This Montana Weed Soothes Bug Bites Like Magic

Summer Means Bug Bites In Montana

One thing about living where the air freezes your face, is all the bugs die or hibernate in the winter.  It is one of the magical things about everything freezing.

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However, summer, that's when we get eaten alive in Montana. It could be mosquitoes, horse flies, gnats, spiders, ticks and the like, but those Montana bugs are hungry come summer and they're taking no prisoners. How many times have the kids been out playing for an afternoon, or you come back camping for a weekend and you're body is covered in itchy bug bites? It happens.

There Is A Natural Remedy That Grows Like A Weed In Montana

It grows like a weed because it IS a weed. I'm talking about a weed that grows in all 50 states. If you've seen it once you've seen it a thousand times.

Montana Field Guide lists the medicinal weed as Common Plantain or Plantago major.  It's also known by Nipple-seed Plantain, Great Plantain, and Broadleaf Plantain.

A Brief History Common Plantain

The National Library of Medicine lists the plant as used for centuries to heal everything from bug bites and wound healing to helping reproduction problems, pain relief and more.

Where Does Common Plantain Grow In Montana?

Everywhere.  This is a plant that does well in your lawn or between cement cracks.

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What Does Common Plantain Look Like?

How Can Common Plantain Be Used For Bug Bites?

Some websites said to place a leaf on the bite to draw out the toxins. I like this site, Learning and Yearning best of all. They run you through everything from identifying the plant to what it's used to treat, and even how to make a balm out of it.