Horsetail

Equisetum arvense

herb

Dried stems of field horsetail, a plant without flowers or seeds, as a tea; very rich in silica, with potassium and calcium.

Origin

Everywhere in the Northern Hemisphere

Season (United States)

all year round

Preparation

Its silica is abrasive and it is used as a short infusion, not as a vegetable. Do not pick it yourself without knowing it: a close relative, marsh horsetail, is not to be consumed.

Did you know?

It is so rich in silica that its young stems “squeak under the teeth”, writes the botanist François Couplan.