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taking horsetail?

35K views 49 replies 18 participants last post by  RebeccaMom38 
#1 ·
I was reading that horsetail is not only good for the hair and its growth, but also for nails and collagen production?.. does anyone here use it and if so?.. what are your reviews?..
 
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#32 ·
I used to take Horsetail supplements for silica, but after further
research I found out the Bamboo Extract supplements were a
much better source of silica. Supposedly bamboo extract
contains more silica then horsetail does....bamboo is
suppose to contain more then 70% silica by weight while
horsetail contains about 5% to 7% silica by weight.

They also say that its the reason panda bears have such thick
hair because they eat so much bamboo. If you do a google
search on bamboo vs. horsetail there is some good information
showing that bamboo extract is a much better source of silica.
 
#33 ·
I used to take Horsetail supplements for silica, but after further research I found out the Bamboo Extract supplements were a much better source of silica.  Supposedly bamboo extract  contains more silica then horsetail does....bamboo is suppose to contain more then 70% silica by weight while horsetail contains about 5% to 7% silica by weight.   They also say that its the reason panda bears have such thick hair because they eat so much bamboo.  If you do a google search on bamboo vs. horsetail there is some good information showing that bamboo extract is a much better source of silica.
Thanks for this maxon, I will look into it!! :thumbsup: I personally take horsetail grass but if bamboo is better.........then I have no problem switching.
 
#35 ·
Hi maxon,
What source do you use for your bamboo extract?

After researching it I bought a bottle of capsules from Swanson....they sell
it under their own brand so it was a good price. I am mainly taking silica to
see if it will help my hair some since I have always had really fine hair...but
one thing I have noticed since taking the bamboo extract is that my nails
grow really fast now and I am having to cut them more often.

Also while researching I found out that horsetail grass can contain nicotine
which can constrict blood vessels if taken over a long period of time...so the
fact that bamboo extract has higher levels of silica and does not contain
nicotine is the main reasons I thought it was a better way to get my silica.
 
#36 ·
Thanks maxon,
I order things from Swanson occasionally and they do have very good products. That's interesting about the nicotine. Keep up the good work.
Can I ask how long you have been using the bamboo extract and what you have noticed?
I used to have a small "pond" on my front porch where I grew horsetail, but I don't think I have room to grow my own bamboo!
 
#37 ·
Oh I’m so glad I came to this. I researched this too and just like Maxon I found that bamboo extracts were higher in silica, but then did a little more digging and have a friend who is a biochemist in Cambridge Uni, and would say that whilst it does contain more silica than horsetail, the silica it contains isn’t as readily absorbable by the body in comparison with horsetail. Actually to get the best horsetail you need to get hold of the horsetail herb and make a deconition with it (I think that’s what its called in Herbology) but its basically where you put it in water and bring it to the boil for half an hour) and then you let it steep overnight.

With bamboo extract, also what I found when I had my friend start digging was that the supplements I could buy (and this also goes for horsetail too) did contain small amounts of each herb in there, but they were also synthetic forms which she said the body would have a hard time breaking down (and she actually suggested that it might just pass through – yuck). Also horsetail has something called saropins in it, which bamboo does have but bamboo doesn’t combine well because it’s a tough root plant with other herbs, and she said that if silica was my focus, I would be best at using both horsetail and nettles in a herbal tea (and she said boiling both would really create a powerful tea.

It took me a while to get used to the taste, but I must admit that when I did there was no stopping me.
 
#38 ·
hi theresmary,
thanks for the info. I'd like to hear from you and maxon what hair growth you have noticed. We'll have to ask our resident herbologists about the formulation of the tea. I guess I better put the pond back together and get the horsetail growing LOL

For anyone who wants to do this, I went to the Home Depot and got a black (hard) plastic pond liner. It's about 3 feet i diameter and a bit less than a foot deep. Next I got some water plants, like horsetail and some water lilies, in pots shorter than the liner's depth. Then just add water and you are done. Horsetail is an invasive plant in many parts of the country, so keeping it in a pond liner keeps it well contained. You could probably find a species of bamboo that would like this environment, too.

I put some pots with plants and other things on the outside of the black plastic and that camouflaged it very well.I kept it on my covered front porch, making sure the plants got their needed amount of sun. (There are various things you can do to keep it from being a breeding ground for mosquitoes. ) Even the neighborhood cats started stopping by to lounge by the water.
 
#39 ·
Looks like I will be sticking to my horsetail grass after all-;) or having theresmary come make me some of her tea!! :D Alexa as for your pond, your pretty creative!! As for keeping it mosquito free..........mosquito fish are a must have if you have a pond, of any size!! They will benefit your pond in so many ways!! Do some research on them. :thumbsup:
 
#40 ·
HI Gymmie,
You are right about the mosquito fish! Tadpoles are good for a small pond, too.

If you can't care for fish, you can always use "mosquito dunks'. These are doughnut looking things that you can buy at a garden store. They contain a bacteria that is not harmful to people or animals, only mosquitoes. Our neighborhood activists in ATL were known for dropping "dunks" in any water they saw to keep the mosquitoes down.

Horsetail grass hair "tea"- the next DIY thing, thanks to theresmary!
 
#41 ·
In reference to hair growth I have noticed that my hair seems to grow faster compared to when I am not taking the bamboo, but I would really prefer to have it grow thicker then faster, but haven't found anything yet that really thickens hair.

There is actually a study that was done in 2009 concerning the absorption of silicon and many medical references state that silicon is one nutrient that is very hard for the body to absorb unless it is converted into orthosilicic acid which is much more absorbable in the body.

The study..." The comparative absorption of silicon from different foods and food supplements" ranked the following items in order as to how absorbable the silicon was to the body...Blood and urine were collected and measured for total Si concentrations by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Absorption, based on urinary Si excretion was highest for: supplemental monomethyl silanetriol-MMST and alcohol-free beer (64 % of dose), followed by green beans (44 %), Orthosilicic acid Solution-OSA (43 %), choline-stabilised orthosilicic acid solution-ChOSA (17 %), bananas and magnesium trisilicate-MTBP (4 %) and Colloidal silica-CS (1 %)"

I use to take horsetail but after talking to to a herbalist and a naturopath doctor they both had the same consensus that horsetail had some potentials risk when using for long term that outweigh the benefit since the silica found in horsetail is not very absorbable compared to orthosilicic acid. Some of the reasons for concern about long term use of horsetail are beacuse of the following:

"Horsetail grass contains the enzyme thiaminase and the toxic alkaloid equisitine, both of which deplete thiamin from the body. Symptoms of thiamine deficiency include depression, lack of appetite, diarrhea, loss of muscle control, arrhythmias and tachycardia. Tinctures of horsetail pose even a greater risk as fresh plants are frequently used to make tinctures. Fresh horsetail contains higher level of toxic thiaminase and alkaloids. Thiaminase in particular is suspected in the poisoning of livestock ingesting horsetail grass. Although these poisonings are more likely due to toxic alkaloids, such as palustrine in horsetail grass, since ruminants can produce thiamine in the rumen. Thiaminase has also been shown to be toxic to the liver."

"The amount of nicotine in horsetail is small, but it does not take much nicotine to cause harm. Nicotine is one of the strongest central nervous system poisons known to man. Because nicotine is also a powerful constrictor of blood vessels much lower levels can still be especially dangerous for some individuals. People with poor circulation to begin with such as diabetics, people with heart disease/failure, people with hypothyroidism and people with Raynaud’s disease or Raynaud’s phenomena are all more prone to the dangerous blood vessel constricting effects of horsetail grass."
 
#46 ·
bump BUMP... I love Horsetail it is the business, That supp. grew my hair down my back and nice and thick too , add some evening primrose and the hair is thick like a "horsetail
"
 
#47 ·
bump    BUMP... I love  Horsetail it is the business, That supp. grew my hair down my back and nice and thick too , add some evening primrose and the hair is thick like a "horsetail :D "
Agreed-:thumbsup: I take Horsetail Grass http://www.pureformulas.com/horsetail-grass-maxv-300mg-60-vegcaps-by-douglas-laboratories.html#sthash.WnyEYbjK.dpbs You can also look into Silica or Silica Complex http://www.pureformulas.com/silica-complex-500-mg-8-extract-90-tablets-by-now.html#sthash.ERG1IdAk.dpbs
 
#48 ·
Yes I've done silica as well , but since I've gone natural. My hair is super thick and I've eased off on the silica and horsetail. I used to perm a yr ago and silica/ horsetail/ primrose/ hair skin nails.. Were part of my supps. I like to give them a break , then start again, they work better for me that way
 
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