Medicinal Monday... Cattails

Cattails grow in the wetlands of Connecticut and are easily recognizable by their brown cigar like shaped head. They can be used as a food source and for useful household items such as baskets and mats. The fluffy wool is similar to down and can be used as insulation in clothing. The tight heads are often dry inside even after a heavy rain, making this essential survival tinder. 

Distinguishing Features

Cattails can be found in Connecticut in wetlands, swamps, wet thickets and moist fields.  Fully grown they stand around five to six feet on thin but sturdy stalks.  The pale grayish-green leaves are linear in shape and extend from the stalk like decorative ribbons. 

Cattails are easy to recognize because of the brown cigar head that stands on top of a very long stalk.  The young shoots emerge in the spring, and once fertilized the female flowers transform into the cigar head also called candlewicks that make them so easily identifiable.  These brown tops actually consist of thousands of tiny seeds that emerge in the fall when the flower heads open. 

Medicinal Uses

The pollen of the cattail plant is an excellent astringent and also helps to control bleeding. The root was pounded and used as a poultice on infections, blisters, and stings.  The sticky starch found at the base of the leaves was used as an antiseptic and is said to be a bit numbing.  They were also used to treat infections caused by wounds, sprains, boils, and swelling. Internally cattails were used for abdominal cramps and coughs.

Nutritional & Domestic Use

Many parts of this plant were edible.  For example, lower parts of the leaves were used in a salad; the young stems could also be eaten raw or boiled; the young flowers (cattails) could be roasted. The sticky sap between the leaves is an excellent starch and could be used to thicken soup or broth and the root of the plant was pounded into a type of flour. 


In addition to their nutritional value, cattail leaves and stalks were commonly used for many domestic items.  Mats were woven for and used in the interior and exterior of wigwams in the form of door flaps, chimney coverings, and partitions.   Mats were also woven and used to eat, sit or sleep on.  In addition, using hand-held finger weaving and braiding techniques, Native Americans in Connecticut made string, baskets, bags, belts, straps and even children's toys from this useful plant.

The "fluff" from cattails was carefully collected and used as a source of insulation.  This "fluff" was used to insulate footwear and clothes.  It was even used to pad a baby's sleeping area and as diaper material.

About The Institute for American Indian Studies

The Institute for American Indian Studies preserves and educates through discovery and creativity the diverse traditions, vitality, and knowledge of Native American cultures. Through archaeology, the IAIS is able to build new understandings of the world and history of Native Americans, the focus is on stewardship and preservation.  This is achieved through workshops, special events, and education for students of all ages.


 Located on 15 woodland acres the IAIS has an outdoor Three Sisters and Healing Plants Gardens as well as a replicated 16th c. Algonkian Village.  Inside the museum, authentic artifacts are displayed in permanent, semi-permanent and temporary exhibits from prehistory to the present that allows visitors a walk through time. The Institute for American Indian Studies is located on 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut and can be reached online or by calling 860-868-0518.