Cattail

Typha latifolia

NL: Grote lisdodde / F: Massette

Cattail is another versatile plant considered as the wonder of survivalists. One can indeed basically survive from this plant only if needed. It can be used as nutritious food, it filters and purifies waters, it offers material for building shelters, boats, baskets, cordage, clothes, hats, beds, mats, pillows, insulation and it can also be used as a fire starter or fire torch. The more creative you are , the more applications you will find for cattails. 

Before we get to how nutritious this plant is, it is worth noting that cattail is a wetland plant, growing in swamps, ponds and along rivers and lakes. One of its important ecological functions is to purify and detoxify water, removing even pollutants and heavy metals from the waters where it grows. The thing is that it cannot get rid of those toxic products or neutralize them right away, so it accumulates them. When thinking of harvesting cattails to be used as food, make sure it grows in a non-polluted environment.

the plant can be used in natural water treatment systems

As food source, it can provide enough calories, from carbohydrates, fats and proteins - a complete survival meal. Its rhizomes and roots can be harvested and prepared during autumn and winter, exactly when most other plants are not available. The white part of the leaves are also delicious when cooked. In the springtime, its shoots can be harvested and eaten raw or cooked and its pollen can be added to meals, adding extra vitamins and minerals.  With this plant one can have food all year round, in all seasons.

Before we can see the typical cattail seed heads, it is possible to confuse cattails with members of the iris family, which grow also in wetlands but are toxic, not edible. Still it is possible to identify cattail by its leaves growing around a very round stalk at its basis. The leaves of the iris grow around a flat-fan formation, very different from the cattail.

leaves grow around a round stalk

Cattail is also a popular folk medicine as diuretic. Its roots can be used as poultice to heal wounds, burns, insect bites, skin inflammations and it helps boils and pustules to get out. Dried and burned, its ashes work as a great first aid antiseptic for wounds or toothache. 

Listed below you will find a selection I made of the best videos and articles I could find on cattails, full of practical information worth checking out: 

Harvesting and preparing cattails (6 videos from Learningherbs.com)

Identifying all parts of cattails - Hole in the Fence.net

Survival uses of cattail - Prep for SHTF.com

Making a pillow from cattails - Simply Homemaking

How to make cattail baskets

How to make cordage - Bushcraft on Fire

Cattail pollen lessons - From: Hunger and Thirst Food, like life, is best when it's wild and free

Cattail various recipes - Cattails.info

Permaculture plants: Cattail - Temperate Climate Permaculture

fluffy parts: pillow filling, insulation, fire starter

roots and rhizomes can be harvested even during winter

Curly Dock

Rumex crispus

 NL: Zuring / F: Oseille

Most plants of the Rumex genus, docks and sorrels, are edible, rich in protein, vitamins A and C, bioflavonoids, iron and magnesium. But most of them also contain varying levels of tannins and oxalates. For that reason, in their raw form, they should be eaten moderately. They can be freely consumed when boiled 2 to 3 times, changing its cooking water. 

Curly dock or yellow dock (Rumex crispus) has an ancient history as a powerful purifying, cleansing herb, used to help healing a wide range of skin conditions and other chronic illnesses that can benefit from a depurative herb. All parts of the plant can be used but the strongest properties are found in the roots. For that, the root is harvested early in spring - or early autumn - and dried for further use. 

The cleansing actions from various Rumex species are partly explained by its stimulation of digestive secretions, which have a mild laxative effect and help to eliminate waste. Yellow dock also promotes the flow of bile from the liver and gallbladder, which improves the absorption of nutrients. The extensive list of conditions that have been reported to be treated using yellow dock roots include: rheumatism, fevers, liver problems, hemorrhoids, swollen lymph glands and constipation. Recently it has been studied as an auxiliary in the treatment of cancer and bacterial infections.

As a first aid herb, the powder of the dried root can be used in poultice, applied topically to heal wounds, skin inflammations, itching, eczema, etc. This powder has also been used traditionally to treat gingivitis and toothaches. 

It works well in cleansing formulas when combined with burdock roots.

Dock leaves are a traditional remedy for the sting of nettles. Curiously, curly dock and common nettle are often found growing in the same environment.

Dock is also used as compost enhancer, to speed up bacterial activity and thus shorten the time needed to get the compost ready.

More on the healing properties of Yellow Dock:

Herbal Treatment Remedies: Yellow Dock Root

And here's a complete course on this plant:

Survival Plants Memory Course: Rumex crispus

In the beginning of the following video you get some tips on identifying and using Curly Dock:

Sergei Boutenko: Wild Food Foraging

Grass

Yes, you are reading correctly: grass! While most people may be familiar with the “healing powers” of wheat grass, others may even know about barley grass, oatstraw and alfalfa grass, many people still do not realize that the grass they throw away after mowing their lawn is actually food! 

Most grasses are not only edible but they are rich additions to our diets, rich in precious minerals and vitamins. They also have detox properties similarly to wheat grass.

The best way to consume it, is to harvest the young grass - now widely available. Normally if it is within 15 cm it will be easily chewable. 

I use my Z-star manual juicer to get the best of grasses and other fiber-rich edibles. If you do not have a manual juicer, you can still chew a bunch of young grass a long time, swallow its juice and then spit out the fiberish pulp. 

Keep in mind the usual recommendations about finding food in the wild, making sure it is not a place that has been polluted or sprayed with hazardous chemicals. Contamination from animal manure can be countered by a good washing session, soaking them in vinegar for 20 minutes, washing again.

If you are up to a spring time detox week, grass is the way to go! It is already sprouting higher than all the other plants, and you can get plenty of it to load your energy back after a long-dragging winter. Try adding apple juice and lemon juice to it to make it a more pleasant detox. ;-)

Here is a great video where Sergei Boutenko mentions how to use grasses as food in the very beginning of the video:

Wild Food Foraging part 4 - Sergei Boutenko

Watercress

Nasturtium officinale

NL: Waterkers - F: Cresson

This incredible plant can be found plentiful near water regions, growing all year round. It is amazingly rich both for its nutritional value as for its medicinal applications. The leaves can be eaten raw or cooked. It tastes great in green smoothies, sandwiches and salads, adding some pungent taste to any culinary creation, similarly to ruccola and mustard - which are by the way from the same family.

It is considered a great source of calcium, iodine and iron and its high content of vitamin C makes it a great boost to the immune system to prevent and treat chronic conditions. Traditionally it has been used to prevent and treat colds, bronchitis and even to treat tuberculosis.

 tiny cresses on a grass field near a lake

It is also a powerful cleansing herb and it is also employed as auxiliary in the treatment of toothache, chest and kidney illnesses, both its internal and external use. It is also used externally to heal skin inflammations, swellings and as hair tonic.








When harvesting it near waters that can be polluted by animal pastures one must be careful not to eat this plant raw. Wash it thoroughly and cook it to avoid parasitic contamination. It can be added to soups, stews, etc.

Here is a great video on recognizing watercress and its properties:

Watercress - Boost immunity and brain function

In the link below, you'll find extensive information on watercress:

Nasturtium officinale: Survival Plants Memory Course

If you are not yet convinced to include watercress in your daily smoothies, here's a very good article from Life Extension Magazine to help you with that:

Watercress Benefits for Cancer Protection, Vision and Heart Health

Horsetail

Equisetum arvense

NL: Heermoes - F: Prêle

Field horsetail, often considered intrusive, is another richness that we must learn to value. It offers protection to other garden plants and helps enrich the soil. It can be used in natural garden spray helping to strengthen plants to withstand plague attacks, as well as to eliminate some, being particularly effective against fungal infections. It is a great addition to compost heaps and it can take part in a green liquid "compost"  - very easy to make - fermented with other plants, such as nettle.

It is a rich source of silica. It has been used in many expensive food supplements sold as "liquid silica", to help improve one's mineral balance, helping to repair tissues, fractures and to strengthen the bones, tendons, hair, skin and nails.

Young horsetail shoots

It is also used in folk medicine to increase immunity, as blood cleanser, to heal chronic bronchitis and emphysema, to help mineralize the body and as tonic.

Field horsetail can be dried and ground to be used a food supplement sprinkled over a meal. There are some toxic substances in this plant, so in case of using it internally as food supplement tiny amounts are advised.

Horsetail is also used to help restore tooth health. It can help tooth enamel to get back to how it should be. For that purpose, it can be used in small doses, internally, but also as a tooth powder, mixed with other herbs, such as myrrh, eventually mixed with essential oils such as rosemary, sage, fennel or peppermint. You can use this powder to brush your teeth instead of regular toothpaste.

Horsetail is also used to efficiently clean up water and soil, as bio-remediation. In nature, it grows spontaneously along river beds, and it removes toxic pollutants and heavy metals present in the water and soil. That means that we must only harvest horsetail for medicinal when we are sure it grows in clean soil. Ideally, the higher up toward mountain tops one can harvest this plant, the better.

One must learn to distinguish between Field Horsetail from Marsh Horsetail (poisonous) !

Here is a video on horsetail that can be useful:

Horsetail - Equisetum arvense -by theutahherbwalker

Here is an extensive and interesting article, for the Dutch speakers:

De Geneeskrachtige Heermoes

Plantain

Plantago major

NL: Weegbree - F: Plantago

Plantago major

Plantains can be found growing all over the world, particularly along paths, but also in grass fields. This is another magical herb to think of in first aid emergencies: abundantly available and with great anti-bleeding, wound healing, skin regenerating properties. Internally, they are used in the treatment of a wide range of complaints including diarrhea, gastritis, peptic ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, hemorrhage, haemorrhoids, cystitis, bronchitis, catarrh, sinusitis, asthma and hay fever.

The leaves are used externally, freshly squeezed or heated, in poultices to treat skin inflammations, malignant ulcers, cuts, stings, swellings, etc.

The seeds are used in the treatment of parasitic worms.

Plantago lanceolata

Even though they are not the most palatable plant in the world, having a bitter taste, they are also edible. Its strong leaves can be eaten raw, blanched or cooked. First remove the fibrous strands before use. The seeds are also eaten raw or cooked. The dried seed can be ground and mixed with flour. The whole seeds can be boiled and used like sago to thicken sauces, soups and desserts. Plantago seeds have 17.4% (highly digestible) protein, 6.7% fat, 24.6% total dietary fiber. The oil from plantago seeds had a high percentage of linoleic acid (40.6%) and oleic acid (39.1%) and a minor proportion of linolenic acid (6.9%).

Both most commonly found types of plantain, the one with long leaves (P. lanceolata) and the one with one with rounded leaves (P. major) have strong medicinal properties and can therefore be used in similar way.

Here are two videos on identifying and using plantain:

Broadleaf Plantain - by LuminEarth

Ribwort Plantain - Plantago lanceolata

The link below takes you to a very nice video on how to recognize and use plantain:

The Plantain - Nature's miracle healer

Here is a great article from a herbalist who is apparently just as passionate about plantains as myself:

One of the most useful medicines on the planet - by Jess Smith

P. lanceolata's gorgeous flower

And here you'll find detailed info on plantains:

Plantago lanceolata - Survival Plants Memory Course

Plantago major - Survival Plants Memory Course

I found this a very useful cooking tip for plantain:

Cooking broadleaf plantain - Wild Food Lab

On harvesting plantain seeds:

Harvest Greater Plantain Seeds - Mungo says bah!

* Last but not least, an extensive article in Dutch / En een uitgebreid artikel in het Nederlands:

Liber vitae - Smalle weegbree (Plantago Lanceolata L.)

Stinging Nettle

Urtica dioca

NL: Brandnetel / F: Ortie

Nettles are not only very nutritious but have also a long list of medicinal applications. They are rich in iron, silicon, magnesium, potassium, vitamins A and C. Dried nettles may contain up to 40% protein.

Fresh young leaves can be used cooked or blanched, what neutralizes the formic acid, rendering them safe to eat. They can replace spinach in recipes in oven dishes, stews, pastas, croquettes, etc.
 
Young shoots / stems harvested in springtime can be also very tasty. You may simply cook them for 3-5 minutes in a pan with olive oil.

Young shoots

Nettle seeds

Leaves and seeds can be dried in the shadow for winter use. Add its powder to enrich meals.  

Some herbal practitioners recommend nettle tea for pregnant women, which may help strengthen the muscles, reducing uterine pain. Due to its high mineral content and its high amounts of vitamin K it also helps prevent hemorrhage after childbirth.



Nettle has traditionally been used as a blood cleanser and general tonic. The plant has been used over centuries in the treatment of rheumatic conditions, anaemia, allergies, including hay fever and also to prevent and reduce internal and external bleeding. Its cleansing properties help in the treatment of a wide range of conditions, including psoriasis, acne, hives and various types of eczema.

Nettles always get a special place in my garden! ;-)

More on nettles:

HerbMentor: Nettles
Stinging Nettle - University of Maryland Medical Center
Urtica dioica: Alternative Medicine Review Thorne Research
Frank Cook on Nettle - very good video on the real value of nettles
The Stinging Truth about Nettles - by Barb Moody
Know Your Nettles: Great BBC article on National Be Nice to Nettles Week
Stinging Nettle: so many cures that you will lose count

Goosefoot

Chenopodium album

NL: Ganzenvoet - F: Chénopode blanc

Also known as Lamb's Quarters, this plant from the family of quinoa and amaranth is also a great pioneer, growing as one of first after a soil has been emptied of its vegetation or newly cultivated.

It is extremely nutritious, and a serving of 180g can cover 281% of one’s daily needs for vitamin A, 46% of one’s daily needs for calcium, 111% of vitamin C and 7% of one’s iron needs. It contains also around 10 times as much vitamin K as one would need per day. Its leaves contain around 12% of high quality protein, meaning that it contains all essential aminoacids. The seeds have about 49% carbohydrate and 16% protein.

Goosefoot is also rich in oxalic acid, so the leaves are best not eaten raw. In order to get the best of it, nutritionally, it is better to blanch the leaves and stems or steam them with a little water until tender (3-5 minutes), leaving the pan open, so that its oxalic acid can evaporate.

A beautiful variety with young leaves coming in pink

The leaves, seeds and stems are absolutely delicious, with a flavour that can be compared to spinach or chard.

The ripe, dried seed (not made into powder) can be stored in jars for consumption during winter time. They can be used soaked overnight and rinsed before using to remove the saponins. The seeds can also be sprouted and added to salads or ground into powder for enriching the meals. This powder can be added to pancakes, breads, rice, etc.

When eaten with beans, the leaves will act as a carminative to prevent gas formation.

Avoid harvesting it from soils overly rich in nitrates, as the leaves can accumulate high amounts of it.

It is not advised to be used by those with rheumatic conditions, arthritis, gout, hyperacidity and kidney stones. It should also not be taken during pregnancy.

To help you to properly identify goosefoot here are some short videos:

Wild Edibles: Lamb's Quarters

Identifying Lamb's Quarters

And here you find detailed info on goosefoot:

Chenopodium album: Survival Plants Memory Course