HISTORY
Horsetail gets its name from the plant’s upright stems that resemble horse’s tails. The horsetail plant has been used since ancient times throughout the Northern Hemisphere for its medicinal properties in treating wounds, urinary and kidney problems, tuberculosis, digestive problems, gout and gonorrhea, as well as to staunch bleeding. Horsetail contains large amounts of silicon, and due to its abrasiveness, horsetail has been used for scrubbing cooking pots and polishing, notes the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. For this reason, horsetail has also been called scouring rush, shave grass and bottlebrush plant, notes the University of Michigan Health System.
USES
Today, the silicon content in horsetail offers bone-strengthening effects, making the plant a potential treatment for osteoporosis and brittle nails, says the University of Maryland Medical Center. You can also take horsetail extract as a diuretic to treat edema, or water retention, and urinary tract infections, notes the University of Michigan Health System. Horsetail may also help you if you have rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis. When you apply horsetail extract products topically, it can help to heal wounds as well, the University of Michigan adds.http://www.ebiochem.com/
DOSAGE
You can take up to 6 grams of horsetail orally per day or 2 teaspoons of the extract tincture three times daily, says the University of Michigan Health System. The standard dosage of internal horsetail capsules is 1 gram taken three times daily, however, notes the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. For topical applications to heal wounds, you can make a tea by boiling 2 to 4 teaspoons of horsetail in 1 cup of water for 5 minutes and steeping it for another 15 minutes, the University of Michigan advises. Soak a cloth in the tea and apply it to the affected skin areas.http://www.ebiochem.com/
FUNCTION
Silicon is an element that helps to strengthen bones, improves bone density and contributes to overall bone health. Because horsetail contains high amounts of silicon, the herb may help to harden brittle nails and prevent or slow the progress of osteoporosis, says the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. The silicon content may also help to strengthen connective tissues and help to treat arthritis. Horsetail also contains saponins and 15 different flavonoids that are responsible for the herb’s diuretic effects in increasing urine output, notes the University of Michigan Health System.