Horsetail is one of my favorite supplements. As one of the world’s best sources of silica, it makes my hair and skin look great. Because it builds collagen, horsetail supplements can help prevent wrinkles and signs of aging. And, even though I can’t see this benefit, horsetail also helps my bones get stronger and reduces the likelihood that I’ll get osteoporosis later in life.
I’m lucky that horsetail grows wild next to a pond on my uncle’s property in Serbia: I harvest the horsetail to dry my own tea (the young shoots are also very tasty to eat). If you can’t harvest your own horsetail plant though, it’s really important to make sure you are getting a clean supplement.
Top Pick: Frontier Organic Loose Dried Horsetail
It’s organic, good quality and incredibly affordable so great for making tea, extracts, hair rinses or your own beauty products.
Chemicals in Horsetail Supplements
Horsetail grows near water. If that water is polluted, the horsetail will absorb the chemicals. In fact, horsetail is so good at absorbing chemicals that it’s even used to naturally clean wastewater and polluted waterways. If you consume horsetail that grew in polluted water, the chemicals will end up in the horsetail supplement. For this reason, it is really important to only buy horsetail from reputable brands.
Because most horsetail brands don’t list where their horsetail is grown, your safest bet is to get organic horsetail. Alternatively, choose horsetail supplements which have been tested for heavy metals.
Types of Horsetail Supplements
Horsetail supplements come as: tea, alcohol extracts, oil extracts or capsules containing dry herb or extracts. In general, horsetail tea supplements are the best option. If you hate the taste of horsetail tea, then choose an alcohol extract.
Horsetail Tea or Dried Herbs
The nutrients from horsetail dissolve into water and are easily absorbed by the body. Because of this, drinking horsetail tea is one of the best ways to get benefits from the plant. It also happens to be the cheapest way to buy horsetail, especially if you want to infuse horsetail into beauty products or make hair rinses.
Extracts
Extracts made from horsetail are also a good option for supplements. The nutrients get concentrated in the extract liquid, so you only need a tiny bit of the tincture in order to get benefits. Just be warned that oil extracts go bad quickly. If you don’t use horsetail often, you will be better off with an alcohol or glycerin extract.
Capsules Containing Horsetail Powder
Horsetail supplements which come in capsules are generally not recommended. The main reason is that the dosage amount is very small. Most capsules only contain about 0.5 grams (500mg) of horsetail. By comparison, the dosage of horsetail tea is usually around 2 grams per cup. Horsetail also doesn’t get absorbed as well when eaten as it does when infused into a liquid first. However, capsules are the easiest way to take horsetail as a supplement.
Sources:
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/1477/5/052060/pdf
https://www.cabi.org/isc/abstract/19792325897
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5664780/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7321494/