Horsetail Stem

Horsetail Stem

Horsetail is a thin plant with a stalk that is similar to the tail of a bird or a horse. This plant is also known by many other names such as Horsetail Fern, Field Horsetail, Common Horsetail, Giant Horsetail, Pewterwort, Scouring Rush, Shavegrass, Candock, Paddock pipes, or Bottle brush. For many centuries, ancient Greeks, Romans and Chinese herbalists have been using horsetail in order to treat a wide array of medical maladies. The therapeutic benefits of this ancient medical herb can be attributed to a number of essential minerals and other nutrients it contains, such as calcium, iron, manganese, flavonoids, caffeic acid, saponins, tannins, esters, fatty acids, alkaloids, silica, phytosterols and phenolic acids. You can reap the potential health benefits of horsetail by consuming it as a supplement, in capsule form, or brewing it directly into a tea.

Benefits of Horsetail Stem

Consuming horsetail stem is linked to a broad range of proven health benefits, including:

Stronger Skeletal Frame

There is strong scientific evidence that horsetail can help improve bone health. According to numerous studies, the silicon in horsetail helps prevent bone breakdown by stimulating bone regeneration and increasing the production of osteoblast, a cell that secretes the matrix for bone formation.[1-9]

Body Detoxification

Horsetail is a medicinal plant with a potential diuretic effect, meaning it increases your urinary output. In a clinical trial involving 36 healthy male volunteers who were given with a standardized dried extract of horsetail (900 mg/day), placebo (corn starch, 900 mg/day), or hydrochlorothiazide (a diuretic medication, 25 mg/day), separated by a 10-day washout period, researchers observed that the group who took horsetail had significant improvement in urinary frequency.[10] In addition, researchers found that the horsetail extract was effective as the diuretic medication. By increasing urinary output, horsetail can also help detoxify the body by flushing out harmful toxins.

Cancer Prevention

Chronic inflammation and uncontrolled cell division are both linked to cancer progression. According to a 2014 study published in BMC Complementary & Alternative Medicine, a standardized extract of horsetail can help inhibit cancer cell growth and reproduction, as well as inflammation by altering several mechanisms of cell cycle.[11] Another study found that horsetail has potent antioxidant properties which can help counter the harmful effects of free radicals.[12] Increased levels or chronic exposure to free radicals are known to contribute to cancer development.

Liver Protection

Horsetail has also beneficial effect on the liver aside from flushing harmful toxins out of the body. According to a 2014 study published in Natural Product Research, several compounds known as glycosides isolated from the ethanolic extract of the aerial parts of horsetail can help protect the liver against human hepatitis B virus.[13]

Strong Immune System

Horsetail can also boost the immune system because it has potent antimicrobial and antifungal properties. A 2015 study assessing the effects of horsetail on different microorganisms found that horsetail was able to kill various bacteria and fungi in addition to its antioxidant properties.[14]

Relief from Kidney Stones

Due to the diuretic activity of horsetail, this ancient herb may be beneficial for patients with kidney stones. Normally, uric acid kidney stones develop when urine output is low. This causes kidney stones to lodge into urinary canal and kidneys, resulting in debilitating urinary symptoms such as pain, infection and difficulty in urinating. By increasing urine production and frequency, horsetail can help flush out kidney stones.

Improved Blood Sugar Levels

The blood sugar-lowering effect a single dose (0.33 g/kg) of a water extract from aerial parts of horsetail was investigated in 11 patients with type 2 diabetic patients.[15] Blood sugar and insulin levels were measured at 0, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 180 minutes after administration. Interestingly, after 90, 120 and 180 minutes of treatment, the blood sugar levels of diabetic patients were significantly reduced, suggesting that horsetail supplementation can help stabilize blood sugar levels.

References:

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2. Mills BG, Frausto A, Wiegand KE. Mitogenis effect of N-0974 on human bone cells. Journal of Dental Research. 1989:68. Abstract No. 1363.
3. Keeting PE, Oursler MJ, Wiegand KE, Bonde SK, Spelsberg TC, Riggs BL. Zeolite A increases proliferation, differentiation, and transforming growth factor b production in normal adult human osteoblast-like cells in vitro. J Bone Miner Res. 1992;7:1281–1289.
4. Reffitt DM, Ogston N, Jugdaohsingh R, et al. Orthosilicic acid stimulates collagen type I synthesis and osteoblastic differentiation in human osteoblast-like cells in vitro. Bone. 2003;32:127–135.
5. Arumugam MQ, Ireland DC, Brooks RA, Rushton N, Bonfield W. The effect orthosilicic acid on collagen type I, alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin mRNA expression in human bone-derived osteoblasts in vitro. Bioceramics 18, Pts 1 &2 Key Engineering Materials. 2006;309-311:121–124.
6. Schutze N, Oursler MJ, Nolan J, Riggs BL, Spelberg TC. Zeolite A inhibits osteoclast-mediated bone resorption in vitro. J Cell Biochem. 1995;58:39–46.
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9. Birchall JD. The essentiality of silicon in biology. Chemical Society Reviews. 1995:351–357.
10. Carneiro DM, Freire RC, Honório TC. Randomized, Double-Blind Clinical Trial to Assess the Acute Diuretic Effect of Equisetum arvense (Field Horsetail) in Healthy Volunteers. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine: eCAM. 2014; 2014:760683.
11. Gründemann C, Lengen K, Sauer B, Garcia-Käufer M, Zehl M, Huber R. Equisetum arvense (common horsetail) modulates the function of inflammatory immunocompetent cells. BMC complementary and alternative medicine. 2014; 14:283.
12. Antioxidative and antiproliferative activities of different horsetail (Equisetum arvense L.) extracts. D.D. Cetojevic-Simin, et al. Journal of Medicinal Food. April 2010; 13(2): 452-9.
13. Jin M, Zhang C, Zheng T. A new phenyl glycoside from the aerial parts of Equisetum hyemale. Natural product research. 2014; 28(21):1813-8.
14. de Queiroz GM, Politi FA, Rodrigues ER. Phytochemical Characterization, Antimicrobial Activity, and Antioxidant Potential of Equisetum hyemale L. (Equisetaceae) Extracts. Journal of medicinal food. 2015; 18(7):830-4.
15. Revilla MC, Andrade-cetto A, Islas S, Wiedenfeld H. Hypoglycemic effect of Equisetum myriochaetum aerial parts on type 2 diabetic patients. J Ethnopharmacol. 2002;81(1):117-20.