What is Equisetum

Equisetum, also called horsetail, snake grass, or puzzle grass, is the main living genus in Equisetaceae, a group of plants, which are created by spores as opposed to seeds. It is a “living fossil”, the main living family of the whole subclass Equisetinae, which for around 100 million years was substantially more different and overwhelmed the understorey of late Paleozoic woods. Some equisetids were enormous trees coming to 98 ft tall. 

For instance, the genus Calamites of the family Lamiaceae is bountiful in coal stores from the Carboniferous time frame. Modern horsetails originally showed up during the Jurassic time frame. Notwithstanding hundreds of years of purpose in customary medication, there is no proof that Equisetum has any therapeutic properties.

Classification

1. Kingdom                     Plantae – Plants
2. Subkingdom               Tracheophyta
3. Superdivision             Pteridophytes
4. Division                       Equisetophyta
5. Class                            Sphenopsida
6. Subclass                      Equisetinae   
7. Order                           Equisetales
8. Family                          Equisetaceae
9. Genus                          Equisetum L.
10. Species                        Arvense L.

Phytochemical Profile

1. Minerals: The sterile stems are accounted for to contain silicates (5-8%), silicic acid, potassium (1.8%), aluminium, calcium (1.3%), magnesium, sulfur, and manganese.
2. Phenolic petrosains: Oniti-9-O-glucoside and onitin.
3. Phenolic acids: The sterile stems contain mono-O-caffeoyl-Meso-tartrate, di-E-caffeoyl-meso-tartaric acid, caffeic acids, and methyl esters of protocatechuic. Infertile fledglings contain 5-caffeoylshikimic acid.
4. Phenolic glycosides: Fertile fledglings contain equisetum side A, equisetum side B, and equisetum side C.
5. Flavonoids: Sterile stems answered to contain 0.3-0.9% of aggregate flavonoids. Different flavonoids present are kaempferol 3-O-(6″- O-malonyl glucoside)- 7-O-glucoside, kaempferol 3-O’Sophoroside-7-O-glucoside, quercetin3-O-glucoside, kaempferol 3-O-sophoroside, apigenin 5-O-glucoside6, apigenin, genkwanin 5-O-glucoside, luteolin, luteolin 5-O-glucoside, isoquercitrin.
6. Triterpenoids: The sterile stems contain taraxerol, isoproterenol, ursolic acid, germanicol, betulinic acid, and oleanolic acid.
7. Styrylpyrone glucosides: Rhizomes contain 4′- Omethylequisetumpyrone (3, 4-hydroxy-6-(3′- hydroxy-4′- methoxy-Styryl)- 2-pyrone-3-O- – D-glucopyranoside) and 3′-deoxy equisetum pyrone (3, 4-hydroxy-6-(4′- hydroxy-D-styryl)- 2-pyrone-3-O- – D-glucopyranoside). Vegetative stems contain equisetum pyrone.
8. Saponins: The sterile stems contain equisetonin.
9. Alkaloids: Palustrine, nicotine, and palustrine.
10. Expanded and long-chain dicarboxylic acids: Spores contain C22-C30 compounds.
11. Phytosterols: The sterile stems contain epicholesterol, cholesterol, isofucosterol (5.9%), campesterol (32.9%), 24-methylenecholesterol, and β-Sitosterol (60%).

Ecology and Distribution

The family Equisetum all in all, while amassed in the non-tropical northern half of the globe, is close cosmopolitan, being missing just from Antarctica, however, they are not known to be local to Australia, New Zealand nor the islands of the Pacific. They are most common in northern North America (Canada and the northernmost United States), where the sort is addressed by nine species. Just four of the fifteen species are known to be local south of the Equator. They are enduring plants, herbaceous, and biting the dust back in winter as most mild species, or evergreen as most exotic species. They regularly grow 20 cm-1.5 m tall. All the equisetum are classed as “undesirable creatures” in New Zealand and are recorded on the National Pest Plant Accord.

Consumption

Individuals have consistently consumed equisetum. For instance, the fruitful stems bearing strobili of certain species are cooked and eaten like asparagus (a Japanese dish called tsukushi). Local Americans in the Pacific Northwest eat the youthful shoots of this plant raw. The youthful plants are eaten cooked or crude, however, extensive consideration should be taken. Assuming eaten over a sufficiently long timeframe, a few types of equisetums can be noxious to touching creatures, including horses. The toxicity seems, by all accounts, to be expected to thiaminase, which can cause thiamin (vitamin B1) deficiency. Equisetum species might have been typical nourishment for herbivorous dinosaurs too.

Contraindications

1. Persistent ingestion of equisetum can diminish the degree of thiamin or B1 due to thiaminase content.
2. The diuretic impact can cause loss of potassium.
3. This herb ought not to be consumed long haul or by pregnant ladies.
4. Beriberi is the indication of persistent harmfulness.

Toxicity

Equisetum can deliver harmful results in its delayed use. Alkaloids even though don’t show up in solid fixations, a delayed use can happen by gathering them in the creature which may work with untimely labor, migraines, gulping issues, apprehensive problems, and loss of hunger, and so on. 

Silicates produce stomach-related issues, particularly when utilized for a long time. These inebriations power to a treatment that re-establishes the thiamine inadequacy, albeit, for the situation of the creatures, they are as of now not recoverable in many events.

Conclusion

The customary purposes and helpful action of Equisetum arvense have been laid out through present-day testing and assessment (preclinical and clinical preliminaries) in various illness conditions. These Examinations place this native medication as a clever possibility for bioprospection and medication advancement for the treatment of such illnesses as aggravation, frailty, spasms, disease, and diabetes. The therapeutic utilization of this plant and incalculable conceivable outcomes for examination stay in the moderately fresher region of its capacity. Thus, the phytochemicals and minerals of this plant will empower to take advantage of its remedial use. More research regarding this herb will open many mysterious doors that are yet to be discovered.