The leaves are quite edible, and often used raw in salads and cooked as greens. Older leaves have a stronger, sometimes objectionable flavor, and can be tough and stringy, but can be used to make tea. Plantain is very high in vitamins A and C and in calcium. Medicinally, Native Americans used plantain leaves to relieve the pain of bee stings and insect bites, stop the itching of poison ivy and other allergic rashes, and promote healing in sores and bruises.
With a few exceptions, all salaried income, up to an amount specifically determined by law (see tax rate table below), is subject to the Social Security payroll tax. All income over said amount is not taxed. In 2017, the maximum amount of taxable earnings was $127,200.
So, for a married couple with an income (adjusted as described above) less than $32,000, none of their Social Security benefits are taxable at the federal level. In the income range $32,000 to $44,000, between 50 to 85 percent of Social Security benefits may be taxable at the appropriate marginal tax rate. Above $44,000 in adjusted income, 85 percent of benefits may be taxable.