Organic Horsetail Tea

Here's the triage our naturopaths run on horsetail. It carries real cautions, so the questions below matter more than anything we could tell you about what it's for.

A good fit if

• You're an adult buying it for yourself, and you've read the label of the product in your hand
• You're after a short course, not something to take every day
• You're buying a proper tea or extract from a reputable brand, not raw, unheated plant powder
• You're happy to bring your medicine list to us before you start

Check with us first if

• You take prescription medicine of any kind. Our research pass gathered no interaction study for horsetail, so that question is unanswered rather than cleared.
• You want to take it for more than a few weeks. European traditional use is documented for two to four weeks at a time, not as an everyday supplement.
• You're buying raw, unheated horsetail powder. The raw plant carries an enzyme called thiaminase. It's inactivated by heat at 80°C, standard extracts show no measurable activity, and no thiamine deficiency has been reported in traditional European use.
• If you take prescription medicines, check with your doctor, pharmacist or our naturopaths before starting.

This list is the part of the page we will not shorten. If any of it applies to you, talk to one of our naturopaths or your doctor before starting.

• Pregnancy and breastfeeding. No safety data exists, and European guidance is that use isn't recommended.
• Children under 12. Oral and topical use isn't recommended; from 12 up, adult dosing applies.
• Severe cardiac or renal disease. Contraindicated where fluid restriction is medically required.
• Impaired renal potassium handling. Contraindicated because of hyperkalaemia risk.
• Known hypersensitivity to horsetail. Case reports include rash, hand or face swelling, and one of cough, breathing difficulty and itching.
• Raw, unheated horsetail powder. Carries a thiaminase enzyme inactivated at 80°C, with no measurable activity in standard aqueous or 30% ethanol extracts and no deficiency reported in traditional use.
• Long-term use. Silicates have been linked to digestive problems, especially long-term.
• Duration. Traditional use is documented for two to four weeks, with medical advice if symptoms persist beyond one week.
• Prescription medicines. No interaction study was gathered for horsetail, so this is unanswered rather than cleared.