Horsetail

HORSETAIL Equisetum arvense (POLIKOMPI) Equisteum FamilyCommon names: Peterwort, snakegrassHISTORY OF USEHorsetail is an ancient plant, with fossils found from prehistoric time. It has an herbal tradition of use in China, Russia, parts of Europe, and with North American Indians. It was widely used in Europe as a topical wound healing herb. It is one of the only living genus of the entire class Equisetopsida, There are no close relatives to this herb; the closest group of plants are ferns. Horsetail  has a long and varied history of medicinal use. In the first century AD, Galen described it as cooling and drying to the body. Culpeper, in the 17th century, described it as a hardening medicine, meaning it reduced inflammation and excess moisture in the body.Horsetail makes an effective natural diuretic. In modern medicine, a diuretic is usually supplemented by potassium to replace the potassium lost in urine. Horsetail, however, has its own built-in way of helping the body maintain potas