Horsetail (equisetum hymale) for sale

AndyGaworecki
AndyGaworecki Posts: 3 ✭✭✭
edited October 2020 in Plants, Seeds, & Roots
Hi Andy,

How many Horsetail plants would you need to be able to sustain yourself for a year if you were to ground it and consume 1 tsp per day?

I live in the UK and am currently trying to source the plants myself but if I can't find any then I would be interested in ordering some grounded Horsetail from you.

Thanks

Comments

  • smockv
    smockv Posts: 44 ✭✭✭

    @AndyGaworecki,

    How has your crop done? I would be interested in more information and, if you have any extra, seeds?

  • hmsadmin
    hmsadmin Posts: 123 admin

    We're (we as in TGN as a whole) are looking into this too as we're striving to find/secure/setup/support a farmed crop of it. We do have some in our Shop currently, but it's a very limited, wildcrafted stock that we have no guarantee of being able to get more of anytime soon. And due to lots of red tape.. we can't ship our herbs internationally 😕 (at least not yet, this is something we're also always working on and hope to be able to eventually).

    It seems, once dried, you get about 2-6 tsp per each stalk. It varies wildly of course on each stalks actual size, so that's a rough number..

    One thing to keep in mind too, is that this is not an herb that you'll want to ingest everyday. A lot of herbs and supplements are utilized better by your body if you take breaks from them, and Equisetum hyemale is one that could do some harm if taken too much. (From what I've read, everyday external use should be ok though - so it's good to use it in toothpowders and things you don't take internally).

    You should assume to need about 1oz per month for internal use, depending on exactly what you're using it for and the results you want to see. And as with all things, everyone's body is a little different, so it may take a little time to figure out exactly how much you need, too.

    That all said, my rough calculation would be that you would need to be able to harvest 50 or so full-grown stalks every year, and going by the limited data of my one little plant that's growing, you'd likely be able to harvest plenty from a 3x3' area I would think. Maybe 5-10 plants total to begin with.

    Those are all super rough numbers, I know, haha. Once we have a farmer on contract to grow this herb for us, then we'll get a ton more data for it But for now, I only have guessing and my one little plant to go by, and I hope it helps even if not exact! 😁

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Linzi - re "Equisetum hyemale is one that could do some harm if taken too much. (From what I've read, everyday external use should be ok though - so it's good to use it in toothpowders and things you don't take internally)."

    Whatever goes in your mouth, or you intentionally put in there, particularly "powder" (of any sort) can & more often than not will be Absorbed into your mucosa, at which point it is no longer External, but now INternal... not sure if you were aware of that?

  • hmsadmin
    hmsadmin Posts: 123 admin

    @rainbow Ah, I should have clarified a little more I suppose - you wouldn't really want to use this herb as the only ingredient in a homemade toothpowder I don't think. In most recipes I've seen or made, your "herbal" portion of the recipe usually takes up only 1/4 or 1/8 of the entire recipe volume, with clays/baking powder/charcoal/whatever else you pick making up the bulk of the blend. And, at least in mine (cause I like to get a little crazy and try all sort of combinations, haha), I typically have 3-4 herbs that take up that percentage of the total recipe(so even less of each one).

    So, yea, your body would still absorb some, but it would be a very tiny amount as compared with swallowing a full tsp of Equisetum hyemale day after day.

    Even still, some people are more sensitive to all sorts of things than others, so listening to your body, especially as you're introducing something new, remains paramount in all supplementation.

    I don't know of, or have used, horsetail in any other recipes or medicines personally, and I'm no professional here - just going on advice I've read and my personal experience with the herb!

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    re "herbal" portion of the recipe usually takes up only 1/4 or 1/8 of the entire recipe volume, with clays/baking powder/charcoal/whatever else you pick making up the bulk of the blend." - Well true. And thanks for clarifying for everyone. -- My comment, tho asking you specifically, was also directed to others. -- Many assume & teach kids "Don't swallow toothpaste, just spit it out" - while unaware that when done daily, let alone tid every single day, whatever nasties (& there are many in about all toothpastes), are... Absorbed.

    So out of an abundance of caution, I thought it might help someone 🙂 Thanks for responding @Linzi

  • Brindy
    Brindy Posts: 212 ✭✭✭

    Great information! I just got my plant and I'm super excited about getting it growing. I was not able to find one that was marked organic, is this going to be a problem?

  • JennyT Upstate South Carolina
    JennyT Upstate South Carolina Posts: 1,273 ✭✭✭✭✭

    A quick question, I have a couple little plants that I bought through TGN. I'd really like to know more about the conditions it likes to grow in and any information on harvesting. But I'm not sure if there's any of that here on the TGN website. I don't' recall seeing anything. Can anyone point me in the direction to find this information?

  • spanthegulf
    spanthegulf Posts: 81 ✭✭✭
    edited October 2020

    @JennyT Here is a link to a TGN article on growing horsetail

    In my East Texas (zone 8b) garden, I have been nursing my original 3 little sprigs into a full 10 inch pot full of reeds. During the spring and summer I keep the pot in a location where it gets full morning sun but is somewhat sheltered from the intensely hot afternoon sun we get here in Texas. I make sure to water it several times a week during the heat of summer (especially those triple digit days!) since it seems to be essentially a marsh plant. I'm still trying to decide on a permanent in-ground location for it, hence it is still in a pot. Last week I moved it into my little greenhouse, still protecting it from the hottest afternoon sun. I think in-ground it should be hardy in my zone, but since we occasionally get winter lows in the 20's here (rarely, but it does happen!) while it's in a pot I choose to give it winter shelter. Better safe than sorry for this hard to source plant! I haven't yet harvested it, so I can't comment there. Hope this helps!

  • Suburban Pioneer
    Suburban Pioneer Posts: 339 ✭✭✭

    I purchased a small bundle of a few stems the last time TGN was selling it, divided it into individual plants, and put a couple of stems each into "temporary" pots while planning to make a nice aboveground permanent planter for them. (From what I have read, you do NOT want this stuff to escape and start doing its thing in your garden or it will bully everything else to oblivion.) The clay pots I used were small, and sat outside for 2 1/2 years in a shady area but in outdoor temps ranging from 105 degrees to minus 5. As long as they had somewhat reasonable water (even if it came in irregular spurts because I'm not a very organized gardener), they were fine. They withstand both flooding and drought well. In August I FINALLY got them moved into a 3' x 2' metal trough that I fashioned into a wicking bed, and now they're going to town. I noticed spore heads forming just a few weeks after I transplanted them, and there are a bunch of new stalks, now, as well. I, too, have them in an area that gets intense morning sun and afternoon shade. These things are tough, so don't worry about temps in the 20's. They'll clear that with hardiness to spare. Just play it safe and give them a planter of their own from which they cannot escape, I've read horror stories of people thinking they're going to grow a nice patch of horsetail only to have their whole property pretty much swallowed up by it. Of course, this may not be a problem in dry Texas, but why take the chance?