Horsetail! It's everywhere! It makes sense that it's so abundant, it's a survivor - it's been around since 100 million years before there were dinosaurs! Super cool!
It is also a useful herb and dye plant - and its abundance (some consider it a weed) makes it a great plant for sustainably-minded dyers and herbalists to forage without worry of negative environmental impact. Just make sure to harvest when the leaves have spread out in their characteristic tail-like formation; that means that they have had a chance to release their pollen.
Horsetail yeilded a nice soft brown in my dye pot, and it is also a welcome addition to my teapot.
Horsetail is rich in silicon, which is good for skin, bones, blood vessels and connective tissue. Add small amounts of the stems and leaves of horsetail (harvested in a clean area) to tea blends or soups to reap the benefits of this amazing plant!
(However, horsetail is not recommended for people who are pregnant or nursing or have kidney disease)
No comments:
Post a Comment