Horsetail

Nocturnal enuresis in children with no structural cause

Gritty, sediment-laden urine suggesting gravel, with dull ache rather than sharp colic

Overview. Horsetail is a primitive, jointed, leafless perennial of damp ground across the northern hemisphere, related to the ancient Equisetaceae that dominated Paleozoic swamps. The sterile green aerial stems are gathered for medicine, prized above all for their high silica content and mild astringent, diuretic action on the urinary tract. Eclectic physicians used it chiefly for irritable bladder conditions, and it remains a staple Western herb for urinary complaints and connective tissue support.

Clinical Notes. Horsetail earns its place in the urinary formulary where there is irritability rather than frank infection: the bladder that empties frequently in small amounts, the child who wets the bed, the older man whose prostate leaves him with a constant nagging urge.

Action and Therapy. Equisetum is diuretic and astringent. It is asserted to greatly relieve irritation due to the presence of gravel and the tenesmic urging to urinate in acute inflammations of the genito-renal tract. When the bladder becomes so irritable that the patient, upon dropping to sleep, loses control over the urine it is said to be specially serviceable. It has restrained hematuria and is of service in acute prostatitis and in the prostatorrhea which follows it. The infusion (1 ounce to Water, 16 fluidounces) is the preferred preparation.

indications. Horsetail is traditionally indicated for: Brittle hair, Bursitis, Tendonitis, Brittle nails, Urinary gravel, Bed wetting, Osteoporosis, Arthritis, Cystitis, Joint effusion (fluid in joints), Prostatitis, Bone fracture, Urethritis, Bleeding, Debility, and 9 further conditions.