Horse Chestnut Extract

The horse chestnut tree grows 80 feet (25 meters) tall with leaves in clusters of 5 to 7 and has white flower spikes growing at the ends of its branches. The name of the tree has many stories associated with it, but no real consensus has been reached. When the tree was brought to Britain in 1616 from the Balkans, it was called horse chestnut because the Turks would feed the seeds to their ailing horses.

 

Horse chestnut seeds are the most commonly used plant part for making medicinal remedies and herbal preparations. The seeds of the horse chestnut contain a chemical saponin known as aescin, which in clinical studies has been reported to promote increased blood circulation. Aescin has the ability too promote blood circulation through the veins by increasing the tone in the walls of the veins, whereby enabling blood to flow unrestricted. It has the ability to promote blood circulation and has become a popular treatment, both topically and internally, for both chronic venous insufficiency and varicose veins.

 

Constituents

• Bark: coumarins, fraxin, scopolin, aesculetin, quercetin, sterols, tannins, and saponins

• Leaf: coumadins, aesculin, scopolin, fraxin, stigmasterol, beta-sitosterol, rutin.

 

Parts Used

Whole nuts (used to make herbal extracts and infusions for balms and creams)

 

Typical Preparations

Traditionally the leaves and bark are used as a tea and can also be used to make tinctures, creams and infusions. The whole nut is preferred over the leaf and bark when used for external applications. Sometimes the leaf and bark are combined with other herbs to make cough syrups. The whole nuts are poisonous and are only to be used for external application.

Precautions

The whole nuts are not for internal use, unless administered by a qualified practitioner. It is not recommended pregnant woman and should not be applied to broken or abraded skin.