The genus name, Equisetum, translates to "horse-bristle" or tail, describing the appearance of the sterile stems.
Deposits of silica cover the vegetative stems and branches of field horsetail. For this reason, the plant has been used to scour pots, pans, and articles containing silver (hence the common name 'scouringrush').
Field horsetail may accumulate more gold than any other plant. Up to 4 1/2 ounces of gold per ton of fresh plant material has been recovered. Mining engineers consider field horsetail an indicator species of gold, but not a viable commercial source.
Tubers of field horsetail are rich in starch and are eaten by wildlife. Native Americans consumed young fertile shoots.
Field horsetail has been used medicinally as a diuretic and to control hemorrhaging.
