EQUISETUM ARVENSE |
HORSETAIL It is veiy powerful to stop bleeding either inward or outward, the juice of the decoction being drunk, or the juice, decoction, or distilled water applied outwardly. There are many kinds of this herb, which are but knotted rushes, some with leaves and others without. Where to find it: Wet, boggy ground. Flowering time: It produces catkins in midsummer. Astrology: This herb belongs to Saturn. Medicinal virtues: It stays laxes or fluxes in man or woman and heals inward ulcers and excoriation of the entrails and bladder. It solders together fresh wounds and cures ruptures in children. The decoction, taken in wine, provokes urine and helps the stone and strangury. The distilled water taken two or three times a day, a small quantity at a time, also eases the guts and is effectual for coughs. Used as a warm fomentation, the juice or distilled water is of service in inflammations, pustules, or red wheals, and eases the swelling heat and inflammation of the fundament, or privy parts, in men or women. Modern uses: Equisetum is an astringent diuretic used for acute inflammation of the urinary tract and incontinence. It is given as a decoction, 1/2 oz (1 4 9) of the dried herb being added to 1 Pt (568 ml) of cold water and allowed to soak for a few hours. It is then brought to the boil, simmered for 2o minutes and cooled. The dose is 2 fl OZ (56 mi) three or four times a day. This preparation is also used as a gargle for oral infections. Equisetum is rich in silica, a mineral constituent of skin and nails, and will often help skin complaints such as eczema and acne, if used internally and externally. |