perhaps my favorite plant to teach those new to herbs is the common weed plantain (not the banana like thing). there are two common varieties (actually more than two species, but lets keep things simple, initially...)
broad leaf plantain (plantago major or plantago rugelii)
narrow leaf plantain (plantago lanceolata)
I can use this plant for most systems in the body, and while I know how to and do use a number of "strong" herbs (meaning things that aren't especially safe for beginners to use), planatin is absolutely one of my most important and most versatile medicines.
Just thinking of topical use, which could be as a poultice (fresh herbs crushed or chewed and applied topically), a compress of a tea from the dried plant, and infused oil (fresh plant infused in olive oil or and other stable lipid, including animal fats), or a salve (the prior with beeswax added)...
close to any bites and stings:
mosquitos, spiders (including brown recluse), bees, wasps, hornets, yellow jackets... it'll help with chiggers, but only a bit. It's useful for tick bites but I won't say it prevents the possible transmission of lyme. Its useful for dog or other crushing bites. For cat bites/piercing bites (fangs go in deep) you'd want to take some strong antiseptic like echinacea or alder or baptisia internally (I'd seek an experienced herbalist in such a situation)
puncture wounds, cuts, scrapes, chafes, mild burns:
keeps the wound clean, prevents infection, and keeps it open till it heals from the inside out (no oil or salves on deep wounds or more severe burns). It's excellent with liberal quantites of yarrow to stop bleeding.
As an eyewash for eye infections or inflammations:
a tea of the dried plant, strained well with 1/4 teaspoon salt added to make the solution saline
As a nasal wash/rinse for chronic sinus issues:
same prep as above
Just some uses, all of which I have first hand experience with. I keep meaning to add a page on it to my site, but haven't yet. In one of my herb DVDs, I spend about 30 minutes on it.
...hmm; maybe I do that in both DVDs. I've talked about it for over an hour in classes.
I remember, many moons ago, finding some in the dark with my bare toes, by feeling the ground under my feet for the compressed soil it like to grow in. Made me think of aragorn finding athelas in the dark by its scent (I've done that with other plants). I was all geeked about it (still am, whenever I do that kind of thing).
Plantain is edible, but just pretty... green tasting. I mix it with other seasonal greens (weeds, mostly, but I do like arugula). Be sure to cut it across the veins,l lest they get stuck in your teeth, or look like long skinny worms to whoever agreed to try your wild green omelet.
Not plantain, but just to give a sense of my relative level of being plant-wise, I talk about wild geranium here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVtmlAxUmc4
and wild sarsparilla here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44b4WoLwhD0
My site has lots more writing of mine, with several in depth plant articles...
