Horsetail is a perennial herb that our ancestors called the horse tail. Culture is famous for its healing properties, which are used to treat ulcers on the body and wounds, as well as a hemostatic agent. However, some types of horsetail are poisonous, and their use can lead to negative health effects. In folk medicine, the whole land part of the culture is used, but its young shoots are especially appreciated.
Plant description
Horsetail is a perennial plant that has a long creeping rhizome with thin roots and rounded tubers. With the onset of spring, the horsetail forms branching stems, and their height can reach 25 cm. Spikelets are formed on them, in which spores mature. In May, they spill out of the spikelets, spring stems die off and fruitless, articulate stems of green color up to 30-60 cm high are formed.
The leaves grow together into cylindrical tubular processes on the stem. The stems of vegetative shoots are slightly rough to the touch, and this is due to the formation of crystals of silicic acid in them.
Chemical composition
Useful properties of a horsetail are determined by the presence in it:
tar;- bitterness;
- carotene;
- saponins;
- silicic acid salts;
- fatty oils;
- organic acids;
- tannins;
- flavonoids;
- alkaloids;
- carbohydrates;
- minerals;
- vitamins;
- phenol carboxylic acids.
tar;The young shoots of the plant and the rhizomes of the bulb, which contain vitamins, starch and other useful substances, are of food value.
Collection and harvesting of horsetail
You can harvest a plant throughout the summer, and this is best done in dry weather. The fact is that if you harvest vegetable raw materials in wet weather, then during drying it will become black.
Light green shoots are recommended to cut with a knife or sickle at a distance of 5-10 cm from the ground. Sporonosnye arrows and lower parts of the horsetail for harvesting are not used.
Before starting to dry the plant, it is necessary to sort it, separate non-medicinal types of horsetail and tear off the yellow leaves. The best place for harvesting horsetail is a room with dry air or attics.
Dried vegetable raw materials emits a peculiar smell and has a sour taste. Harvested plants are allowed to be stored for several years.
Useful properties for men and women
Horsetail is considered one of the most valuable plants, which is endowed with unique properties:
- antihelminthic;
- tonic;
- anti-inflammatory;
- antimicrobial;
- antispasmodic;
- diuretic;
- wound healing;
- hemostatic;
- astringent
Studies have confirmed that horsetail helps remove lead from the body, so it is recommended to use it in acute and chronic poisoning with such a substance.
In the old days, women used the plant for both hair and skin care, and for the treatment of various gynecological diseases.
The plant has a hemostatic effect, so it is recommended to drink it in the following situations:
- uterine bleeding;
- profuse menstruation;
- pain syndrome in critical days.
Horsetail is often prescribed to women for the treatment of inflammatory processes in the urinary and urinary system. With the help of decoction, it is possible to cure varicose veins and prevent its development. The use of means on the basis of a horsetail helps to improve the tone of the skin, strengthen nails and hair. The plant contains a large amount of minerals and vitamins, which is especially useful for weight loss.
The ponytail has a rich composition that allows you to maintain the health of a man at the required level. Means on the basis of a plant are recommended to be taken in case of hard physical work and in case of pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract. Horsetail has a regenerative effect, which positively affects the state of the intestinal mucosa and stomach.
The plant contains many nutrients, so the tubers of horsetail help in a short time to eliminate the symptoms of rheumatism, restore muscle tissue and improve metabolism in the body. In addition, it helps to normalize the endocrine system in men, increase libido, prevent obesity and restore hormone levels. Horsetails stimulate the adrenal glands and increase testosterone production, which helps to cure impotence.
Indications for use
Horsetail is recommended for the prevention and treatment of diseases:
- heart and vascular system;
- musculoskeletal system;
- skin integument;
- metabolic processes in the body;
- urinary system;
- gastrointestinal tract;
- respiratory organs.
Horsetail is effective for bleeding of a different nature, the removal of hemorrhoids and difficult healing wounds. In addition, the plant's juice helps to strengthen the immune system and increase the body's resistance due to the presence of silicic acid and potassium salts in it.
Use in alternative medicine
Traditional medicine offers many recipes for the preparation of horsetail based remedies that help to cope with various types of diseases.
Baths with a medicinal plant are shown to people who have disturbed blood flow in the limbs. In addition, this procedure is recommended for frostbite, rheumatism, metabolic disorders and excessive sweating of the legs.
To prepare a therapeutic bath, you must pour 100 grams of a dry plant with a liter of boiling water and leave for at least half an hour. After the mixture must be filtered and added to ordinary water. The treatment course is 15 baths for 15 minutes, they should be taken every other day.
Infusion
In the treatment of chronic pathologies of the respiratory system, which are accompanied by a strong cough, you can prepare an infusion of horsetail. In addition, this tool is effective for rheumatic pains and edema of the lower extremities, which are caused by a violation of water-salt metabolism.
For the preparation of funds you need 2 teaspoons of vegetable raw materials pour a glass of cold water and infuse the mixture for at least 12 hours. After a time, the mixture should be heated to a temperature of 50-60 degrees and filtered after an hour. This infusion of horsetail need to drink several times a day for a long time.
Tea from the grass of the horsetail
Horsetail tea is an effective drug with which it is possible to remove accumulated toxins and slags from the body. For its preparation it is necessary to brew a teaspoon of vegetable raw materials with a glass of boiling water and leave to infuse for 1 hour. This drink is best to drink hot no more than 5-6 times a day.
With painful urination, you can make tea from horsetail and chamomile in equal proportions.
Alcohol tincture
Alcohol tincture based on horsetail is a good way to strengthen the whole body. To make it, you need 20 grams of a plant, pour a liter of white wine and infuse the mixture for a week. After the infusion, strain and take on an empty stomach 2 tablespoons for two weeks.
In order to enhance the effect of the drug in the treatment of gallstones, you can prepare an alcohol tincture with the addition of leaves of bilberry, grass gryzhnika, bird mountaineer and bear ears.
Herb based ointment
At home, you can prepare an ointment from horsetail, which enhances the process of regenerating wounds and skin lesions. To do this, it is necessary to add petrolatum in a ratio of 1: 4 to dry vegetable raw materials and mix the resulting mass thoroughly.
Pharmaceutical preparations
In the pharmacy, you can purchase such preparations based on horsetail, which even at home can be easily prepared:
- Liquid extract. It is prepared on 60% alcohol by percolation method and taken in a teaspoon 2-3 times a day. When used externally, the extract is rubbed into the scalp with baldness.
- Broth horsetail. Chopped vegetable raw materials must be filled with water in a ratio of 1:10 and simmer on the fire for half an hour. The tool can be used externally with seborrheic dermatitis, simply rubbing into the scalp.
- Infusion horsetail. You need 4 teaspoons of crushed raw materials pour 400 ml of water and drink during the day.
Horsetail is considered a therapeutic and prophylactic against various diseases, but before using it, it is best to consult with your doctor.
Contraindications to treatment and cautions
When treating with horsetail, it is necessary to comply with the indicated dosage, since its excess can lead to poisoning of the body. For the same reason, treatment for more than 3 weeks in a row is not allowed. In the event that there is a need to continue therapy, then this must be done after a month's break.
There are some contraindications to treatment with a plant:
- nephritis and neurosis in acute form;
- profuse internal bleeding;
- the period of pregnancy and lactation;
- children up to 3 years;
- hypersensitivity of the body to individual components of the plant.
There are limitations in treatment with the help of horsetail in the defeat of the mucous membrane of the digestive tract, gastric ulcer and 12 duodenal ulcer. In the event that when taking medicines on the basis of a horse's tail, the patient felt unwell and deterioration of health, then it is necessary to take a break in treatment.
