The Ancient Wisdom of Horsetail

A small group of us were able to do some (safely distanced) gardening at Terra Nova yesterday. We found the beds full of field horsetail (Equisetum arvense). Such a fascinating plant! Equisetums are related to plants from the Carboniferous period. They were here before the dinosaurs! Giant horsetail forests have become the stored carbon that became the fuels we use now in our everyday lives. This ancient plant connects us to the past. Contemporary gardeners see this plant as a nasty weed that interferes with their garden plans, and try to kill it with herbicides. We really need to see the benefits of this plant and learn to work around it and make good use of it.

There are plants with thin stems and thick stems. The thick stems develop flower-like structures that produce powdery spores—a dust that is similar to pollen. Why is it called horsetail? Some people think it looks like the tail of a horse. I think it looks more like a squirrel tail. What do you think?

The plants are high in silica and the gritty stems have been used by Coast Salish as a sandpaper to finish surfaces of wooden objects. The plants were also useful as pot scrubbers.

Did you know you can take a bath with this plant? If you put it in your tub it will help you have shiny hair and strong fingernails because of the minerals in the horsetail.  Since it's high in Magnesium it will help soothe aching muscles, just like epsom salts. I like to make a bath tub tea bag so the plant material doesn't make a mess. It would also make an awesome foot bath/scrub for tired and aching feet.

Lori Snyder makes an infused vinegar (acetum) with field horsetail. Simply loosely fill a jar with young plants (not older than two months) and fill the jar with apple cider vinegar. Infuse for 2-6 weeks and then strain and use it to make a mineral rich salad dressing.

CAUTION: This is a medicinal plant. Only use young shoots and ingest sparingly.

 

When it’s time for me to put my veggie and flower starts in the ground I walk around the back alleys and collect horsetail and dry it in my back porch. Then I crumble it up and sprinkle it on the soil around the plants to deter slugs. This also gives the soil a mineral boost. Plant diva Cease Wyss says it’s like Viagra for your soil! Just be sure to wear a mask when working with the dry plant to avoid inhaling the silica dust. 

For more information, please check out these links:

Emery Herbals

Yarrow Willard 

Please support Cease Wyss's Tea Company: Raven Hummingbird Tea