How to Make Plantain Infused Oil

Learn how to make Plantain Infused Oil. Infusing oil for natural herbal remedies is an old-fashioned skill that is great to know. Plantain is a common weed that you probably have in your yard. Instead of pulling them or poisoning them, learn how to USE them to make homemade DIY products for your family.

It happens to me every winter. Every winter, this obsessed gardener FINALLY has time to make herbal remedies to prepare for the coming year. This includes salves, herbal teas, tinctures, etc. Especially salves. They last for at least a year, so I can make them when I have time in the winter, and then use them when I need them for the rest of the year.

So what always happens to me?

The recipes all call for infused oils with plants that are only available in my yard/garden during the spring and summer. Boo! True, I could buy the plants in dried form from online stores. However, it never makes sense to me financially because these plants grow where I live.

Why spend the money if I don’t have to? So, this spring, I made the time to gather plants for all of the following infused oils: Plantain Infused Oil, Comfrey Infused Oil, and Dandelion Infused Oil. I am going to make all three of these infused oils on the SAME DAY. That way, I can get three chores done at the same time, and I will still have time to do all of my gardening chores. Booyah. (NOTE: This summer, I’ll make Calendula Infused Oil and Yarrow Infused Oil in one day, too).

How to Make Plantain Infused Oil

I’ve got loads of plantain in my yard, and since it’s a common weed, there’s a chance it’s in your yard, too. The first thing to know is that there are two different types of plantain (Broadleaf (Plantago major) and Narrowleaf (Plantago lanceolata)), and both types are great for medicinal purposes.

Here’s a photo of each type to compare/contrast. I have more Narrowleaf (the one of the left) than Broadleaf. Narrowleaf Plantain has the flower in a small grouping on the tip of the stem and the leaves are long and skinny. Broadleaf Plantain has larger but smaller leaves and the flower is almost the entire stem. If you are still not sure if the plants you have are plantain, please find a local foraging expert.

Some rules for foraging for medicinal plants (or any type of foraging):

#1: Don’t use a plant if you aren’t 100% confidant that it is that plant. So if you are still doubtful if the plant is plantain and no amount of google images or foraging books are making it clear to you, please find a local foraging expert to help teach you.

#2: Make sure you are foraging in a place that hasn’t been sprayed with chemicals. If you aren’t foraging plantain on your own property, really REALLY make sure that you have permission to get it where you found it and that it hasn’t been sprayed.

#3: Never take all of the plant. That’s how ecological systems can be ruined. Take some of each plant, but leave enough of the plant to allow it to continue to thrive. I personally never take more than 40% of each plant.

Why I am making Plantain Infused Oil:

• Plantain is an anti-inflammatory and thus helps improve irritated and inflamed skin.
• It’s an astringent herb and helps tighten body tissues.
• Plantain helps with wounds by helping slow down bleeding and aids in general wound care.
• It is one of the best overall herbs for skin irritations, cuts, bug bites, and scrapes.

Since Plantain is so helpful with skin issues, I plan on using it in my salves this winter. I’ll make sure to include those recipe links in this post when I have them finished, but in the meantime, here’s a list of great salves/recipes that use Plantain Infused Oil:

• How to Make a Gentle Healing Salve: My recipe! This is great for the whole family. I like to give it to mamas for both them and their babies.
• How to Make Plantain Salve for bug bites and poison ivy. This recipe uses only plantain infused oil and beeswax.
• How to Make Comfrey Plantain Salve. This recipe is a great all-purpose remedy for your home. It also uses Comfrey Infused Oil.
• How to Make Skin Soother Salve. This recipe is used as an ointment for scrapes and cuts. It uses Plantain, Comfrey, and Calendula Infused Oils.
• How to Make Black Drawing Salve. This is especially good for drawing out splinters. It uses Plantain, Comfrey, Calendula Infused Oils and other items.
• How to Make Lavender Plantain Lotion. This recipe used Plantain Infused Oil and Lavender essential oil to make a great skin lotion.

Directions for Plantain Infused Oil:

1. Decide how much Plantain Infused Oil you will need and find a glass jar that fits those needs. Since I will be combining it with other infused oils, I am using a jar like this.
2. Harvest the plantain leaves on a dry and sunny afternoon. Use a scissors to cut the plantain leaves into pieces.
3. Allow the plantain pieces to dry overnight. **(see note at end of post about dry vs. fresh herbs for infusion oils)
4. If you cannot find a supply of fresh plantain, Mountain Rose Herbs has dried plantain leaves you can purchase.
5. Use one of the following Infusion methods with your Plantain Infusion Oil:

Dark, Dry, and Cool Places Method:

This is my newest way for making both infused oils and tinctures. After letting my herbs dry overnight, I put them in a glass jar and fill it up with a good quality olive oil, right up to the brim. I use a wooden spoon or chopstick to gently stir to get rid of any possible air bubbles. 

Put the lids on your jars and place them in a dark, dry, and cool location. I have a kitchen cupboard specifically for making and storing herbal recipes like plantain infused oil. I have found that placing them in a dark, dry, cool location prevents the infused herbal oils from spoiling as easily.

Solar-Infused Oils:

Solar-Infused oils is the old-fashioned way of making Infused Oils. Fill your glass jar half full with the herbs/plants and and then completely cover them with your oil (good quality olive oil is the best) right up to the brim. Use a spoon or butter knife to gently stir the plants to make sure there are no air pockets. Cover tightly.

Place the jar in a warm and sunny spot and let it steep for 4-6 weeks. Check it every few days and gently shake it to encourage the plants to release their medicinal benefits. After 4-6 weeks, strain the oil through some cheesecloth (keeping the oil!), and make sure to wring that cheesecloth good and tight to get every last precious drop of your medicinal oil. 

This method is great for feeling old-fashioned. I used to do solar-infused oils, but the solar method can result in moldy/spoiled infused oils, so I have changed to the dark and cool method mentioned above.

Double-Boiler Method Infused Oils:

This is a the quick method for making Infused Oils, best for those times you need an Infused Oil ASAP. Place the herbs and olive oil in a double boiler and bring very slowly to a low simmer. Slow slow SLOWLY heat for at least 30-60 minutes, check it frequently to make sure the oil is not overheating.

The basic rule here is that the lower the heat and the longer the simmering can happen, the better and medicinally-stronger the oil will be. If your stovetop gets too hot, it might destroy the medicinal properties of the plant, so please remember to keep it on low! Then strain the oil through some cheesecloth (keeping the oil!), and make sure to wring that cheesecloth good and tight to get every last precious drop of your medicinal oil. This is the method that I used for my Sore Muscle Salve.

Other methods I’ve seen:

**I’ve read of people using crockpots. You should place a towel on the crockpot bottom, put the jars with tight covers in the crockpot, and add water to half way up the jars. Put on the lowest setting for 12-24 hours. I’ve also read of people using yogurt makers in a similar way. These versions just need to make sure the heat is LOW. 

Other tips for your Plantain Infused Oil:

**Make sure to label your jars with the name and when you made it (otherwise you will end up like me: finding dusty jars of liquid and no idea what it is!). You certainly don’t want to get your jars mixed up, plus, it helps you know when the oil might be expired.

**Check your herbal infused oil every few days for mold. If you see a small spot of mold, remove that herb/plant part and the mold, and you *should* be okay. However, if there is lots of mold, sadly, the infused oil needs to be thrown away.

**Keep your Infused Oil in a cool, dark place. Most infused oils will last for a year or perhaps even longer, if stored correctly. If it begins to smell bad, it might have gone rancid, and it’s time to throw it away and make a new batch (but really, I’m sure you will use it up before the year is done!).

**Note on fresh vs. dried herbs for Infused Oils:

One thing that has always driven me crazy when I’m researching how to make infused oils is that the recipes almost always call for dried herbs. It seems like such a pointless extra step…and one that takes quite a bit of time and energy (as in: the dehydrator would be using electricity constantly for 24 or more hours).

I think it’s partly because many people don’t have access to these plants in fresh-form. However, it’s also because there is a chance for mold issues with fresh herbs/plants with the infused oil process. I don’t recommend using fresh plants for infused oils that are meant for cooking, however, I still like to use fresh plants for medicinal infused oils.

There are a few things you can do to prevent mold issues when using fresh herbs/plants for infused oils:

• Collect your plants on a sunny afternoon during a week that’s had very little rain or no rain. We are trying to prevent too much water in the leaves.
• Do not wash your herbs/plants because we don’t want water introduced to the process. That means you should really make sure you are getting your plants from a location that hasn’t been sprayed with yucky chemicals.
• Dry/Wilt your herbs overnight. If you can afford using a dehydrator, feel free to use that overnight. I prefer the old fashioned way: I place the plant parts on my kitchen counter overnight on a dry towel, and then I make the oil the next day.
• Make sure your glass jars for the infused oils are completely dry. This includes the lid! Make sure any tools you use also do not have water on them.

For further reading:

**How to Make Dandelion Infused Oil

**How to Make Comfrey Infused Oil

**How to Make a Headache Salve

**How to Make a Sore Muscle Salve

A great book for your herbal library is: Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health.

Have you ever made an Infused Oil before? If so, what? If not, will you now?