TCM herbs help strengthen bones in patients with osteoporosis

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body. It is used in the cardiovascular system to contract and dilate blood vessels. It is the mineral that makes muscles contract. It helps cells send signals and nerves to transmit those signals to the brain.

Most people know calcium as the mineral that makes healthy bones and teeth. While many people know that calcium can be absorbed through food or dietary supplements, few people know there are powerful herbs containing calcium. These herbs are horsetail and oat straw.

Calcium is very tightly regulated in the bloodstream. Extra calcium is stored in bone and dental tissue, and the body retrieves calcium from the bones and teeth if more is needed. As the body ages, particularly among postmenopausal women, bone loss exceeds bone repair if there is not enough dietary calcium intake. Horsetail and oat straw can help supply extra calcium for the bones.

1. Horsetail shows promise in healing osteoporosis
The University of Maryland Medical Center published a clinical study in 1999 involving 122 women who took horsetail extract or a calcium/horsetail product marketed in Italy. Both sets of women saw an improvement in bone density. Even though the study was not performed to current scientific standards, the results did still show promise for horsetail in healing Osteoporosis.

The reason why horsetail, also called shave grass, may work to restore bone loss is because of the high levels of plant silica in horsetail. In the body, silica converts to calcium. The late master herbalist Dr. John Ray Christopher called horsetail a "master calcium herb," and used it along with oat straw, comfrey root, and lobelia in his herbal calcium tea formula. Nobel prize nominee C. Louis Kervran wrote extensively about the parallels between plant silica and calcium in his book, Biological Transmutation.

2. Oat straw strengthens bones and teeth by stimulating cell growth
Oat straw, the green oat grass in the "milky" stage before the oat tops become mature, is also very high in calcium. Many herbalists promote and use oat straw to help strengthen bones in patients with osteopenia and osteoporosis.

Integrative Herbal Communications published a clinical study performed in 2000 which showed that rats fed oat straw showed a rise in luteinizing hormones. These hormones stimulate cell growth, including osteoblasts, the cells that promote bone and teeth development.

3. Horsetail and oat straw tea deliver absorbable calcium to the body
Refined white sugar, white flour products, alcohol, soft drinks, the use of steroids, and junk foods leach calcium from the bones in order to correct the acid formation in the blood and tissues of the body. Varicose veins, muscle cramps and "Charlie horses," tooth decay and loss, painful teething in babies, and anxiety issues are all due to calcium imbalances.

A simple hot tea made with equal parts horsetail and and oat straw taken three times a day may help relieve the symptoms of all of the above health concerns. A different recipe calls for a combination of oat straw, horsetail, comfrey leaves, and lobelia to combine the calcium in horsetail and oat straw with the bone-knitting properties of comfrey. Lobelia is an adaptogen which helps the other herbs work together.