Horsetail

[Zydrate]

I know that there are few threads about horsetail but they are old and I thougt it would be better to open a new one :o.
I remember that my grandmother harvested it long time ago, she knew all about the herbs and she was a very healthy women.
I know that horsetail contains large amount of silica, but since I am not going to eat the capsules I don know what amount of tea should I drink.. And how much of it should I use in rinses? Should I mix it with nettle and marigold or just use it alone?

[rock007junkie]

Why won't you do the capsules?

[Zydrate]

I think that they are not available in my country :/.

[clairenewcastle]

I never take herbs in capsule form for I believe the less processed a herb is the more effective it is. Instead I drink herbal infusions.

I have drunk horsetail in the past but it caused me to produce excess stomach acid so I stopped. Taking it internally is meant to be good for hair growth though.

I used to rinse my hair in horsetail tea and leave it in, it made my hair shiny.

[Amber_Maiden]

I used to drink the tea, but it tasted way too horrible!

[Amanah]

I've started taking/doing so many different things that who knows what is doing what.

I take Silica and Biotin, along with working towards going natural with my hair (no dying, no heat, no sulfates, no cones, all natural poo bars, coconut oil, sweet almond oil, bbb, wooden comb, washing 3Xs per week instead of my usual everday, CWC, ect ect)

my hair looks healthier and is growing out, but it also looks a little oily and stringy . . .

over conditioned is better then overprocessed and breaking off imo hahaha:cheese:

[ktani]

Here you go, peer-reviewed, see page 2, http://www.healthline.com/natstandardcontent/horsetail

[Zydrate]

Amber_Maiden, you'd be surprised how tolerant I am to variety of "smelly" herbs :D.

clairenewcastle, I totally agree with what you have said. Pure plant is better than the chemically processed one.

Ktani, thank you so much!
I googled it a bit and in some sites they recommend 2-3 cups of strong tea (to just pour boiling water over the horsetail), in some of them they say "To prepare horsetail herbal tea, put two tbsps. of the herb and steep it for half an hour in one pint of boiling water" link http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_horsetail.htm

[ktani]

Ktani, thank you so much!
I googled it a bit and in some sites they recommend 2-3 cups of strong tea (to just pour boiling water over the horsetail), in some of them they say "To prepare horsetail herbal tea, put two tbsps. of the herb and steep it for half an hour in one pint of boiling water" link http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_horsetail.htm

You are very welcme. I would not overuse the tea but that should give you a good idea of how much to drink and there is a sort of topical reference re stems.

ETA: There is also this, from the herbal safety thread, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=1981995&postcount=295

[Jessy22284]

Here you go, peer-reviewed, see page 2, http://www.healthline.com/natstandardcontent/horsetail

Wow - thank you so much for this, I was looking for exactly this. I couldn't even find this on Uptodate or Medline.

[AnnaJamila]

I'm going to have to keep an eye out for some the next time I go for a hike. I always just thought they were baby pine trees!

[susan121414]

Just be carefully applying horsetail tea if you have blond hair. I do, and the horsetail gave it the most amazing body, strength and shine but....it also turned my damaged strands noticeably green. Horsetail is used as a natural green dye. It came out within a few washes, so no major harm done. I'm going to try soaking my horsetail powder (can be purchased cheaply at Herbco.com) in cool water to see if the silica will infuse into the water after 24-48 hours without any green dye. I think using heat may have been the issue. I also may just add it to my conditioner and not use a heat cap.

That said, if you have darker hair, I doubt you would notice any color change. I am a HUGE fan of what horsetail rinses do to the texture of my hair though. Just be careful about using heat with it if you have light hair.

[Perelka74]

My vitamines have it so I am covered.