Words On Wellness: Horsetail
One of the most ancient herbs we walk among is horsetail which inhabited primordial swamps over a hundred million years ago. At the time, giant dragonflies with two-foot wingspans rested in towering horsetail forests. Today, small dragonflies rest on horsetail stems as we collect spring shoots of this plant for medicine. Equisetum has taproots can teach a hundred feet deep, and is high silica, one of the most abundant minerals on the planet. Silica strengthens bones, nails, hair, skin, and teeth, as well as bodily tissues, membranes, and cell walls. Its high silica content is also why the plant feel like steel wool. Knights were said to shine their armors with it, Native Americans used it to create a smooth finish to woodwork, and country folk scrubbed out their pots with this plant. Taken internally it helps to reinforce all connective tissue including arteries, decreasing any tendency to hemorrhage. Homeopathic Silicea from horsetail is also used to rebuild strong connective tissue too. Along this line, horsetail is highly regarded as a tonic to improve both structure and function of the kidneys and bladder. It is safe for chronic urinary conditions, reduces stones and helps increase resistance to infection.
We have several varieties on the coast, but most often seen is field horsetail (E. arvense) which grows 1-2 feet tall and has very narrow leaves appearing like a mini pine tree with jointed stems. The tan-colored single stemmed ones that poke up first, have cone-like tips that produce pollen for reproduction. The sterile green plants appear later and are picked while the leaves still point skyward (do not pick where water is contaminated). The reproductive stalks are edible like asparagus.
Tea is made by simmering or steeping overnight and is high in quercetin, an anti-inflammatory compound that stabilizes mast cells during allergic reactions. Horsetail can help those with asthma, especially when mixed with mullein leaf, and is also useful in formulas for treating bronchitis. This plant contains an enzyme that depletes thiamine (vitamin B1) stores in the body, but cooking or drying the plant destroys this enzyme.
It can be dried and powdered to add to ointments or creams and applied topically for recovering from sunburn or thin poor quality skin with premature aging. Try simmering horsetail, then cooling it down enough to use as a finishing hair rinse to create extra shine.
