HORSETAIL

Horsetail is used to heal ulcers & wounds & treat tuberculosis & kidney problems.
Horsetail is also very valuable for all afflictions of the urinary tract, kidney & bladder inflammation, stones & prostatitis.

The primary use of the horsetail is as a diuretic. Gently stimulating increased urinary flow, horsetail helps flush infectious bacteria out of the bladder without altering the body's balance of electrolytes.

Horsetail has been suggested as a treatment for osteoporosis, because it contains silicon, a mineral needed for bone health.
The texture, strength & tone of hard tissues such as the hair, the nails & the skin is also greatly improved by horsetail, at the same time the herb is very good at greatly strengthening the bones & the teeth.

Horsetail not only heals & builds connective tissue, but also normalizes the bowels & alleviates lower-back pain, much of which can be traced to a dysfunctional intestinal tract.
It can also help repair damage to tendons & cartilages, or, used as a gargle, tighten loose teeth & stop gums from bleeding. 

Horsetail based mouthwash & gargle can also be used for the treatment of problems such as mouth ulcers, in the treatment of sore throats & other oral problems.

It is a very effective styptic & can stop bleeding almost instantly. 

It is an excellent remedy for gangrene & bleeding eczema, also for internal bleeding, e.g. bleeding stomach ulcers & bleeding from the lungs. 

An important agent to cleanse the system of lead. 

Excellent for eye & skin disorders, offensive perspiration, especially of the feet. 

It strengthens the heart & lungs & is an excellent tonic when the whole system is weakened.

Horsetail has antioxidant properties & may inhibit cancer cell growth.

Problems such as minor edema can be treated by drinking an herbal tea made from the horsetail.

It acts as a rapid remedy for dropsy.

Symptoms caused by rheumatic & arthritic problems & various chest ailments are also treated by horsetail. 

Horsetail ease the pain of rheumatism & stimulate the healing of chilblains. 

Children affected by frequent urges to urinate, bed wetting & incontinence for a long time can be treated using the horsetail.

PRECAUTIONS:

Overdoses can be irritating & deplete vitamin B.
If you take horsetail on a regular basis, you should also take a quality multivitamin or at least a B complex supplement daily.

Prolonged use is also not advised.
People with heart or kidney disorders, diabetes, or gout should not use horsetail.
Do not drink alcohol regularly while taking horsetail.
Horsetail may flush potassium out of the body so people who are at risk for low potassium levels should not take it.

RECIPES:

The heads are eaten boiled or pickled.

Sitzbaths should be taken alongside the herbal tea. 

Externally, footbaths, wraps, compresses & such are all highly effective topical treatments to strengthen & heal affected body parts. 

Horsetail Powder: 

Heat the previously dried horsetail in a cast-iron frying pan at high heat. 

Stir vigorously with a thick, wooden spoon until a fine powder is obtained. 

Preserve in a glass jar.
This powder is very useful for stopping bleeding & skin suppurations. 

Diluted in a little water & taken internally, it soothes heartburn & even digestive hemorrhaging. Combined with flower pollen, it combats tumors. 

The horsetail can also be made into an herbal poultice: 

Use the horsetail powder & form a paste for application on leg ulcers, topical wounds, as well as sores & chilblains of all kinds.

Horsetail Tea:

Steep 2 tbsp of the herb for half an hour in 500 ml of boiling water. 

Dosage for this herbal tea can be 3 cups of the herb taken on a daily basis or 3 tbsp taken once every one to half an hour during treatment.

Problems such as minor edema can be treated by drinking the tea. 

If half a cup of this tea is consumed every 1 hour during the day, it can effectively put a stop to bleeding problems resulting in blood specks in the urine & the stool of the person. 

Decoction:

Simmer some horsetail herb ca 3 hours to extract the main chemical constituents & strain the liquid.

It can be used for the treatment of excessive menstruation in women. 

The same decoction is also used in the treatment of various skin conditions like acne & eczema,stomach ulcers,urinary tract inflammations & for treating various prostate & lung conditions.

A decoction of the herb added to a bath benefits slow-healing sprains & fractures, as well as certain skin conditions such as eczema. 

The horsetail herbal decoction can also be diluted down with water & used as a gargle for the effective treatment of mouth as well as gum infections & other throat inflammations.

An Horsetail Juice made from liquidized horsetail stems:

5 -10 ml of this juice taken 3 times daily can be good for treatment of urinary disorders. 

It can be used for the treatment of nosebleeds, dip a cotton wool swab in some of this juice & stuff it into a nostril for pain relief. 

The horsetail juice can be used for the treatment of long term lung damage.

BEAUTY:

Horsetail tea is good for splitting nails & lifeless hair. 

It is also useful when white spotting occurs on the nails (a symptom said to indicate calcium imbalance in the body). 

Horsetail Toner:

2 tbsp of an infusion prepared from horsetail
1 tbsp of oatmeal

Boil the oatmeal in 250 ml of water for ca 5 minutes, strain the liquid, which is used in the form of gruel. 

Blend 1 tsp of this gruel with the horsetail infusion & store it in a bottle in a cool place for about 4 days before using it. 

Apply this toner to your face & neck & allow it to dry 10-15 minutes. 

Wash off the toner using warm water.

MAGIC:

Whistles made from the stalks of Horsetail are used to call the spirits.

Horsetail strengthens resolve & defines boundaries.

It can be used to make affirmations & commitments firm & to protect one's psychic space against unwanted intrusions. 

It helps to cleanse unwanted emotional rubble & debris from the system.