Horsetail ~ Equisetum arvense

Horsetail

Latin name:  Equisetum arvense

Family: Equisetaceae

Part used: spring stems

Habitat: wet soil in Britain, North America, other places, widely distributed

Main constituents: alkaloids (nicotine, palustrine, palustrinine), flavonoids (isoquercetin, equicetrin), sterols (cholesterol, isofucosterol, campesterol), silicic acid

Energetics: slightly sweet, cooling, drying

Main herbal actions: hemostatic, astringent, diuretic

Minor herbal actions: antihemorrhagic (internal), styptic and vulnerary (external)

Main medicinal uses: cystitis, prostatitis, urethritis, enuresis

Minor medicinal uses: passive urinary tract bleeding, incontinence, hematuria, renal calculi

Preparations: infusion: 1 Tbsp/cup cold water for 10 minutes; decoction: 1 Tbsp/cup 5 min followed by 15-minute infusion (typical), 30 grams qd (Khalsa); 1:1 tincture: 20-60 gtt qd-qid in water

Contraindications: chronic ingestion can decreases thiamin; long-term use, pregnancy; diuretic effect can cause potassium loss

Toxicity: beriberi

Sources: Sharol Tilgner, N.D.: Herbal Medicine from the Heart of the Earth; Wren, R.C. Potter’s New Encyclopedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations
 

Horsetail Module 2 lecture

  •   Latin name: Equisetum arvense
  • Hemostatic, astringent, diuretic – although not really great in any of these areas
  • Horsetail is a great source of Silica, which has the same electron structure as calcium.
  • Bones are 2% silica
  • Dose: 30 grams per day (Khalsa)
  • KP is inclined to use powder.  Doubtful about alcohol extraction, but some people use tinctures.
  • Use tea for diuretics
  • If treating bone disorders, he recommends powder
  • Horsetail is mild

Herbal Defense page 214, 241, 385

Herbs for bone maintenance and mineralization include:

  • nettle
  • alfalfa
  • slippery elm
  • oat straw
  • horsetail

Oatstraw and horsetail are sources of digestible silica crucial to building of bone and other tissue.  The digestible silica is also useful to stop hair loss. These are synergistic with turmeric, so Turmeric can be added to one or both to make a formula.

page 385: Horsetail has calcium and silicon – for Osteoarthritis

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