Latin
name:
Aesculus hippocastanum .
Other
Names:
Buckeye, Spanish chestnut, horse chestnut
Parts
Used: seeds,
leaves, bark
 Description
:
The
Horse Chestnut tree is native to Asia and northern Greece, but
it is now cultivated in many areas of Europe and North America.
The tree produces fruits that are made up of a spiny capsule containing
one to three large seeds, known as horse chestnuts. The
tree grows from 50 to 80 feet high and bears palmately compound
leaves with 5 to 7 wedge shaped, serrate, pointed leaflets.
White, red, or yellow flowers appear in panicles from May to
June. The fruit is prickly, green, globular capsule which contains
from 1 to 6 shiny, brown seeds.
Traditionally,
many of the aerial parts of the horse chestnut tree, including
the seeds, leaves, and bark, were used in medicinal preparations.
Modern extracts of horse chestnut are usually extracts of the
seeds, which are high in the active constituent aescin. Horse
chestnut leaves have been used as a cough remedy and to reduce
fevers. They were also believed to reduce pain and inflammation
of arthritis and rheumatism. Poultices of the seeds were used
topically to treat skin ulcers and skin cancer.
Other
uses include the internal and external application for
problems of venous circulation, including varicose veins
and hemorrhoids. The topical preparation was also used
to treat phlebitis
Horse chestnut is beneficial in the treatment of:
Chronic
venous insufficiency
Edema
Hemorrhoids
Sprains and other injuries
Varicose veins
Utilized
extensively in Europe as an anti-inflammatory agent for
a variety of conditions, in addition to being used for
vascular problems. It is also used for the treatment of
varicose veins and inflammatory disorders of the legs.
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It also
reduced edema. It does this by normalizing the permeability
of blood vessel walls.
The leaves
of the buckeye plant is believed to be quite effective in the
treatment of chest congestions.
Internal use of purified horse chestnut extracts
standardized for aescin at the doses listed here is generally
safe. Isolated reports of kidney damage in persons consuming
very large quantities of aescin were made. Horse chestnut should
be avoided by anyone with liver or kidney disease. Do not use
it if you are pregnant or breast-feeding.
Topically,
horse chestnut has been associated with rare cases of allergic
skin reactions. Circulation disorders and trauma associated
with swelling are usually the signs of a serious condition;
please consult a health care professional before self-treating
with horse chestnut.
The leaves,
seeds, and green capsule shell sometimes cause poisoning if
taken in sufficient amounts. Roasting the seeds seems to destroy
the poison in them.
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