Bottlebrush and Horsetail Plant Herbs

Identification

• Horsetail is a vascular plant, which reproduces by spores instead of seeds. The herb is rich in silicic acid and silicates, potassium, aluminum and manganese, in addition to 15 different types of bioflavonoids.

Uses

• The herb has been used to polish metal and wood, as well as helping livestock ward off flies when tied to the livestock's tail. In addition, horsetail has found application as a wound healer and as a folk remedy for kidney and bladder problems, arthritis and bleeding ulcers.

Features

• The horsetail has two distinct stems. One stem is a yellow-brown fruiting stem that grows to over 1 foot high and has spore-containing cones at the tip. The other is a segmented, sterile stem that grows to about 2 feet high, with long, needle-shaped leaves and looks very much like a horse tail.

Fun Fact

• Horsetail is considered a "living fossil" because it is the only living genus of Equissetopsida. It is a descendant of large trees that lived in the Paleozoic era (600 million to 375 million years ago).