Make plantain pills for a cough

It’s easy to roll your own herbal pills, and you can make them whatever size you’re comfortable swallowing. They won’t last sealed in a container, but a batch made when you start feeling crook will last a few days in a dry place.
 
All you need is some powdered herb, and slippery elm. I’ll show you (with the help of my trusty assistant!) how to make plantain pills. Plantain is much more effective fresh (less than a year old); so go pick some clean plantain leaves today and get them drying. You can simply lay them on a rack in an airy place until they’re brittle. Store them dried and whole until you need them.

Slippery elm powder can be bought from the health food shop. It’s a bit expensive, but it will last you a long time, and it’s a basic ingredient in a homemade medicine cabinet. It’s going to bind the herb together, as well as being a gentle healing agent in its own right.

1. Powder your plantain or other dried herb as finely as possible, by crushing brittle leaves in your hands or whizzing in a blender/coffee grinder.

2. Tip equal parts plantain powder and slippery elm powder into a small saucer. About half a teaspoon of each is a good start. Depends how many pills you want.
3. Drop one or two drops of water – not too much – into the saucer. You want just enough to make a thick paste or dough.

4. Mix it together well with a teaspoon. Add another drop of water if necessary, mixing well.

5. Take tiny blobs and roll them into balls or ovals.

6. Leave on the saucer to dry. Store in the open air, out of direct sunlight.
 
That’s it! The dose depends on the size of the pill. Each one is about half active herb. Ask at a health food store if you need help determining the right dosage size.
 
I use these plantain pills for coughs and sore throats. You could also use them for gut inflammation. I make a batch when someone in the family gets a cough. Plantain and slippery elm are both non-toxic herbs, so you don’t have to fuss too much about the dose size. Take one several times a day until it makes a difference. They work really well.