Horse Chestnut
trees are native to the
Balkan Peninsula (for example, Greece and Bulgaria), but grow throughout the
northern hemisphere. Although horse chestnut is sometimes called buckeye, it
should not be confused with the Ohio or California buckeye trees, which are
related but not the same species.
Common Names--horse chestnut, buckeye, Spanish chestnut
Latin Names--Aesculus hippocastanum
- What Horse Chestnut Is Used For
- For centuries, horse chestnut seeds, leaves, bark, and
flowers have been used as an herbal remedy for a variety of conditions and
diseases.
- Horse chestnut seed extract has been used as an herbal
remedy to treat chronic venous insufficiency (a condition in which the veins
in the legs do not efficiently return blood to the heart). This condition is
associated with varicose veins, pain, ankle swelling, feelings of heaviness,
itching, and nighttime leg cramping.
- The seed extract has also been used for hemorrhoids.
- Try our Herbal Remedy and Herbal Medicine:
LegCalm - For Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) and Periodic Limb Movement (PLM)
- Reduce hyperactivity and restlessness
- Calm, soothe and reduce mood swings
- Improve concentration, memory and attention span
- Improve alertness and mental focus
- Calm over-active minds
- Reduce impulsiveness and aggression
- How Horse Chestnut Is Used
Horse chestnut seed extract standardized to contain 16 to 20 percent aescin (escin),
the active ingredient, is the most commonly used form. Topical preparations
have also been used.
- What the Science Says about Horse Chestnut
- Small studies have found that horse chestnut seed extract
is beneficial in treating chronic venous insufficiency and is as effective
as wearing compression stockings.
- There is not enough scientific evidence to support the
use of horse chestnut seed, leaf, or bark for any other conditions.
- Side Effects and Cautions of Horse Chestnut
- Homemade preparations of horse chestnut should not be
used. Raw horse chestnut seeds, leaves, bark, and flowers contain esculin,
which is poisonous.
- When properly processed, horse chestnut seed extract
contains little or no esculin and is considered generally safe. However, the
extract can cause some side effects, including itching, nausea, or
gastrointestinal upset.
- Tell your health care providers about any herb or dietary
supplement you are using, including horse chestnut. This helps to ensure
safe and coordinated care.
What's an Herb? An herb is a plant or part of a plant used for its flavor, scent, or potential
therapeutic properties. Includes flowers, leaves, bark, fruit, seeds, stems, and
roots. Herbal medicine products are dietary supplements that people take
to improve their health. Many herbs have been used for a long time for claimed
health benefits. They are sold as tablets, capsules, powders, teas, extracts and
fresh or dried plants. However, some can cause health problems, some are not
effective and some may interact with other drugs you are taking.
Dietary supplement is a
product that contains vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino
acids, enzymes, and/or other ingredients intended to supplement the diet. The
U.S. Food and Drug Administration has special labeling requirements for
dietary supplements and treats them as foods, not drugs.
To use an herbal product as safely as
possible:
-
Consult your doctor first
-
Do not take a bigger dose than the label
recommends
-
Take it under the guidance of a trained
medical professional
-
Be especially cautious if you are pregnant or
nursing
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Why should I use herbal products?
The decision to use herbs to improve your
health is, as with all health decisions, a personal one. There are, however,
many good reasons to consider herbal products to complement your own
health care methods. One of the best reason, however, may be the fact that
herbs and herbal products, continue to provide real health benefits while
maintaining a remarkable safety profile. Readily available natural
substances were the first medicines used by humans. Primitive and ancient
civilizations as well as contemporary cultures throughout the world have
always relied on herbs to provide the benefits that have been observed with
their use. In fact, the World Health Organization has estimated that 80
percent of the world's population continues to use traditional therapies, a
major part of which are derived from plants, as their primary health care
tools. In our own time and culture, most herbs are available in the form of
"herbal supplements." These products are found in the form of teas, tablets,
capsules, liquid extracts, and others. We now have ready access to products
that bring the herbal traditions from all over the world in a variety of
convenient forms. In addition, scientific inquiries continue to develop our
knowledge of the benefits of plants, and often validate the observations
made over the past centuries.
Are herbs safe?
Plants that enjoy broad culinary and
therapeutic usage are generally safe. We can flavor our food with any number
of herbs to make a meal more flavorful. We can appreciate a delicious cup of
peppermint leaf or ginger root tea, or benefit from the soothing properties
of marshmallow root or the bark of slippery elm. We can take an herbal
supplement containing dandelion root or saw palmetto berries, or any number
of the other herbs. Although allergies and reactions have been recorded for
a few herbs that are widely used in foods and supplements, such individual
concerns are also seen with many foods, and do not diminish the safety
profile of the many herbs that are generally recognized as safe. On the
other hand, and as everyone knows, there are any number of plants that are
highly toxic, even deadly.
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