Harvesting horsetail: rules for collecting and drying - how to dry horsetail at home

The benefits of horsetail are determined by the vitamins and amino acids that make up its composition. In medicine, horsetail is used to treat various damage to the skin: wounds, cracks and ulcers. Horsetail decoctions also help in the treatment of dandruff and brittle nail plates.

Warning

When independently preparing medicinal raw materials, you should take into account the fact that of all the varieties of horsetail, only horsetail has healing properties, while its other types (swamp, forest, meadow and river horsetail) are very poisonous.

A clear difference between the medicinal plant is the location of the shoots. Hard branches should be positioned straight up.If they arc downwards or are located horizontally, then this is a toxic representative of this species.

If there is even the slightest suspicion that this is not horsetail, then it is better to refuse to harvest a questionable plant.

Watch a video from Alexander Spitsyn about the June harvest of horsetail

How and where to collect horsetail

Horsetail grows on acidic soils in forests, along rivers, adjacent to shrub plants. The grass forms thickets, which is very convenient for its mass harvesting.

When choosing a collection site, you should focus on its environmental friendliness. Horsetail very quickly absorbs all toxic substances from the air, so collecting raw materials near roads and industrial enterprises is not permissible.

Plants should only be collected in dry, sunny weather, preferably in the afternoon, so that the grass has time to completely dry from the morning dew. The collection time lasts from mid-June to August, as the grass grows to 25 - 30 centimeters.

The horsetail is cut at a distance of 7–10 centimeters from the ground.

Sergey Appolonov in his video will tell you about all the intricacies of collecting horsetail

Drying horsetail at home

Before drying, the raw materials are sorted, removing yellowed shoots. Washing the grass is strictly prohibited, since wet plants do not dry well and in most cases rot.

Horsetail is dried naturally or using modern dryers for vegetables and fruits. The first option involves drying the raw materials in a dark, well-ventilated area. The ideal room is the attic.

To prevent the grass from rotting, it must be stirred frequently. In the first three days you need to do this at least three times a day. In subsequent days, one tedding is enough.Air drying time is 7 - 10 days.

If you dry horsetail in an electric dryer, the heating temperature should be set to no more than 45 degrees. Higher values ​​will promote the destruction of beneficial substances. Drying using artificial heating takes from 6 to 10 hours.

High quality dried raw materials have a grayish-green color and a sour taste. The stems break easily but do not crumble into powder when squeezed.

Watch the video from the channel “Blooming Garden!” - Horsetail. Benefit for health!

How to store dry herb

Dried horsetail is stored in cardboard boxes or bags made of paper or thick canvas. The storage place should be dry and dark.

The shelf life of dry medicinal raw materials is 4 years, but in order to get the maximum nutrients from the product, it is better to renew horsetail stocks annually.