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.
Best Organic Horsetail Supplements
These horsetail supplements are from reputable brands. They are certified organic so you can rest assured that the horsetail isn’t loaded with toxic chemicals and pollutants. I’ve broken the products down by dried herb/tea, extracts and horsetail capsules.
Horsetail Tea
1. Frontier Loose Organic Horsetail Tea
Frontier is one of the leading brands of supplements. They have two options for horsetail: organic and non-organic. Both are grown in Bulgaria. Pay the slightly higher cost and get the organic option so you can be sure there are no chemicals in it.
2. Buddha Organic Horsetail Tea
If you don’t like dealing with loose tea, Buddha Teas has this quality organic horsetail tea supplement. The tea comes in unbleached tea bags and the packaging is 100% recycled material.
3. Natural Biokoma Loose Organic Horsetail Tea
This horsetail tea is organically grown in Poland. It’s more expensive than the Frontier brand but comes in nicer resealable packaging.
Horsetail Extracts
4. Tribe Organic Horsetail Gylcerin Extract
This horsetail extract is organic, vegan and made in the USA. The actual horsetail is sourced in Croatia. They use a ratio of 333mg per ml of glycerin (a 1:3 menstruum ratio), which is fairly high.
5. Hawaii Pharm Organic Horsetail Gylcerin Extract
This brand isn’t as well known but makes a lot of high-quality herbal extracts. They are affordable, especially if you buy in larger sizes. The horsetail extract has a 1:3 menstruum ratio. The horsetail is sourced in Bulgaria.
6. Optimus Dermal Skin and Hair Tincture
This alcohol tincture contains a blend of organic horsetail, stinging nettle root, burdock root, dandelion and alfalfa. Because it is in a mixture of alcohol and glycerin, it has a good shelf life.
Horsetail Capsules
7. Maui Herbs Skin and Hair Capsules
These capsules contain horsetail, stinging nettle, green tea, gingseng, and ginko biloba. There is 1200mg per serving, of which 400mg is horsetail.
8. TerraVita Organic Horsetail Capsules
These capsules contain 100% horsetail powder. There is 450mg per serving. It is certified organic but they don’t list which country the horsetail is sourced from.
9. Secrets of the Tribe Organic Horsetail Capsules
Each capsule contains 400mg of dried horsetail powder. The dosage is two capsules, so a bottle will last you 30 days. They don’t list the country of origin but the horsetail is certified organic and the price is good.