Yuthog Foundation for Tibetan Medicine

Medicinal Plants

Plantago aff. depressa

Altitude:

3570 m (11,713 foot)

Location:

Lamayuru, riverside, beneath Potentilla, under Populus, Salix; half shaddow

Medical usage:

Dysentry associated with cold diseases. Eaten as vegetable while young.

Used part:

whole plant

We are including this plant here to show you that many plants, which we use in western herbal medicine, are also being used in Tibetan medicine. Uses may be different in both medical traditions. But also our remarks on usage in Tibetan medicine are far from being complete and reflect only a small part of the picture. Finally, some uses of a plant may have been forgotten in the western tradition or might just be not so important nowadays any more.

In western herbal medicine, Plantago spp. leaves are commonly used as diuretic, for treating wounds, ulcera etc. nowadays. In earlier days however, the seeds of various species of plantago were also used in the west against diarrhoea and dysentery.

Another interesting species which is widely used in Ayurvedic Medicine is Plantago ovata, syn. P. afra. The seed husk of this species is known as Sat Isabgol or Flea Seed Husk. The husk is soaking enormous quantities of water. Flea Seed Husk is being taken internally in cases of constipation and intestinal problems. It is said to possess a remarkable power of absorbing bacterial and other toxins. The plants especially grows in north-west India. Whether it is also being used in Tibetan Medicine is not known to us at present.