AKA: Atkuyrugu, Bottle Brush, Chieh Hsu Ts’Ao, Cola De Caballo, Dutch rushes, Equiseto menor, Mare’s tail, Paddock pipes, pewterwort, prele, Scouring rush, Shave grass, Sugina thanab, Al Khail, Vara De Oro, Wen Ching, Equisetum arvense

The sole surviving member of the Equisetaceae family, horsetail is vascular  plant that reproduces through  spores in lieu of seeds. True to its name, the plant is shaped somewhat like a tail of a horse and they are sometimes called “scouring rushes” because of the presence of abrasive silicates on the stem making them ideal for scouring things.  The Equisetaceae family  was much more dominate several hundred million years ago during the Paleozoic era, with some mebers of the family getting as tall as 30 meters. Many of coal deposits today can be attributed to this plant.

Benefits and Uses

• Strong diuretic
• Helps fix calcium
• Stops Hemorrhaging
• Restores damaged pulmonary tissue
• Removes lead accumulations

Horsetail has been a folk remedy for kidney and bladder problems, arthritis, bleeding ulcers and tuberculosis. The Roman physician Galen recommended its use for these ailments and the Chinese have used it to cool fevers, to stop inflammation of the eyes due to conjunctivitis and corneal disorders, and as a remedy for dysentery, flu, swelling and hemorrhoids.

Horsetail is high in silica making the plant useful when it comes to repairing bony tissues. Silicic acid is known to cause leucocytosis which is the temporary increase in white blood cells, This encourages the absorption and use of calcium by the body. Silica helps our bodies fix calcium, allowing for more uptake of the mineral and the formation of stronger bones and tendons. This makes the plant an ideal solution to osteoporosis, anemia, wounds and general debility. This absorption of calcium also helps guard against fatty deposits in the arteries making it beneficial for cardiovascular problems. The high silica content also makes a valuable plant to use to treat deep seated lung damage caused by tuberculosis or emphysema. It is also used to stabilize scar tissue.

The presence of potassium, equisetonin, ascorbic acid and caffeic acid make horsetail one of the strongest diuretics in the plant kingdom increasing output by a third. This property along with its toning and astringent actions makes the plant a good treatment for both incontinence and bed-wetting in children. Its ability to eliminate excess fluid from the body has also made the plant extract a popular weight loss supplement.  It is also useful for metabolic or hormonal edema during menopause.

As an astringent and diuretic, horsetail helps out with many problems of the urinary tract such as inflammation, hemorrhaging, infections, cysts and ulcers.  It is used to hasten the removal of kidney stones and also to treat an enlarged prostate gland.  Due to its astringent effect and its ability to reduce hemorrhaging, horse tail is used to treat bleeding from the mouth and nose as well as menstrual bleeding.  It is also used to help with diarrhea, dysentery and bleeding from the bowels and to aid in slow healing wounds, chillbains and conjunctivitis. It can  be used as a gargle for sore throats, bleeding gums and mouth ulcers and as a compress for fractures and sprains. There is even some evidence that it helps remove lead accumulations.

Warnings

Equisetic acid, which is found in the plant, is thought to be identical in its makeup to aconitic acid, which can be considered a poison when taken in abnormally high doses.

coming soon....