Cattails

charcoal with trees, cat tails & Earth

drawing runs with trees and cattail 4'

Stuyvesant NY

Ω Stand With Standing Rock Ω

~ Love, Peace and CoCreativity ~

Cattails grown in a multitude of places around the United States, and if eaten correctly, can be a superb source of energy-bearing nutrients. Knowing what you can and can’t eat safely when in either a short or long-term survival situation may mean the difference between life and death.

One of the most important minerals contained in cattails is manganese. According to the Eat The Weeds website, the “weed” generates more edible starch per acre than potatoes, Cat o’ nine tails, rice, yams and taros. A single acre of cattails can produce approximately 6,474 pounds of flour during an average year. Cattails were reportedly set to be fed to World War II soldiers, but the fighting ended first.

In North America two species of cattails are common – Typha latifolia and Typha angustifolia. Typha, a Greek word, means “marsh.” The disease known as typhoid and the phrase Typhoid Mary both stem from the ancient word. Latifolia and angustifolia reference lead size, the former indicating wide and the latter referencing slimness. Typha latifolia prefers to grow in shallow water and angustifolia thrives in deeper water, but the two species are also found side-by-side and crossbreed on occasion.

The brown flower spikes can be dried in the sun and used as tinder or even a temporary torch. Native Americans once used cattails in mattresses and for other insulation and absorption needs. Due to cattails’ unique look, it is very difficult to misidentify mature plants, which could be very helpful when foraging for food. 

 copy and paste; http://www.offthegridnews.com/off-grid-foods/cattails-the-survival-food-thats-great-anytime/

"corn husk grid"

stepping back pondering my/our/your aggressions
with understanding a better way to walk with
Love, Peace and CoCreativity
in liberation anew enfoldment

materials:

recycled cardboard

grilled corn husks

Earth ochre pigments

Mica dust/yellow ochre [gold leaf]

charcoal

traditional egg tempera medium

beeswax/oil medium

Water medium

cooling flowering dogwood & setting March Sun 

Feel and Be, its free to look and learn with the healing environment all around us and allow your/ourself to heal with the seasons...

and/or, 

spend time preparing your/our medicines

and/or, 

spend money on a health care provider who practices with the Earth's gifts...

 I've doctored/edited the photo to express the energetic spirit of the Flowering Dogwood in its' application with healing. Its an expression of doctrine of signature and/or plant spirit medicine qualities. Flowering Dogwood as an herbal has been used as an astringent, febrifuge, stimulant and tonic. It's inner bark has been shown effective in decoction or tincture for Malaria and other fevers and has been internally applied as a substitute for Quinine. Externally it can be applied to hot or feverish sores and/or lesions in decoction, oil, salve and/or tincture forms. True Flower Essences and Essential Oils would have similar properties. 

Some American Indian tribes used the twigs/branches as toothbrushes. They were noted to have very white and clean teeth! No doubt, being the qualities of the plant.

Bach Flower remedies lists as;
"Dogwood
Positive qualities:
Grace-filled movement, physical and etheric harmony.
Patterns of imbalance:Awkward and painful awareness of the body; emotional trauma stored deep within the body.

When we say that a soul is filled with grace, we are referring to a particular fullness and flexibility of the etheric body, the most immediate sheath which surrounds the physical body. If there is repeated violation to the body-either through physical or sexual abuse, or by very harsh physical and materialistic living circumstances-the etheric body shrivels, and consequently the physical body hardens.

The soul suffers greatly from an inability to live properly within the physical-etheric body. The emotions can become hardened, and the body is felt as awkward and ungainly. Quite often such a person unconsciously repeats earlier patterns of degradation by choosing abusive relationships or exhibiting self-destructive tendencies.

The beautiful Dogwood flower essence helps to expand the etheric body and soften the physical body. The individual is able to feel more gentleness and inner sanctity, as the soul regains its state of grace through harmonious communion with the life or etheric body.

- from the 'Flower Essence Repertory', by Patricia Kaminsky and Richard Katz. The most comprehensive and user-friendly flower essence book we've found. Highly recommended for any practitioner."
In my search for a Flowering Dogwood Essential Oil I found only oils named Flowering Dogwood or Dogwood that contained combinations of other herbal essential oils without any Dogwood in them. The manufacturers were using the name Dogwood or Flowering Dogwood only. I would advise caution here. Perhaps the best solution would be to make your own or find a "kitchen Essential Oil/EO maker" you know personally with integrity.