Spilling the Tea on Horsetail.

If you’ve been following me for a while, then you know that I have a penchant for finding holistic remedies for pretty much everything. Although this time, I can’t take the credit for finding what I’m gonna tell you about, because my aunt is the one who brought this stuff into my life….and by stuff, I mean horsetail tea!

To give you a little back story, I’ve had issues with hair fall from stress for the past few years. That, and I tend to have compulsions every once in a while to chop my hair off only to regret it within the first month. My hair texture is wavy and wispy which makes short hair a lot more difficult to deal with than long hair. So, the old adage that short hair is just “get up and go” is a fallacy for frizzy girls like me! Add in hair loss, and well….I’ve been in mane purgatory for far too long.

Now, even though none of this has been obvious to anyone that knows me, I still have felt self-conscious and developed bouts of hair envy. Still not enough to get me to wear extensions outside of a shoot, but it was enough to get me to try half a dozen hair growth remedies that did nothing but add to my credit card debt and take up room on my pantry shelves. I was all but ready to throw in the towel, when my aunt gave me a box of organic horsetail tea and told me to drink a cup several times a week. So I did. And it worked.

Did I end up with Rapunzel-esque tresses? Not yet, but my hair has been growing faster and healthier in the past 4 months I’ve been drinking this tea. Hair fall has lessened dramatically, and as an added bonus, my nails have also grown longer and stronger than ever before. So, what it is about horsetail tea that makes it kind of a beauty elixir? Let me tell ya….

Horsetail (equisetum arvense) is a plant that was used for medicinal purposes by the Ancient Romans and Greeks, so it comes with a pretty decent track record. It was used by them mainly for kidney, bladder, and lung health. In China it’s been used for centuries to treat inflammation, and fevers, while in Ayurvedic medicine, horsetail is used to nourish brain cells and tissue. The common denominator amongst these cultures’ uses of horsetail has been that hair, skin, and nails benefitted from consistent use. The reason for this? Horsetail contains high amounts of bio available silica which is a compound studied and proven to strengthen hair and nails as well as promotes healthy circulation. It also contains selenium and cysteine which are also known to promote hair follicle health.

Since my brain works in research mode around the clock, I decided to look into what other properties this tea had and how else it could benefit me aside from longer hair and stronger nails. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that in my cup of this tea, I wasn’t just getting silica, selenium, and cysteine, but also chromium, calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc, Vitamins A,B,C, E, tannins, flavonoids, and phytosterols. A veritable cup of health…and with some raw honey…delicious too!

So what does this cornucopia of minerals and goodness mean for me…and you? Yes, the hair and the nails, but ALSO, stronger bones, accelerated tissue repair, regeneration of connective tissue and collagen fibers, urinary tract health, kidney support, helpful in passing/preventing kidney stones, respiratory health promotion, strengthening of blood vessels, optimal circulation and digestive health, and so much more. Amazing that one little herb, one little cup of tea, can bring so much health! Oh, and if you use the tea bags topically, it helps soothe irritated skin, eczema, and can reduce swollen eyelids and styes! Yes. This stuff is THE BEST! So, even though I love green tea, and English breakfast, and my tried and true chamomile….horsetail tea is my number one and looks to me like it will stay in that spot forever!

It is important to add, that horsetail tea is contraindicated for women and young children because it does contain small traces of nicotine. In no way is this like smoking a cig, and it is not harmful or addicting, but not enough research has been done on expecting mothers or little kids, so better off just waiting till you’re not knocked up or in preschool. And, as with anything, ask your health care practitioner if this or any other holistic remedy might be contraindicated with any medications you may currently be taking. Disclaimer…because why not.

So, if you are in the market for stronger hair and nails, or a cup of tea that is full of health promoting compounds, then horsetail might just need to end up on your grocery list. I’m adding a link below to the my favorite brand which can be found on Amazon, of course. Happy sipping!