Do you guys remember when we first moved up here and I was determined to figure out a way to preserve the incredible gel from cattails? After waaaaay to much time spent researching this, with nothing coming to light, I gave up. Some things we just can't capture. 
Then today it hit me! We've been using the gel a lot lately so it's been on my mind. Milo burned his hand yesterday grabbing the cast iron handle while it was still hot, so to the cattails we went. I had a toothache, so to the cattails we went, Luca scraped his knee- to the cattails we went. Its seriously liquid(ish? Lol) gold. If you have access to unpolluted cattails, you have everything you could need for food, first aid, fibers. Everything. Anyways, so back to preserving it so we can use this incredible medicine any and everywhere (because injuries aren't limited to at home lol). This morning it hit me. What is water soluble and acts as a preservative that I'd be comfortable using internally and externally. The coconut non gmo vegetable glycerin we use for our glycerites!!! Not only does it act like a preservative, but topically it has a range of benefits too! Cattail gel + non gmo coconut glycerin= a match made in heaven.
The gel is like a super gel. It has numbing properties (hence toothache), is an incredibly strong antiseptic, it helps speed up the wound healing process, soothes burns- think of it like Aloe (but dare I say better 😆😆) and a double plus, I'll be drying out the discarded leaves to use as fiber for making cordage 😍
As always, I'd only apply to minor wounds. 
Also, pics might look a little gross. Unless you're a birth worker or something 😆