Field horsetail

Field horsetail
	Field horsetail ( Equisetum arvense ), illustration
Systematics
	Ferns
Class :	Equisetopsida
Order :	Horsetail (Equisetales)
Family :	Horsetail Family (Equisetaceae)
Genre :	Horsetail ( Equisetum )
Type :	Field horsetail
Scientific name
	Equisetum arvense
	L.

Cross section of a sterile shoot

Stems with branches. The lowest internodes of the upper and middle branches are longer than the stem sheath.

Stem with sheath with teeth

Spore ear

Spurs

Sterile scion

Field horsetail, fertile shoots when sprouting

Field with stock of field horsetail

The horsetail ( Equisetum arvense ), also horsetail , arable horsetail , Zinngras , cats Wedel , horsetail , Schaftheu , Pfannebutzer or scouring herb called, is a plant belonging to the class of horsetails (Equisetopsida).

description

The field horsetail is a rhizome geophyte . Its richly branched, hairy rhizomes drift up to 1.60 m deep into the ground. The sporangia-bearing (= fertile) shoots are different from the sterile leaf shoots.

The green, sterile shoots reach a height of 10 to 50 cm and a diameter of (1 to) 3 to 5 mm. With the exception of the tip, they are abundant and regularly lively branched with simple, ascending to upright branches. The stem has 6 to 20 ribs that are smooth or covered with blunt, low papillae. In cross-section, the central cavity takes up about a quarter of the diameter; it is larger than the side cavities. The stem sheaths are 5 to 12 mm long (the upper ones are about as long or slightly shorter than the lowest part of the side branches), with 10 to 12 (rarely 6 to 20) to 4 mm long, triangular-lanceolate, very pointed, but not Burned, blackish teeth with only narrow whitish edges.

The sporangular shoots appear before the sterile shoots and die off after dusting. They are only 5 to 20 (rarely up to 40) cm high, light brown in color and have four to six sheaths, but no branches. The sporangial ear is 1 to 4 cm long and blunt.

The sporangular shoots appear from March to early May, the leaf shoots in May. The chromosome set is diploid with 2n = 216 chromosomes.

ecology

Lateral, short earth rungs grow into bulbous, thickened, starchy storage organs. The silicic acid , which is very abundantly stored in the cell walls, serves the strength of the plant and takes over the function of the wood pulp lignin in other plants. Ventilation channels run through the whole plant and they can also be found in the vascular bundles. The photosynthesis is taken over by the green stem axis. The spore- forming shoots are chlorophyll-free, appear in spring and soon die after the spores are released. The roots arise sprossbürtig .

Vegetative reproduction occurs through subterranean runners , but also through the spreading and growth of individual pieces of rhizome. The field horsetail is therefore often an annoying field and garden weed and very difficult to control. In agricultural arable farming it is combated with herbicides . It is considered a pointer plant for soil compaction and waterlogging. It is also a clay and subsoil moisture indicator and has roots up to 160 centimeters deep.

Occurrence

The field horsetail inhabits fields, loamy, moist meadow edges, ditches and embankments and has a very wide, circumpolar distribution in the northern hemisphere , from the arctic to the sub-Mediterranean (sporadically also in the Mediterranean) zone and from oceanic to extremely continental climatic conditions. There are imported deposits in South Africa . Australia and New Zealand . It occurs in societies of the classes Agrostietea, Artemisietea or Chenopodietea of the order Agropyretalia and the association Alno-Ulmion.

In the Allgäu Alps, it rises in Vorarlberg between Hochkrumbach and Haldenwanger Eck up to 1700 m above sea level.

Possible confusion

In damp locations there is a risk of confusion with the marsh horsetail ( Equisetum palustre ), which is said to be poisonous because of its alkaloid content . The distinction between the two species is somewhat difficult for laypeople, especially since both species occur in similar locations and also socialize. A relatively sure differentiator is the stem cross-section. When comparing the two species, the inner pathway of the field horsetail is significantly larger than that of the marsh horsetail. In addition, the first internode of the side shoot is longer or at least as long as the associated stem sheath on the main shoot. In the marsh horsetail, the teeth of the scion sheaths are rather dark in the middle and have a wide skin edge at the tip. If the spore shoots have developed, a distinction can also be made with the help of their color, structure, season of training and the simultaneous lack of sterile shoots.

Systematics

A special arctic-alpine subspecies can be distinguished in the field horsetail:

Equisetum arvense subsp. alpestre (Wahlenb.) Schönsw. & Elven : It is not 20–60 centimeters, but only 15 centimeters high; the shoot is prostrate to ascending, the unbranched part of the stem is greater than a quarter of the total length. The side seeds are usually three-ribbed instead of four-ribbed. It occurs in spring meadows and on glacial streams in the Alps. It has been proven in Tyrol, Vorarlberg and South Tyrol, but is probably more widespread in the Alps. It thrives especially in societies of the Caricion bicoloris-atrofuscae association. The clan was founded by Göran Wahlenberg from Lapland in 1812 as Equisetum arvense var. Alpestre Wahlenb. first described in his Flora Lapponica (Wahlenberg), page 296.

Use as a plant protection and plant strengthener

A manure or a cold water extract from field horsetail is used as a tonic for plants and for preventive control of sucking pests such as z. B. Aphids used. Spraying horsetail tea helps against powdery mildew and rust on fruit trees and tomato bushes. To make the tea, the horsetail must be boiled with water for about 20 to 30 minutes so that the silica dissolves. Studies of the effectiveness of such applications are contradicting, however.

In organic farming, not only extracts of horsetail, but also of mustard seeds and horseradish are used to dress seeds. Noteworthy results are achieved. However, these do not come close to conventional means, which have an effectiveness of 99.5% against germ diseases and pests.

Herbal medicine

Field horsetail in the form of the herb drug (Equiseti herba)

The field horsetail was almost forgotten as a medicinal plant for some time, Sebastian Kneipp made it known again.

Pharmaceutical history

Dioscurides already knew a "hippuris" who urinates, stops uterine bleeding and soothes coughs and wounds. The plant was first called Equisetum by Pliny , he praised it for stopping bleeding, as did Albertus Magnus in the 12th century. Even Paracelsus mentions the "cat's tail". Agricola and Hoffmann, personal physician of Friedrich the Great, know it for the urinary tract, Matthiolus and Weinmann as a contracting, hemostatic agent, von Haller against hemorrhage, kidney and bladder ulcers, as gargle for throat and mouth and compresses for gangrene. Osiander's folk remedies call him dysentery and dropsy. Sebastian Kneipp made the plant well-known, externally for ulcers, also old tissue damage, internally for grit and stone ailments, "indispensable" for urinary retention, bleeding and vomiting blood. The silicic acid contained was later associated with the healing of skin wounds, but also foci of tuberculosis; it was also supposed to counteract arteriosclerosis. Leclerc and Gibelli confirm the effect on pulmonary and metrorrhagic bleeding or poultices in varicose vein ulcers, according to others, Equisetum improves blood formation in bleeding anemia. GG Wegener saw success with lupus and hair loss. The Latvian folk medicine uses the extract of the root for rubbing in rheumatism, the Czech a. a. for vomiting, diarrhea, heavy menstruation, as a nasal packing for nosebleeds and others. Most authors used the herb without roots or only the stems. Madaus' contemporaries used Equisetum for various ailments of the urinary organs and bleeding, sometimes also for diarrhea, fluorine albus, spleen swelling, liver congestion, arteriosclerosis and cardiac insufficiency. The tea is well suited as a permanent drink for old people with rheumatism. Committee E recommends horsetail internally for edema , as long as it does not result from impaired heart or kidney function, as a flushing therapy for urinary tract infections and kidney semolina (average daily dose 6 g of the drug), make sure to drink enough, externally for poorly healing wounds (compresses with 10 g of drug to 1 l of water). In 1988, scientific experiments were carried out in Germany on the cultivation of field horsetail.

ingredients

The following information can be found in literature and directories on herbal medicine, cosmetics and body care: Ingredients are around 10% silica and the components known to be therapeutically effective are flavonoids , vegetable acids , glycosides , potassium and carboxylic acids . Furthermore, there is information that horsetail contains more than 10% mineral components, about two thirds of which are silica, about 10% of which are water-soluble silicates, and also 1.5% of aluminum and potassium chloride, according to which, among the flavonoids, the kaempferol and Querceting glycosides predominate in terms of quantity, as well as small amounts of alkaloids such as nicotine, 3-methoxypyridine, sometimes traces of palustrine and minor alkaloids and a mixture of longer-chain fatty acids and phytosterols contained therein is called equisetonin. The ash contains a lot of aluminum and potassium chloride.

In addition to the flavonoids, more recent literature also mentions derivatives of caffeic acid , such as dicaffeoyl-meso-tartaric acid and caffeoylshikmimic acid , only 10% mineral components consisting of a high proportion of soluble silica as well as potassium chloride and aluminum chloride , only traces of alkaloids such as palustrine and nicotine and expressly denies any content of saponins , which was stated earlier. One effect is now ascribed to the flavonoids , the caffeic acid derivatives and possibly the high potassium content .

preparation

For drying purposes and in phytotherapy, it is not the fertile spore shoots that are harvested, but the sterile, lush green and young spring and summer shoots that appear later. From May to August, the upper two thirds of the shoots are collected from these above-ground parts of the plant ( drug : Herb. Equiseti ). These are air-dried, cut up and make a component of horsetail or horsetail tea , which is also called Equiseti herba in pharmacies .

properties

The following properties and effects are attributed to the field horsetail in the literature on medicinal plants:

The aroma of the dried plant is almost neutral. When the plant is chewed, something grinds between the teeth, which comes from the silica. Horsetail or horsetail tea , also known as Equiseti herba in pharmacies, is used to flush out bacterial and inflammatory diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract and kidney gravel . It is also suitable for the treatment of chronic cough and washing out of edema . Concentrates (elixirs) are also used successfully in osteoarthritis medicine. Today, field horsetail is part of many standardized preparations, such as rheumatism , cough , kidney , bladder and blood cleansing teas . Because of its high silica content, field horsetail is primarily said to have a strengthening effect on the connective tissue ; it is said to promote metabolism and blood circulation and has a hemostatic effect. He easily shows diuretic ( diuretic ), decongestant and immune stimulating effects and strengthens the digestive system . Side effects are just as little known as z. B. the consequences of a strengthened digestion.

Externally, horsetail is used, for example, in the treatment of poorly healing wounds, in baths for frost damage, circulatory disorders, swelling after bone fractures, rheumatic complaints and bedsores. The drug has hemostatic properties that are popularly used in cases of increased menstrual bleeding and nosebleeds . The drug is also found in some home remedies .

It used to be assumed that in the case of pulmonary tuberculosis , absorbed silica would support the natural healing processes. So far, it has only been possible to demonstrate a stimulation of the body's defenses, which could be caused by silica.

household

The field horsetail was mainly used in households as a cleaning agent for items made of tin , from which some of its popular names are derived. The contained silica crystals act as a cleaning body. In Japan the field horsetail is grown as a vegetable .

Cosmetics

In cosmetics, extracts of field horsetail are used in particular to strengthen connective tissue, to reduce inflammation, to tighten the skin, to promote blood circulation and to have an astringent effect. Horsetail is also used against greasy hair in cosmetics. Athletes use concentrates of the field horsetail to strengthen tendons and ligaments.

Common names

The following German-language, partly outdated trivial names also exist for the field horsetail : Ackerhermus ( Pomerania ) Ahnwop, Bandwisch, Falbenrock, Fegkraut, Gänsekraut ( Leipzig ), Katzenzagel (kraut), Papenpint and Papenpitt (based on the fruit stem, East Frisia ), small stem , Raingrass, scrub grass, scouring herb, Unnet (East Friesland), Unger ( Münsterland ), Duwacken ( Middle Weser ) and game ( Lower Weser ).

Individual evidence

^ Gradl, Heinrich: To the customer of German dialects . In: Zur Kunde deutscher Mundarten (Ed.): Journal for comparative linguistic research in the field of German, Greek and Latin . tape 19 . Berlin 1870, p. 62 .

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Karl Ulrich Kramer (ed.): Illustrated flora of Central Europe. Pteridophyta, Spermatophyta . Founded by Gustav Hegi. 3rd, completely revised edition. Volume I. Part 1 Pteridophyta . Paul Parey, Berlin / Hamburg 1984, ISBN 3-489-50020-2 .

↑ ^a ^b ^c Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas . With the collaboration of Angelika Schwabe and Theo Müller. 8th, heavily revised and expanded edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 , pp. 63-64 .

^ Franz Starlinger, Wolfgang Willner: Equisetaceae. In: MA Fischer, W. Willner, H. Niklfeld, W. Gutermann (eds.): Online flora of Austria. from 2007. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: http://flora.vinca.at/ ), accessed on January 16, 2010@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / flora.vinca.at

^ Oskar Sebald, Siegmund Seybold, Georg Philippi (ed.): The fern and flowering plants of Baden-Württemberg . tape 1 : General Part, Special Part (Pteridophyta, Spermatophyta): Lycopodiaceae to Plumbaginaceae . Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 1990, ISBN 3-8001-3309-1 .

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↑ PJ Brownsey, DR Given, JD Lovis: A revised classification of New Zealand pteridophytes with a synonymic checklist of species. In: New Zealand Journal of Botany. Volume 23, No. 3, 1985, pp. 431-489.

↑ Erhard Dörr, Wolfgang Lippert : Flora of the Allgäu and its surroundings. Volume 1, IHW, Eching 2001, ISBN 3-930167-50-6 , p. 106.

↑ L. Roth, M. Daunderer, K. Kornmann, M. Grünsfelder: Toxic plants + plant poisons - occurrence, effect, therapy and allergic and phototoxic reactions. 5th expanded edition. Nikol, Hamburg 2008, ISBN 978-3-86820-009-6 , pp. 321-322.

↑ The field horsetail at golfbaer.gmxhome.de, accessed on July 22, 2017.

↑ ^a ^b ^c M. Koltzenburg: Equisetaceae . In: Schmeil-Fitschen: The flora of Germany and neighboring countries . (Ed .: G. Parolly, JG Rohwer). 97th edition, page 146. Source & Meyer Verlag, Wiebelsheim 2019. ISBN 978-3-494-01700-6 .

↑ ^a ^b Peter Schönswetter, Gerald M. Schneeweiss, Helmut Wittmann, Andreas Tribsch & Magdalena Wiedermann: Equisetum arvense subsp. boreal auct. eur. (Equisetaceae) - a previously overlooked, arctic-alpine floral element of the Alps . In: Neilreichia, vol. 1, 149-164, 2001.

↑ “Plant sap gives plants strength!” ( Memento from November 17, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Saarländischer Rundfunk , July 17, 2015.

↑ Ariena HC van Bruggen, Abraham Gamliel, Maria R Finckh: Plant disease management in organic farming systems . In: Pest Management Science . tape 72 , no. 1 , January 1, 2016, ISSN 1526-4998 , p. 30-44 , doi : 10.1002 / ps.4145 .

^ H. Borner: Plant diseases and plant protection. 8th edition. Springer, 2009, ISBN 978-3-540-49067-8 , p. 451.

^ Gerhard Madaus: Textbook of biological remedies. Volume II. Olms, Hildesheim / New York 1976, ISBN 3-487-05891-X , pp. 1267–1278 (reprint of the Leipzig 1938 edition).

↑ Heinz Schilcher (Ed.): Guide to Phytotherapy. 5th edition. Urban & Fischer, Munich 2016, ISBN 978-3-437-55344-8 , pp. 285-287.

↑ U. Bomme: The field-like medicinal and aromatic plant cultivation in Bavaria - a situation report . In: Bavarian Agricultural Yearbook. No. 65, 1988, pp. 143-157.

↑ ^a ^b M. Bährle-Rapp: Springer Lexicon Cosmetics and Body Care. 3. Edition. Springer, 2007, ISBN 978-3-540-71094-3 , p. 187.

↑ Data sheet horsetail at Phytokodex .

^ Gerhard Madaus : Textbook of biological remedies. Madaus, 1938. (Kroeber, Das neuzeitl. Herb book, 1934, p. 300.)

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Ingrid and Peter Schönfelder : The New Handbook of Medicinal Plants, Botany Medicinal Drugs, Active Ingredients Applications , Franckh-Kosmos Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, Stuttgart, 2011, ISBN 978-3-440-12932-6 .

↑ ^a ^b S. Bäumler: Medicinal Plant Practice Today: Portraits, Recipes, Application. Elsevier, Urban & Fischer, 2006, ISBN 3-437-57270-9 , pp. 49-50.

↑ F. Sauerhoff: Plant names in comparison . In: Journal for Dialectology and Linguistics - Supplements. Volume 113, Franz Steiner, 2001, ISBN 3-515-07857-6 , pp. 347-349.

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↑ S. Ellsässer: Body Care and Cosmetics: A textbook for PTA training and advice in pharmacy practice. Springer, 2008, ISBN 978-3-540-76523-3 , p. 241.

^ W. Feil, S. Oberem, A. Reichenauer-Feil: Your nutrition coach - more performance in sport. Georg Thieme, 2005, ISBN 3-8304-2184-2 , p. 100.

↑ Early New High German Dictionary .

^ Georg August Pritzel , Carl Jessen : The German folk names of plants. New contribution to the German linguistic treasure. Philipp Cohen, Hannover 1882, page 141. ( online ).