The efficacy and function of Equisetum arvense

Equisetum arvense is a very common Chinese medicine. Although it is very common, it has many magical effects. Let’s take a look at it below.

[Alias] Equisetum arvense (Compendium of Materia Medica in Southern Yunnan), Equisetum slender, elder fern, horse ginseng, pen tower grass (Wild Resource Plants in Guangxi), knotty grass, cross-eyed grass, bean root grass, keyhole grass (Edited version of Compendium of Materia Medica in Southern Yunnan), pen head grass, tower grass, hairy tube grass, and Bojie grass (Guangxi Chinese Materia Medica Records).

[Source] The whole herb or root of Equisetum arvense, a plant of the Equisetaceae family. In autumn, select old and large ones, cut the above-ground parts, remove the weeds, and dry them in the sun.

[Original form] Perennial herb. The vegetative stem is similar to the sporangium stem, solitary or clustered, branched or unbranched, slender and with nodes, the internodes are mostly hollow, usually up to 1 meter high, about 2 to 15 mm in diameter, with 6 to 30 ribs on the surface, smooth or with a row of dense small thorn-like protrusions, and 2 rows of stomata in the grooves. Branchlets are singly or in groups of 2-3, rarely 4-5; branchlets may be further branched. The leaves are degenerate, whorled, small, and connected to the leaf sheath. The leaf sheath is often tubular or funnel-shaped, close-fitting, short or slightly elongated, with serrated tips, the teeth persist or fall off, leaving a truncated, rounded or triangular base. The sporangium spike is about 2.5 cm long, with a short tip or a small protruding tip at the top; there are 6 to 9 sporangia arranged in a row on the lower edge of the sporophylls; the spores are spherical, with two filamentous elastic threads attached in a cross shape, coiled around the spores, and will bounce off when encountering water to facilitate reproduction.

[Habitat distribution] It grows in semi-shaded and moist places beside streams, ditches, sandy loam or clay. Distributed in South China, Southwest China, and the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

[Properties] The dried whole herb is a slender, branched cylindrical stem, light green to yellow-green, and about 60 cm long. The surface is rough with longitudinal grooves and many nodes. The internodes are 5 to 8 cm long, and some are as long as 13 cm. It is easy to break when dry, tough when wet, hollow, and the leaf sheath is short cylindrical, close to the stem, and the teeth at the base and blunt end are dark brown. The best ones are those with thick stripes, green color, long body and thick flesh.

【Nature and flavor】 Sweet, slightly bitter, cool.

【Functions and indications】 It can eliminate dampness and heat, and improve eyesight. It is used to treat red, swollen and painful eyes, pterygium, acute icteric hepatitis and gonorrhea.

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decoct in water, 1 to 2 qian.

[Clinical Application] Treatment of acute icteric hepatitis: Adults use 1-2 taels of fresh grass or 1 tael of dry grass every day, boiled in water and drunk as tea. According to the observation of 82 cases, most of the cases had increased urine volume, improved appetite and significantly reduced jaundice after taking the medicine. This may be related to the product's effects of promoting dampness, reducing jaundice and clearing heat.

【Excerpt】 《*Dictionary》

Through the introduction in the above article, I believe everyone has a certain understanding of Equisetum arvense. Equisetum arvense is very beneficial to human health, so you can give it a try.