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Plantain Astringent Tincture and Herb Lesson

February 16, 2010 by Katie Mae Stanley 15 Comments

 

Are you plagued with outbreaks, painful blemishes and black heads? Have you tried multiple products to no avail? Here is an easy homemade remedy. It requires only three things. A glass jar, apple cider vinegar and plantain.

 What is plantain you might ask? Plantain is a wonderful “first aid” plant! It grows practically everywhere. Unfortunately I have yet to find any here in my hikes. Plantain has excellent drawing properties.  It can be used in salves, tinctures, poultices and infusions.I heard stories of people being bitten by bugs. They quickly found a plantain plant, chewed a leaf and put it on the bite, shortly after the swelling had subsided and the itching stopped. Because plantain is an astringent it is perfect to use on anything that needs drawing, insect bites, infections, acne, even poison ivy! You can use it to relieve pain, inflammation, rashes and burns.

If you are picking your own plantain be sure that it was not sprayed with pesticides, so I’d avoid picking planting in city parks and along roads. I wish could find plantain here but so far no such luck. I buy my dried  plantain from the Bulk Herb Store. This past summer when I was visiting my family in Northern California I was thrilled to find it growing in the park near their house. My fingers were just itching to pick but I had to resist the temptation because I knew that it had probably been sprayed. For now I’ll just have to be content with my dried plantain.

Are you ready to find out how to make your own natural facial Astringent? Here we go.

Plantain Astringent Tincture

 

Clean Glass Jar
Fill the jar ¾ of the way with fresh washed plantain leaves or ½ way if your plantain is dry
Fill the jar the rest of the way with apple cider vinegar

Screw on the lid and store in a dry, dark place for about six weeks.  Shake at least twice daily to prevent molding. If necessary you can top it off with a little extra vinegar. After the six weeks are complete strain the vinegar into another glass jar. I used an empty hot sauce bottle. Compost the spent leaves. Apply the tincture to your face after washing twice daily for about two weeks. The tincture will pull the impurities from your skin and leave you with beautiful clean skin. It also helps to remove scaring.

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About Katie Mae Stanley

Katie Mae Stanley is the creator of Nourishing Simplicity. She believes that a made from scratch life is possible with a measure of grace. She teaches you to craft simple, nourishing recipes and natural DIY products at home.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. wENDY

    January 10, 2014 at 9:12 am

    I made this tincture, but am wondering if there are any side effects…dryness, redness, etc. while it is working. I have a teenage daughter suffering with acne and would love to know what to expect.

    Reply
    • Katie Mae

      January 10, 2014 at 10:26 am

      She may experience a bit of redness while it is working. Plantain is an astringent, it pulls the impurities and toxins out of your skin, because of this your daughter may experience more intense acne for about two weeks while the plantain tincture heals her skin. After that her completion should be much better, if not completely clear. If her acne persists you may want to look into her diet as well.

      Reply
  2. tAMAR

    January 3, 2014 at 1:02 pm

    Hi,
    Just wondering, after you wash your face, how do you put the tincture on? And do you leave it on or wash it off? How much do you put on?
    Thanks.

    Reply
    • Katie Mae

      January 3, 2014 at 2:55 pm

      When I use it I put a little on a cotton ball or faical pad. I dab it all over my face and let it dry. How much would really depend on the size of your face. You want to just lightly moisten your face not drench it.

      Reply
  3. Ruth

    March 23, 2013 at 7:36 am

    I wonder how kombucha would work in place of vinegar! Or do half Apple cider half kombucha in a tonic.

    Reply
    • Katie Mae

      March 23, 2013 at 7:44 am

      I’m not sure. You could try. I have used kombucha on my hair instead of apple cider vinegar before. Though I do wonder if kombucha has the same pulling properties.

      Reply
  4. Anonymous

    September 1, 2012 at 1:56 pm

    awesome! I cant wait to try this! i AM plagued with blemishes, and ive heard wonderful things about plantain, although it was in reading ‘the medicine wheel’ as related to kidney problems. thanks again! maureen

    Reply
    • Katie

      September 1, 2012 at 3:59 pm

      Maureen, plantian is pretty amazing! I use it almost everyday. 🙂

      Reply
  5. Herb extract

    July 25, 2012 at 2:36 am

    Eyebright preparation s are also available as an Herbal extract or capsule

    Reply
  6. Katie

    October 7, 2011 at 4:40 pm

    loves2spin, I live in Mexico but have a P.O. Box in the US that gets checked by almost every week.

    Reply
  7. loves2spin

    October 7, 2011 at 12:56 pm

    By the way, where do you live? Maybe I could send you some.

    Reply
  8. loves2spin

    October 7, 2011 at 12:55 pm

    How wonderful! I make a plantain/comfrey salve that is loved by everyone that has tried it. I will definitely add this to the repertoire. Thank you!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Nature's Eraser- Plantain | Modern Alternative Health says:
    September 18, 2014 at 11:27 am

    […] acne: A simple tincture made from plantain leaves and apple cider vinegar will clear up most acne and […]

    Reply
  2. Herbal First Aid: Managing Bug Bites | Bulk Herb Store Blog says:
    August 15, 2014 at 11:33 am

    […] Plantain Astringent via Nourishing SImplicity […]

    Reply
  3. 10 Reasons to Add Plantain to Your SHTF Medicine Chest | Survival Sherpa says:
    May 22, 2014 at 4:13 am

    […] Astringent Tincture […]

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