Horse herbs #1: Narrow plantain
Narrow plantain (Plantago lanceolata) is a real horse plant that you can safely feed - but always in moderation. It is a very common wild plant of approximately 20 cm to 50 cm that can be found in practically every grass verge and is an asset to your horse pasture. You can recognize this plant by the lance-shaped leaves that grow in a rosette shape and form small white flowers around the spike.
Plantain is a natural antibiotic and a source of vitamins C and K, iron, zinc, calcium, copper and silicon and is also very medicinal.
You can offer this plant as support for the following complaints:
- Lungs and respiratory tract: dry cough, bronchitis, phlegm, infections, COPD, asthma and allergies.
- Wound healing: blood cleansing and blood-clotting and can be used as a dressing for scratches, cuts, bite wounds and open wounds.
- Skin, coat and hooves: sweet itch, laminitis, rough skin, wounds and scabs.
- Digestion: inflammation, intestinal and stomach ulcers.
- Urinary tract: positive influence on bladder and kidneys.
How do you use Narrow plantain in horses? The easiest way is to pick a handful of this plant and offer it that way. Pick along remote roads and roadsides, avoid public roads due to pollution. You can also make tea from it (both fresh and dried plants) and mix it with the food. Or make a mush wrap for wounds. You then wash the fresh leaves, crush them into a paste with a rolling pin or mortar and then place them on the wound for a few hours.
In summary: the ideal plant to feed now and to pick and dry for the winter!
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Laura Cleirens from The Natural Way specialises in the natural treatment of itching and skin complaints in horses, such as sweet itch, mud fever and CPL.
Discover our 100 % natural range here: Sweet Itch Lotion, Mud Fever Oil, CPL Oil, Nature Shampoo and Zoem Spray, as well as e-books on Primal Food, Itch and Horse Herbs.
© Laura Cleirens - 2020.05.21
Last update: 2026.01.28