Horsetail's medicinal use dates to ancient Roman and Greek times, and it has been used as a folk remedy for various conditions, such as kidney problems, bladder ailments, arthritis, bleeding ulcers and tuberculosis. Its diuretic action may help to relieve fluid retention and make it beneficial for conditions such as high blood pressure. Consult with your health-care provider before using horsetail to improve your health.
About Blood Pressure
High blood pressure can occur when there is extra fluid in your body. If left untreated, complications can develop, including heart disease and stroke. You can control high blood pressure by adopting healthy lifestyle habits such as a proper diet and weight loss. Sometimes medicines, such as diuretics or water pills, are needed to help remove the extra fluid from your body. This decreases the amount of fluid in your blood, which lowers your blood pressure.
Preparations and Dosing
Horsetail is available in capsule, tablet and tincture form. Take all horsetail forms with a full glass of water. Horsetail is usually taken in doses of 300 mg, three times daily. Do not ingest more than 6 g of horsetail per day. You can make horsetail tea by steeping 2 tsp. of dried horsetail in 6 oz. of boiling water for five minutes, then straining. You can drink up to three cups of tea daily.
Effectiveness
Horsetail contains 15 types of flavonoids, which are antioxidants found naturally in plants. These flavonoids, as well as chemicals called saponins, are possibly responsible for horsetail's diuretic effect. According to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, or PAMF, no clinical research studies have been done to support the use of horsetail for people with edema. However, the German government has approved horsetail for this use.
Considerations
The National Institutes of Health, or NIH, states that horsetail as possibly unsafe when taken by mouth for a long period of time. Horsetail contains a substance called thiaminase which destroys thiamine, or vitamin B-1, in your body and may possibly cause thiamine deficiency. Some horsetail supplements are labeled as thiaminase-free, but it is unknown whether they are safe, says the NIH. Horsetail may lower your blood sugar, so use it cautiously if you have diabetes.
