The Medicinal Cattail

Cattails to my untrained eye would probably have been the last plant chosen by me to be the most important plant for a survivalist. I have since learned better! The cattail seems to do it all. From a tool for fire as great tinder to a versatile food to a source of cordage and now the lesser known of its uses as a medicine! Unbelievable. All this from the most unassuming plant you can find.

The medicinal use of cattail is pretty cool, it requires zero preparation. No tinctures, no suave, easy and very useful in a SHTF situation. The plant produces an ooze or slime or gel that acts as a numbing agent like you would buy at the pharmacy for use in your mouth. The cattail gel works exactly the same way, is safe to consume and basically looks exactly like Ambesol that you buy.

To get the medicine from the plant you simply find a cattail that is healthy and green. You will notice it has multiple leaves growing from a single base sort of like and onion except and onion leaf stays wrapped in a tube whereas the cattail leaf unfurrel into a flat leaf. Pull off one of these leaves from the cattail plant. Break it of as far down as possible because that is where the most gel stuff is.

Once you have broken it off, take your thumb and with a little pressure run it in the curved section of the leave that is closest to the base. Your finger nail should be leading the charge and pressing into the plant so it will squeeze out all of the gel ooze from the leaf.

You should now have a big glob of gel on the top of your thumbnail. Use it just like you would Ambesol and it will relieve pain locally just like Ambesol does. Amazing!