What do hair and shoulders have in common? Both benefit from horsetail.

I've been experiencing bursitis in my shoulder for about two years, and you might already be wondering what that has to do with my hair. Well, there's an herb that apparently helps both hair and shoulder problems. It's horsetail, also called silica. You can pick it up in capsule form at such places at Vitamin Shoppe, or you can buy the herb in loose form at some co-ops and make a tea with it or add it to food. I was already aware that it can be good for hair, but after a very frustrating visit to my orthopedist this week, I stopped by a local co-op to consult the giant book of medical conditions and herbal remedies, and whaddya know, it's good for repairing shoulders, too. So I filled up a big bag of horsetail and grabbed a packet of make-your-own tea bags. (Sorry, I'm not the multiple-medications-and-endless-tests-and-scans kind of girl. I am a human being, not a walking pill bottle.)

Here's how to make horsetail tea:

You need an iron that has a steam option (and obviously a safe surface for ironing). You need the tea bags and horsetail (duh). Last, all you need is a spoon to scoop the herb into the bags. And it helps to have a little patience, too. It took about 30 minutes to make 40 tea bags.

It's a good idea to fill up all of the tea bags with the herb before turning on the iron. Otherwise, the iron will just be sitting there for 15-20 minutes, wasting electricity and creating a potential hazard (I'm a little clumsy when I haven't had much caffeine). Then, you want to press the iron over the top seal of each tea bag for about 10 seconds, making sure it seals completely. Do NOT press the iron over the entire tea bag. You'll burn the herbs. Then, just store them in a plastic container with a lid until you're ready to make a healthy, healing cup of herbal tea.