This plant drives gardeners insane when its rootstock spreads over a large area in a short period of time. It indicates that the soil is out of order and needs more attention. Field horsetail enriches the diet and serves as a medicinal plant.

Horsetail - hated by some, loved by others

Table of Contents

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  1. the essentials in brief
  2. Combat field horsetail
  3. Use field horsetail
  4. Medicinal Plant Recipes
  5. collecting and processing
  6. Field horsetail - effect
  7. Additional information worth knowing
  8. frequently asked Questions

    9. the essentials in brief

    • In order to remove field horsetail, the living conditions for the fern plant must be made worse. This includes loosening the soil so that no moisture accumulates. Chemical sprays only help in the short term.
    • Horsetail is used for the production of plant manure. This serves as a plant-strengthening fertilizer. Broths are good for spraying when infested with plant pests or fungi.
    • The most common way of using horsetail is in the form of tea. Tinctures, oil extracts or ointments can also be made from the herb itself. They have numerous health benefits.
    • If you want to collect the herb, you should know the identifying characteristics. Field horsetail can be confused with the poisonous marsh horsetail. Both species occur in similar habitats.

    What to do against field horsetail?

    Field horsetail has deep roots and is therefore difficult to combat

    If you have horsetail (Equisetum arvense) in your garden, you won't get rid of it that quickly. The plant develops a large rootstock that reaches up to 160 centimeters into the ground and from which new shoots continuously grow. If you want to fight field horsetail, a lot of patience is required. However, you should avoid using Roundup. The success of chemical control of field horsetail is short-lived and harms not only nature but also your health.

    Field horsetail as a pointer plant for:

    • soil compaction
    • stagnant wetness
    • Moisture in clay or subsoil

    soil improvement

    Field horsetail is an important indicator of waterlogging, because it feels particularly comfortable in heavily compacted and waterlogged clay soil. In order to deprive the so-called horsetail of the living conditions, you should thoroughly loosen and dig up existing gardens and new building plots.

    Destroy field horsetail in the lawn:

    1. Mow the lawn in the spring so that less than five centimeters remain
    2. Test soil pH
    3. increase to 7.0 to 8.0 by liming if necessary

    Remove all root parts from the substrate. Green manure with lupins is recommended for less dense vegetation. These plants develop an extensive root system, which loosens the soil down to the lower layers. The emerging horsetail should be periodically chopped off. Within a season, the spore plants show signs of weakness until they finally disappear.

    Do sprays help against field horsetail?

    Many remedies against field horsetail that are offered in the trade only destroy the weeds for a short time and above ground. The rootstock growing in the substrate is not negatively affected by the active ingredients. As a result, shoots often sprout again shortly after treatment. Since chemical agents can damage both the environment and health, you should refrain from using these control measures.

    Use field horsetail in the garden

    Horsetail manure is a great home remedy for pests and diseases

    Because of its valuable ingredients, horsetail is considered a natural and environmentally friendly means of combating plant pests and fungi. Regular use strengthens ornamental and crop plants, making them less susceptible to pathogens.

    How horsetail works:

    • generally used to strengthen plants
    • Silicic acid dries out germinating fungal hyphae
    • growth-regulating effect by strengthening the plant cells
    • helps against powdery mildew, spider mites, rust, scab and leaf curl

    digression

    Why the field horsetail is also called horsetail

    In the past, horsetail was used as a household cleaning agent. People made use of the silicic acid of the spore plant, which accounts for almost ten percent of all ingredients. A watery decoction was used to clean objects containing tin, which could be gently freed from dirt by the silicic acid crystals of the herb

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    Field horsetail against powdery mildew

    Regular watering of the plants with horsetail manure is recommended to prevent infestation by mildew fungi. If your ornamental and useful plants are acutely affected, you can spray the brew directly onto the blossoms, leaves and stems every two days.

    How to make field horsetail brew:

    1. Pour five liters of water on 500 grams of fresh shoots
    2. leave for a day
    3. Boil broth for 30 minutes and strain
    4. dilute before use (one part brew and five parts rainwater)

    The advantage of horsetail is its environmentally friendly effect. Since field horsetail concentrate is harmless, it can also be used for vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes or courgettes, as well as for roses, which are considered susceptible to fungus.

    make fertilizer

    In the case of liquid manure made from field horsetail, valuable ingredients are dissolved in the water through fermentation, which takes place automatically after one or two days. If you want to make liquid manure, a large plastic container with a capacity of ten liters is recommended.

    Collect about a kilogram of horsetail and pour lukewarm water over the chopped plant parts in the bucket. Place the container in a warm place so that fermentation gets started quickly. After 14 days, the process is almost complete, which you can see from the reduction in the formation of bubbles.

    Tips for use:

    • the smell can be softened by adding rock dust (14.13€).
    • Dilute broth with water (1:50) before spraying
    • a dilution of 1:20 is sufficient for pouring

    Use as a medicinal plant - recipes

    Horsetail tea had an anti-inflammatory effect

    There is consolation for those who, despite all attempts to combat it, cannot completely ban horsetail. It can be used in many ways in the household, for cosmetic purposes and in medicine. Field horsetail extract is characterized by valuable ingredients that have positive health properties. In naturopathy, there are various ways to use these benefits of the plant:

    definition Substances for dissolving the ingredients Ratios of plant material to liquid substance
    extract liquid or viscous extract from plant material alcohol, oil, wine, vinegar with self-production only possible up to 1:1
    tincture liquid extract of plant material alcohol as a solvent 1:5 or 1:10
    concentrate Powder or liquid with concentrated active ingredients Filler only in the case of liquid essences Fluid (1:1 to 2:1), thick (up to 3:1), dry concentrate (from 4:1)
    oil macerate oily extract by cold or hot method Canola, sunflower or coconut oil usually 1:3
    tea watery infusion of herbs water vary according to preference and taste

    Prepare tincture

    Alcoholic extracts are easy to make. With this method, the valuable ingredients are extracted from the plant parts and preserved at the same time, so that a tincture can be kept for up to 24 months. Commercial alcohol with 50 percent or 70 percent ethanol is suitable for this.

    Method:

    1. Cut horsetail into small pieces and fill into a screw-top jar
    2. Fill the container with high-proof solvent until all parts of the plant are covered
    3. put the sealed jar in a tempered and dark place
    4. shake daily to help dissolve the active ingredients
    5. strain and bottle after three to four weeks

    Oil extract recipe

    In order to obtain an oil extract, only the dried parts of the plant have to be poured over with oil

    Collect the fresh green field horsetail shoots in the spring and, after washing, cut them up with a sharp knife. Place the plant matter in a screw cap to pour about 80ml of vegetable oil over it. Oils from rapeseed, sunflowers, coconuts, olives or sesame seeds are ideally suited.

    It is important that the crushed plant parts are completely covered with oil. The closed jar is placed in a dark place for three to four weeks until the oil extract has matured. Shake the jar regularly to prevent mold growth. The horsetail oil is then filtered and filled into dark-colored bottles.

    Make horsetail ointment

    To prepare an ointment you need an oil extract and a few drops of horsetail tincture. Put the oil in a larger jar along with about ten grams of beeswax. Place this in a water bath and let the mass melt on the stove over low heat. Then stir in 20 grams of cocoa butter.

    Rest of the procedure:

    • Take the glass out of the water bath and let it cool down a bit
    • add about 30 drops of tincture and stir well
    • if the consistency is too runny, add more beeswax
    • too solid ointments can be liquefied with oil

    If the mass is neither too solid nor too liquid, you can pour the finished ointment into a dark container and allow to cool, stirring occasionally. For a longer shelf life, the horsetail cream should be protected from light and stored in a cool place. Because of the high fat content, the homemade lotion is slowly absorbed by the skin. It is ideal for a massage after a shower.

    digression

    Field horsetail in medicinal preparations

    Silicic acid is an oxidized and naturally occurring form of silicon, also known as silicon dioxide. The chemical element is considered an important building block for nails, hair and connective tissue. This substance ensures that the spore plant can grow upright. The strengthening effect of silicic acid has been scientifically proven, as has its positive effects on the urinary tract. Horsetail concentrates are therefore often used in natural medicine or, for example, in the form of tablets as a dietary supplement.

    Horsetail tea

    Dried or fresh horsetail in tea blends is used to promote your health. Organic teas are available in health food stores and pharmacies. The collected material from the garden is also excellent. Drink a cup of freshly brewed tea two to four times a day between meals.

    Tea preparation:

    • Pour 150 ml of boiling water over one to two teaspoons of dried herb
    • Simmer the infusion for about 20 minutes so that the silica dissolves in the tea
    • Strain liquid through a sieve

    tips

    The tea can also be used as a gargle for gum problems or tonsillitis.

    Things worth knowing about collecting and processing

    Field horsetail looks confusingly similar to poisonous horsetail

    Before you go into nature and collect field horsetail, you should deal with species that look similar. There is a risk of confusion with plants that are poisonous. Toxicity is mainly related to grazing livestock. There are no known cases of horsetail poisoning in humans. Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, you should not take the similar-looking horsetail in tea mixtures.

    Field horsetail in the profile

    The fern develops sterile shoots that are between 10 and 50 centimeters high. The entire plant is traversed by ventilation channels, which can be seen in a cross section through the stem. It is striking that the central tube takes up about a quarter of the total diameter. This fact is an important distinguishing feature of the field horsetail.

    Field horsetail grows here:

    • often on wet meadow edges
    • also in ditches and embankments with loamy soil
    • increasingly rare in fields

    The stem has between six and 20 ribs. It reaches a diameter of three to five millimeters. The roots develop lateral shoots that mature into tuberous storage organs. These contain a lot of starch and can be used as a root vegetable in the kitchen.

    The marsh horsetail likes to grow in the immediate vicinity of the field horsetail. Occasionally the two species socialize with each other.

    Marsh horsetail: Difference to field horsetail

    With a little practice and an eye for detail, you can identify the field horsetail with certainty and avoid confusion. Horsetails consist of many individual links, the ends of which appear to be stuck together. These sheaths can be identified by the stem and side branches. The teeth at the upper end are striking.

    marsh horsetail field horsetail
    blossom Spore heads sit at the end of the green shoots brownish spore shoots appear before the green sterile shoots
    seed Spore maturity from June to September Spore maturity from March to May
    teeth of the stem sheaths 6 to 10 10 to 12
    shape of the side branches star-shaped (five to six-edged) square
    most noticeable distinguishing feature Stem sheaths longer than first segment (“broom” recognizable when tearing off) Stem sheaths shorter than first branch segment

    Instructions for drying

    If you want to dry field horsetail, you should collect the fresh, sterile shoots in spring. The best time to harvest is between May and July, as the young shoots contain many more valuable ingredients than older herbs.

    tips

    Make sure there are no dark brown spots on the branches. These indicate a fungal attack that sprout in late summer and weaken the plant.

    Cut off only the top two-thirds of the plant and tie the stems together with twine. The bundles are hung in an airy place where they will dry over the next few weeks. You can then store the dried bouquets in a linen bag, or chop them up and make tea.

    Field horsetail and its medicinal properties

    In addition to the positive effect in the garden as a plant protection agent, field horsetail has proven to be a health-promoting plant in naturopathy. The herb has been valued as a medicinal plant for centuries. To this day, the parts of the plant are used as a single drug in tablets, tinctures and powdered concentrates or as an admixture to tea. Its effect on the urinary tract has been proven.

    Versatile uses:

    • inflammation: Tea for flushing bacterial diseases of the urinary tract and kidneys
    • Chronic diseases: The infusion helps with chronic coughs or arthrosis
    • Strengthening: supports metabolism and blood circulation
    • cosmetics: in ointments to reduce stretch marks and cellulite
    • animal treatment: against respiratory diseases in horses
    • maintenance: as a shampoo or conditioner for dull and flaky hair

    ingredients

    For the use of horsetail against health problems, the green summer shoots are used, which do not reproduce generatively. The parts of the plant contain about ten percent mineral components such as silica, the content of which varies between five and eight percent. This species has the highest proportion of silicon dioxide of all plants, ten percent of which is in water-soluble form.

    Other components:

    • flavonoids: kaempferol and querectin
    • caffeic acid: tartaric and shikimic acid
    • alkaloids: Traces of nicotine and palustrine

    side effect and caution

    There are no known undesirable side effects from taking field horsetail. However, people with water retention in the tissue caused by heart or kidney failure should avoid internal use. Since horsetail has a strong diuretic effect, the consumption of teas and tinctures can have negative consequences.

    What else you should know

    Horsetail can also be bought - but rarely fresh

    There are several ways to get the health-promoting horsetail herb. If you do not want to observe the plant in the garden or collect it in nature, you can switch to ready-made products or fresh plants. For the first application attempts, it is recommended to use high-quality tea herbs from organic cultivation.

    Buy field horsetail

    An alternative to gathering is to buy dried herbs.Organic teas and extracts are available in pharmacies or drugstores such as dm. Before you decide on a product, you should take a closer look at the manufacturer. Important decision criteria are not only price but also origin and quality.

    Buy tablets and tea - note the prices:

    • Horsetail tea from online pharmacies: between two and four euros per 100 grams
    • Vita Nova organic field horsetail tea from the health food store: 100 grams for 5.52 euros
    • ultraPROTECT field horsetail capsules from Dr. File: 100 grams for 39.80 euros

    Can you make your own concentrate?

    A concentrate is a product in which the liquid partially or almost completely disappears through evaporation. This process takes place in industrial production under vacuum and at low temperatures so that the valuable ingredients are not lost. What remains is a powder that is processed into tablets or capsules. Using common methods in the kitchen, you can make your own extracts with a maximum ratio of 1:1. Drying processes in the oven are not gentle enough, so the valuable active ingredients are lost.

    UltraPROTECT concentrate - experiences:

    • liquid concentrate is sufficient for several weeks due to its high yield
    • no clear field reports regarding the effect
    • Product contains additives such as potassium sorbate
    • causes side effects such as nausea
    • expensive compared to high-quality alternatives from health food stores and pharmacies

    Grow horsetail in pots

    If you want to turn field horsetail into powder but have no means of collecting it, you can buy a plant and cultivate it in a bucket. Since the herb multiplies independently in the planter, regular harvesting is possible without any problems. Make sure that the fern plant is sufficiently moist and partially shaded.

    frequently asked Questions

    Is field horsetail poisonous?

    The fern plant known as horsetail is not poisonous, but contains health-promoting ingredients. Both the fertile shoots that sprout in spring and the sterile shoots that grow later are used in the kitchen. Inexperienced people can quickly confuse this species with the swamp horsetail. This plant is considered poisonous for grazing livestock and should not be consumed by humans, although no cases of poisoning have been observed so far.

    How can I grow field horsetail in the garden?

    If you want to grow field horsetail, you should contain it well

    If you want to plant field horsetail, you should either choose a secluded place in the garden or switch to cultivation in a bucket. The plant reproduces rapidly through underground runners and can quickly take up large areas. Root barriers or planters allow controlled cultivation. The horsetail brings high harvest yields even without regular care. Compacted soils with nutrient-poor conditions are important. The plant grows in sunny to shady areas and is not impressed by waterlogging.

    What helps against field horsetail?

    So far, no herb has grown that completely eradicates the field horsetail. However, lupins can help because they develop a deep root system and thoroughly loosen the soil. To worsen the living conditions for the weeds, you should eliminate soil compaction. Digging up not only makes sense in the case of existing horsetail growth, but is also recommended as a preventive measure on undeveloped plots of land.

    Can you eat the brown shoots of the field horsetail?

    The flowering period of the field horsetail extends from March to May, whereby the plant as a fern does not flower in the botanical sense, but allows spores to mature. These spore-forming parts of the plant appear in spring at the top of brownish shoots that do not have branches. They can be collected and processed into stir-fries because of their mushroom aroma or used as a filling. The shoots can be preserved by salting.

    What are the options for producing field horsetail extract?

    Since plant extracts in liquid form are sensitive to moisture, light and heat, dry extracts have proven themselves as a form of administration in medicine. In your own household it is difficult to remove the liquid from solutions by gentle evaporation.

    Therefore, fluid extracts or tinctures are the better alternative for home production. When extracted with 70 percent alcohol, the water and fat-loving plant substances dissolve best. A mixing ratio of five parts ethanol and one part fresh plant material is ideal. This is poured over with the solvent so that the active ingredients can dissolve.

Category:

Herbs