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Diseases

Herb name: Horsetail, Equisetum arvense

Family: Equisetaceae

Useful plant parts: Overground parts

Description: Horsetail is a plant that has a branched horizontal root in the soil from which, in early spring, brown nonbranched stems emerge. These stems have sporangiums at their top. A few weeks later, branched green stems emerge, that are usually 20 to 30 cm high, with properly positioned lateral stepwise strips.

Collecting period and locations: Horsetail is picked in early summer, when the stems are still very fresh and green. Only green and branched stems are picked. They are tied in bunches and dried in that form. As for the locations, horsetail is a relatively widespread weed, it grows along paths, edges of meadows, on embankments; most commonly on relatively wet and clay rich soils.

Medicinal properties and applications: Horsetail tea is good for various conditions - for the treatment of rheumatic problems, chronic cough, leg swelling due to problems with substance exchange in the organism, problems with bladder and kidneys. Also, it often a part in tea blends for blood cleansing.

Active compounds: Silicon dioxide, flavonoids and saponins.

Recipe: 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried and crumbled horsetail are soaked for 12 hours in a quarter liter of water, or alternatively, 1-2 teaspons of the same material are added to hot water and left for about half an hour. 2-3 cups a day are taken usually.