Horsetail grows all over the Southwest in rocky slightly moist soil and a dry climate. 
It has been called a “prehistoric botanical relic” by herbalists. It’s history as a remedy for native people goes further back then the first European contact. When the stems are dry they resemble tiny bamboo shoots because of the darker joints along the stem/stock. The entire plant is dark green and appears void of any form of leaf. Horsetail is also known as “bottlebrush” and “shave grass.”
According to the Encyclopedia of Herbs by Deni Brown, Horsetail is an “astringent healing herb that acts mainly on the genitourinary system and controls both internal and external bleeding. It’s medicinal properties include internal use for prostatitis, incontinence, cystitis and urethritis.” Stems are cut any time during the growing season and dried for use in decoctions, infusions, liquid extracts and powders.
Path to the Well
As we walk along the paved path from the trailhead to Montezuma Well we can run our hands over the tops of the Horsetail plants. They grow in abundance there and were most likely used by the Tribes who inhabited the area during various periods throughout history. Many of the natural medicines that grow near Tribal communities are still harvested by skilled herbalists and used today as an alternative to pharmaceuticals. Some of us can remember Grandma listening to the younger family members complaining about this physical ache or that pain or other symptom. Or maybe one of us would come home with a rash or bite of one kind or another or a strained muscle and she always knew the right home remedy.
Evolution
Poultices, teas and a variety of other medicines were prepared and administered with plants and flowers that were sometimes grown on kitchen windowsills, in our own backyards or picked from nearby unpopulated areas. Special trips to mountain wilderness areas were planed during the harvest season for the purpose of gathering the medicines to be used during the coming year. During the formation of modern medicine, all of the manufactured pharmaceuticals were originally made from the medicines found in nature. Over time modern medicine has evolved and other chemicals have been used or added to formulas used to heal the sick.
When they are manufactured, only the compound or element indicated for one specific illness is extracted and the rest of the herb is discarded. Understanding of natural medicines has become vague and uncommon in mainstream society. This makes the fact of having so many natural medicines available to us who live out here, especially gratuitous. And so, some of us have come to nickname the Beaver Creek area, the “holy land”.
