Keywords
horsetail
Diuretic herbal medicines
How to Cite
Abstract
Among the various popular medicinal Brazilian plants, horsetail (Equisetum arvense L.) is a species widely used due to its diuretic activity, helping the treatment of hypertension, edema, kidney stones and urinary tract infections. However, as medicinal plants are freely traded, the quality is questioned, and it is a factor directly related to the expected therapeutic activities. Thus, the objective of this work was to perform quality control on three samples of horsetail found in our local market, evaluating pH, presence of flavonoids, tannins, moisture content and ash content. After a bibliographic survey, consultation in open access databases, books and official literature from ANVISA, laboratory analyzes were carried out (Chemistry Laboratory of UNIFAE) of the secondary metabolites of horsetail, according to the methodologies proposed by Ribeiro (2021) and the Brazilian Society of Pharmacognosy (2021). We found the results within the specified parameters. We concluded that the three samples evaluated were approved for these physicochemical quality parameters, containing the metabolites described in the literature, and therefore can be used effectively and safely.