Equisetum is the only living genus in the Equisetaceae, a family of vascular plants that reproduce by spores rather than seeds. They are commonly known as horsetails.
In these plants the leaves are greatly reduced and usually non-photosynthetic. They contain a single, non-branching vascular trace, which is the defining feature of microphylls. However, it has recently been recognised that horsetail microphylls are probably not primitive like in Lycopodiophyta (clubmosses and relatives), but rather advanced adaptations, evolved by the reduction of a megaphyll. They are therefore sometimes actually referred to as megaphylls to reflect this homology.
The leaves of horsetails grow in whorls fused into nodal sheaths. The stems are green and photosynthetic, and distinctive in being hollow, jointed and ridged (with sometimes 3 but usually 6-40 ridges). There may or may not be whorls of branches at the nodes; when present, these branches are identical to the main stem except being smaller and more delicate.
| Product name | Horsetail P.E. |
| Item | Specification |
| Appearance | Brown yellow fine powder |
| Odor | Characteristic |
| Assay (organic silica, HPLC) |
7% Min. |
| Identification | Positive |
| Sieve analysis | 100% pass 80 mesh |
| Loss on drying | 5.0% Max. |
| Sulphated ash | 5% Max. |
| Heavy metals | 10 ppm Max. |
| Arsenic (as As) | 2 ppm Max. |
| Pesticide residue | 2 ppm Max. |
| Total plate count | 1000 cfu/g Max. |
| Yeast and mould | 100 cfu/g Max. |
| E.Coli | Negative |
| Salmonella | Negative |
Storage:be stored in cool and dry place,keep away from rain and sunlight
Shelf life:2years