Field horsetail (common horsetail) forms two types of stems. In early spring, it has 10 to 20 cm tall, fertile, not green, unbranched stems with a spike of spores. Later, it has circa 50 cm tall, green, verticillate branched stems. Field horsetail has dark brown to black roots which reach as deep as 1 m. This plant is not exacting on the soil type. It is extended commonly on sand and clayey soils, on fields, banks, and in clear forests, from lowlands to mountains. Field horsetail ranges in whole northern temperate belt.
The Cheyenne used infusion of stems for horses afflicted with bad cough. They poured it into the horse’s throat. If humans used field horsetail it was picked in the spring and the Cheyenne prepared an infusion from this plant. The infusion aids the function of kidneys. In the fall, moderately diuretical tea was brewed from field horsetail. The tea is about to aid in curing of bones. On the present, field horsetail is put in a bottle with lard or oil and it is placed in the sun for two weeks. The oil is smeared on the body parts afflicted with arthritis. The field horsetail infusion also stops hemorrhage of the bowels (Tallbull 1993: 18).
Beside it, the Cheyenne used field horsetail for dyeing the clothing, tipis, and porcupine quills (Hart 1981: 4). The Cheyenne decorated the clothing and other objects with field horsetail stems analogous to the porcupine quills (Grinnell 1923 I: 167).
