Horsetail includes various plant species from the Equisetum genus. It helps reduce fluid retention but can lead to vitamin B1 deficiency with long-term use.
Its chemicals provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. They also act as natural diuretics that increase urination.
People use horsetail for fluid retention, urinary tract infections (UTIs), osteoporosis, and bladder control issues. However, no strong scientific evidence supports these benefits. Understanding Horsetail Reed benefits, uses, and side effects can help determine its suitability for different health concerns.
Plant Description
Horsetail comes from massive, tree-like plants that thrived 400 million years ago. It is a non flowering weed across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North America. This perennial plant has hollow stems and shoots similar to asparagus at first. As the plant dries, silica crystals form in the stems and branches, creating feathery tails that give it a scratching effect. This unique feature explains its historical use in polishing metal, especially pewter.
Horsetail Benefits
Horsetail has been used for years as an herbal remedy for its many health-promoting effects. Limited scientific evidence supports its potential benefits.
Promotes Bone Health
Bone cells, known as osteoclasts and osteoblasts, constantly remodel bones to prevent imbalances that could lead to brittle bones. Osteoblasts create new bone, while osteoclasts break it down through resorption.
Test-tube studies indicate that horsetail may inhibit osteoclasts and stimulate osteoblasts, which helps in treating bone diseases like osteoporosis. In osteoporosis, osteoclasts become overly active, weakening bones.
Due to its high silica content, horsetail can help with bone support. 25% of its weight is silica, which is higher than that of any other plant. Silica, also found in bones, enhances collagen synthesis, improves calcium absorption, and supports bone and cartilage tissue formation and density.
Acts As A Natural Diuretic
Diuretics promote urine excretion, and horsetail’s diuretic effect is one of its most valued properties in folk medicine.
A small study shows that a daily dose of 900 mg of dried horsetail in capsule form produced a more substantial diuretic effect than a conventional diuretic drug.
Horsetail also showed potential as a treatment for urinary incontinence, urgency, and nocturia. Horsetail is also beneficial for kidney conditions, including urethritis and kidney stones.
Promotes Wound Healing And Nail Health
Topically applying horsetail ointment promotes wound healing.
A 10-day study with 108 postpartum women who had undergone an episiotomy showed that applying an ointment containing 3% horsetail extract helped heal wounds and relieve pain. The study found significant improvement in wound redness, swelling, and discharge compared to a control group. Scientists linked these positive effects to the plant’s silica content.
Horsetail extract may also help manage nail psoriasis, a skin condition that causes nail deformities. One study found that a nail lacquer with horsetail extract and other nail-hardening agents reduced signs of nail psoriasis.
Promotes Hair Growth
Research suggests that horsetail may benefit hair health due to its high silicon and antioxidant content.
Antioxidants help reduce micro-inflammation and prevent the aging of hair fibers caused by free radicals. Meanwhile, higher silicon content in hair fibers can lower the rate of hair loss and improve hair brightness.
Other potential benefits
Horsetail offers several potential benefits, including:
- Anti-inflammatory activity
- Antimicrobial activity
- Antioxidant activity
- Antidiabetic effects
Uses And Dosage
Most horsetail products are marketed as skin, hair, and nail remedies, though some also claim to help manage urinary and kidney conditions.
Regarding dosage, a human study suggests that taking 900 mg (the maximum daily dose) of horsetail extract capsules for four days may produce a diuretic effect.
However, current scientific research has not yet established an appropriate dosage for horsetail.
Side Effects And Precautions
- Like most herbal supplements, horsetail is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Therefore, Pregnant or breastfeeding women should avoid it.
- While studies in rats suggest horsetail is not toxic, human studies are still needed.
- Horsetail may interact with antiretroviral drugs used for HIV treatment, leading to potential drug-herb interactions.
- Horsetail may raise potassium levels to unsafe levels in individuals with kidney disease. Therefore, it is generally not recommended for these people or those taking other herbal supplements.
- The plant contains nicotine, so it should be avoided by individuals with a nicotine allergy or those attempting to quit smoking.
- In one case, a 56-year-old woman developed pancreatitis after drinking horsetail tea. Her symptoms subsided when she stopped drinking the tea.
- Additionally, horsetail has thiaminase activity, an enzyme that breaks down thiamine (vitamin B1). Long-term use of horsetail, or its use by those with low thiamine levels, may cause vitamin B1 deficiency.
