Description
Cattails are plants that grow tall and stiff with leaves that look like large blades of grass. The plant can grow up to 6 feet and the giant leaves can be about 1/2 inch to 2 inches wide. Apart from the grass-like leaves, cattail is also distinguished by a brown cigar-shaped head atop the long, stout stalk.
Where To Find
Cattails grow in most regions of the world in wet areas that get a lot of sunshine. The best locations are moist fields, swamps, ditches, canals, rivers, lakes and wet thickets.
What And How To Eat
This is one of the best survival foods you can find since every part of it is edible. You can eat the young stems raw or boiled. The leaves' lower parts can be added to salad. Dry the root then pound it to make flour. When the cigar-shaped head is still green, it can be boiled and eaten like corn on the cob. The pollen can be used as thickener for soups.
Medicinal Use
Cattail has diuretic leaves. An infusion of the leaves in oil can be used to treat sores. The dried pollen, roasted with charcoal is used externally to treat injuries. The root can be pounded into a jelly-like paste for treating cuts, wounds, boils, carbuncles, sores, inflammations, scalds and burns.