Horsetail supplements are derived from the hollow stems of the horsetail fern, a plant that naturally provides a rich source of silica. Taking horsetail supplements might benefit your health, but the extent to which horsetail can prevent or treat disease remains largely unknown. You should not take horsetail with any medications, including Synthroid -- a hypothyroidism medication -- without first talking to your doctor.
Synthroid
Synthroid plays an important role in the treatment of hypothyroidism -- an underactive thyroid gland. Individuals with hypothyroidism suffer from low thyroid hormones, and these abnormal hormone levels affect a number of tissues, causing symptoms such as weight gain, sensitivity to cold and dry skin. Synthroid contains synthetic thyroid hormones, helping to compensate for decreased natural thyroid hormone production within the thyroid gland. It helps correct a thyroid hormone imbalance, reliving the symptoms associated with hypothyroidism.
Possible Benefit of Horsetail for Thyroid
Taking a supplement that contains horsetail and silica might positively affect your thyroid, and might therefore prove beneficial to some individuals taking Synthroid. The University of Maryland Medical Center recommends horsetail supplements to individuals suffering from irregular or absent menstruation, since the supplements might boost thyroid function and possibly help revert a hormonal imbalance. However, as of February 2012, the efficacy of horsetail for treating thyroid conditions has not been fully investigated.
Benefit for Bones
A supplement containing horsetail and silica might also help relieve or prevent some side effects associated with overuse of thyroid medications, like Synthroid. Abnormally high or low thyroid hormone levels affect your bone tissue, and individuals who consume excessively high doses of thyroid hormone face an increased risk of bone loss. A study published in the "Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging" in 2007 found that sources of silicon, such as silica, play a beneficial role in bone growth and maintenance. However, thyroid hormones also prove essential for silica absorption and use in your body, with low thyroid function preventing absorption. As a result, taking silica and Synthroid might have complementary functions -- Synthroid mimics proper thyroid function so your body can absorb and use silica, and silica may prevent bone loss that might occur from overuse of Synthroid.
Considerations
While a horsetail and silica supplement might benefit people who take Synthroid, you should never take any supplement without first talking to your doctor. The manufacturers of dietary supplements -- including horsetail and silica -- are not required to investigate interactions between their supplements and pharmaceuticals, so your dietary supplements might have unpublished interactions with the medicines you take. Your doctor can monitor your health while you take horsetail with silica along with Synthroid, to help identify possible side effects and interactions, to help ensure that the supplement does not harm your health.
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