Horsetail powder is made from the dried stems and leaves of the horsetail plant, also known as Equisetum arvense or shavegrass.
This ancient plant has been used medicinally for centuries due to its high silica content and other beneficial nutrients.
What Is Horsetail Powder
Horsetail contains more silica than any other herb, making up to 10-20% of its dry weight. Silica is essential for healthy skin, hair, nails, and bones as it helps form collagen. Horsetail also provides antioxidants like quercetin and kaempferol as well as minerals like calcium, magnesium, manganese, and potassium.
When horsetail stems are dried and ground into a fine powder, you get a versatile supplement that can be easily added to teas, capsules, skin products, and more. Many herbalists recommend taking horsetail powder orally and using it topically for various health complaints.
Some key benefits of horsetail powder include:
- Strengthening hair, nails, bones, and connective tissue
- Promoting wound healing
- Reducing inflammation and swelling
- Acting as a mild diuretic and detoxifying agent
- Killing certain bacteria and fungi
- Improving skin issues like acne, rashes, and eczema
Now let's explore some of the most popular wellness and beauty uses for this incredible herb.
Hair, Skin, and Nail Health Booster
One of the most well-known uses of horsetail is helping achieve strong, shiny hair and healthy nails thanks to its rich silica content. Silica is a key component of collagen, the protein that keeps our skin firm and supple. As we age, we produce less collagen naturally leading to wrinkles and sagging.
Regular use of horsetail can help slow collagen breakdown to keep you looking youthful. Its anti-inflammatory action also helps with various skin disorders like acne, eczema, and psoriasis. Plus, the herb’s antioxidants fight free radicals that accelerate aging.
For your hair and nails specifically, horsetail powder delivers the silica and nutrients they need to rebuild damaged proteins and stay strong. Simply taking 1 teaspoon per day in water or sprinkled on food can make a difference over time.
You can also blend horsetail powder into homemade lotions, creams, toners, and masks. For example:
Key Takeaway: Horsetail powder shines when it comes to supporting healthy hair, skin, and nails from the inside out and the outside in thanks to its unique combination of silica, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds.
Natural Diuretic and Fluid Retention Aid
With its high mineral content, horsetail powder acts as a very mild diuretic to increase urine output. This makes it useful for alleviating mild edema (swelling) and bloating during PMS or menopause. The powder’s antioxidants may also help relieve menstrual cramps.
To use horsetail as a diuretic, cook around 1-2 teaspoons of the powder in boiling water for 5 minutes to make a tea. Drink up to 3 cups of this infusion spaced throughout the day. It’s best not to take horsetail for more than 1-2 weeks at a time without a break.
Note: Taking horsetail long-term may lead to thiamine deficiency so anyone with low thiamine levels should be cautious with using it internally. Those with kidney disease should also avoid overconsuming horsetail tea or powder. And as with any new herb, it’s smart to consult your doctor before taking especially if pregnant or breastfeeding.
Bone and Connective Tissue Support
Science has shown us that horsetail extract helps heal bone fractures more quickly in animals thanks to its high silica content and stimulation of collagen production. Herbalists recommend using horsetail long-term to protect bone mineral density as we age to prevent osteoporosis.
For those recovering from injuries, horsetail speeds up repair of damaged connective tissue like tendons and ligaments too. It’s often suggested for sports injuries and to strengthen joints. The herb’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds reduce painful swelling while its nutrients rebuild key structural proteins.
Simply taking 1-2 teaspoons of powder in juice or sprinkled on cereal daily may help. But for therapeutic doses, many opt for concentrated capsules or tinctures prescribed by naturopaths and herbalists. Using horsetail externally alongside internal use can further support recovery too.
Antimicrobial Skin Cleanser and Treatment
Dating back centuries, horsetail has been used as an antiseptic wash for wounds to kill microbes and accelerate healing. Today, herbalists still recommend using diluted horsetail tea or infused oils to disinfect and treat skin infections, burns, abrasions, blisters and more thanks to compounds like equisetonin.
Making a strong horsetail tea then adding some to bath water helps ease rashes and irritation. Its silica-rich powder blended into skincare creams also helps alleviate acne, eczema, and dermatitis. And as a natural astringent, horsetail-based products can tone and tighten mature skin affected by cellulite and stretch marks.
For cosmetic use, do a patch test first as some people may experience skin sensitivity from horsetail’s high mineral content. But when formulating creams or lotions, combining it with soothing botanicals like aloe, coconut oil, shea butter is smart.
Environmentally-Friendly Multi-Purpose Cleaner
With its high silica amounts, horsetail works like a natural scouring pad to polish metal, glass, and wood without harsh chemical cleaners. Early European settlers apparently brought horsetail to the Americas to scrub their tin pots and pans!
The powder makes an excellent non-toxic cleanser for:
- Removing stains from bathtubs and sinks
- Shining stainless steel kitchen appliances
- Buffing water spots off glass shower doors
- Polishing wood furniture without damage
Blend 2 parts horsetail powder with 1 part baking soda then sprinkle the mixture onto a wet sponge. Lightly rub onto surfaces to lift dirt without scratching. Rinse thoroughly afterwards.
Some also use diluted horsetail tea like a fertilizer for houseplants or vegetable gardens - it certainly works well for our botanical friends too!
Sustainable Substitute for Bone Meal in Gardening
Packed with calcium and other nutrients plants crave, horsetail makes a safer organic fertilizer compared to commercial bone meal which can harbor dangerous pathogens like mad cow disease. Horsetail powder (or tea) helps:
💚 Prevent fungal disease on roses, berries and more
💚 Correct mineral deficiencies in soils and compost piles
💚 Repel insects thanks to compounds like nicotine
Simply blend some powder into potting soil or side dress plants by sprinkling a pinch around stems. It’s even a smart addition to nutrient-dense compost tea you brew. Plus, being literally older than the dinosaurs, resilient horsetail thrives nearly everywhere so collecting it has minimal environmental impact!
Key Takeaway: With its natural antifungal and antibacterial compounds, mineral content, and silica-rich texture, horsetail powder serves as a safer and sustainable fertilizer alternative compared to commercial products.
Helpful Remedies for Urinary Tract Infections
Soothing herbs like marshmallow root often help heal irritated bladders but horsetail’s extra antimicrobial punch also stops infection recurrence when treating UTIs. Of course antibiotics still take priority for serious kidney infections but horsetail makes a stellar natural accompaniment.
Thanks to compounds like equisetonin and nicotine, it can beat several types of stubborn uropathogens like E. coli and Staph. A 2017 lab study showed dried horsetail extract strongly inhibits UTI-causing bacteria's spread so bacteria can’t form treatment-resistant communities called biofilms.
To leverage horsetail’s infection-fighting benefits at home, take capsules with doctors’ guidance or drink its tea for 1-2 weeks max to avoid potential nutrient depletion with extended use. Using it alongside other soothing herbs like corn silk, marshmallow root and bee balm often works very well.
FAQs
Is horsetail safe?
When used short term (1-2 weeks max) horsetail is considered safe for most healthy adults. Those with low thiamine levels or kidney disease should exercise more caution and avoid regular consumption of horsetail tea or powder.
What’s the best way to take horsetail powder?
How you ingest horsetail depends on what therapeutic benefits you’re seeking. Taking 1 teaspoon daily for general wellness and beauty is simple and effective. But if wanting significant antimicrobial or connective tissue healing effects, concentrated capsules, tinctures or standardized extracts carefully prescribed by herbalists or naturopaths work well.
Can horsetail be used long term?
While its high mineral content benefits many functions in the short term, overuse of horsetail can lead to potentially dangerous electrolyte imbalances and nutrient deficiencies. Most natural health experts advise limiting internal horsetail use to 1-2 weeks at a time, followed by a week or more off before starting again.
What does horsetail taste like?
On its own, dried horsetail powder and tea taste mildly bitter and grassy, reminiscent of hops or nettle. Many blend it with sweeter and more aromatic herbs to improve flavor. Lemon, ginger, peppermint, honey and other ingredients nicely complement horsetail’s unique profile.
Conclusion
From ancient Romans using horsetail branches to polish their bronze shields to modern gardeners brewing it into natural pesticide-free fertilizer spray, horsetail has served humans extensively for centuries.
Thanks to its medicinal compounds and mineral content, powdered horsetail continues to offer profound health and wellness benefits.