Ribwort Plantain

Plantago lanceolata · Plantago major · Greater plantain

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Cough with colds¹ Acute bronchitis cough² Pharyngeal irritation¹ Minor skin inflammation¹ Pressure ulcer, stage 1³ Oral mucositis⁴ Heavy menstrual bleeding⁵ Proteinuria in diabetic nephropathy⁶	Plantain pollen allergy¹ Herb hypersensitivity¹ Pregnancy or nursing⁷

Ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata) is a leaf herb, and Plantago major (greater plantain) is the related species most studied; its demulcent and anti-inflammatory activity underlies use as a soothing agent on irritated mucosa and skin¹. Preparations are taken for cough with colds and bronchitis, for oral and pharyngeal irritation, and topically for minor skin inflammation and wounds¹. Further uses include oral mucositis, pressure injury, heavy menstrual bleeding, and proteinuria in diabetic nephropathy. Typical users are adults and children with self-limited respiratory symptoms.

Human research is limited to about ten small trials, mostly in cough, wound care, and oral mucositis. Plantain is sold mainly as liquid extracts, among 143 products listing ribwort plantain; see Form comparison.

The main caution is allergic: the European monograph lists hypersensitivity to the herb or to ribwort plantain pollen as its contraindication¹. Per the monograph, pregnancy and lactation use is not recommended for lack of safety data, and it directs patients with persistent symptoms to a doctor or qualified health care practitioner¹.

Last updated October 17, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

40 sources, 31 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources