant with a rosette of broad green leaves growing near the ground which somewhat folds in the evening like the prayer plant. It has tiny green flowers crowded on erect spikes later turning brown. And its tiny fruits contain numerous minute black seeds that are easily scattered and thus this plant can easily spread in your yard. It’s a sturdy plant- it survives repeated trampling like what we have in our pathway, thus it is also called white man’s foot.
I don’t remember any account of us, Igorots, eating this plant but it’s edible. The tender leaves “can be used in salads and shredded as a healthy garnish for any dish…. added to smoothies…. tougher leaves… can be added to stir fries or wilted as a side dish.” (greenamercia.org/blog/plantain-weed). The leaves can also be dried and crushed and mixed with soup. As a green plant, it is a rich source of vitamins and minerals and also other plant components that promote healing. Our pigs love them, too, just like dupduppil.
I first heard of the wonders of lanting many years ago being promoted to melt gallbladder stones using the leaves decoction. It has pala a long history of medicinal use in many parts of the world. Foremost, it is used traditionally for wound healing just like what we do with sunflower or camote leaves. Just pound the fresh leaves and place it over the wound like a band-aid. It stops bleeding, supports tissue regeneration and a natural antiseptic, says Humbart Santillo in “Natural Healing with Herbs”. The poultice also is used for insect bites and stings. It could also draw out slivers or splinters- place fresh crushed lanting on the sliver spot, bandage it overnight and you will be able to remove the sliver in the morning.
For some other medicinal uses, we refer to Leonard Co’s Common Medicinal Plants in the Cordillera Region as follows:
1. Gum inflammation – Boil 15 grams of the fresh plant in 200 ml water until half remains. Use the resulting decoction as a gargle 3x a day.
2. Chronic bronchitis – Boil 60 grams of the dried plant in 100 ml of water for 15 minutes. Reconstitute the water lost due to evaporation after boiling. Give 20-40 ml 3x a day.
3. Skin irritation – use the decoction as a wash of the affected area.
Just like other medicinal herbs, lanting has a lot of other traditional uses in many cultures. What is amazing is that we all have these wonderful plants in our yards and our villages. Like dupduppil, tawa-tawa and dandelion, they grow in or near human settlements or where there are human activities. It’s like they are offering themselves to us, as vegetable and as medicine. We don’t have to venture out to the forest or dive deep into the sea to get these blessings. And we don’t have to wait to get sick before claiming their benefits. Try some lanting salad.**
