Natural horse chestnut powder | 20% Aescin horse chestnut extract

Today, horse chestnut seed extract is still used for these conditions and is particularly popular in Germany, where it ranks among the most common prescription herbal remedies (after ginkgo biloba and St. John's wort).

The horse chestnut is also known as the Spanish chestnut. Never take the seeds right off the tree to make a home remedy; the seeds (and other parts of the tree) are poisonous. To be safe, they must be carefully treated to extract the active ingredient.

Also, don't confuse seeds from the horse chestnut with seeds ("nuts") of the sweet chestnut (Castanea vesca), a tree that bears delicious chestnuts, ideal for roasting and stuffing into holiday turkeys.

Health Benefits

Scientists examining the seeds of the horse chestnut identified the main therapeutic ingredient, aescin, which is sometimes described as a group of chemically related substances called "escin."

Aescin reduces inflammation and tones up vein walls, allowing blood to flow back to the heart more easily. It appears to accomplish this by plugging up minute holes and microscopic leaks in the tiniest blood vessels, the venules, and in the capillaries. In reinforcing the strength of veins, horse chestnut is believed to also promote their elasticity and prevent swelling and long-term damage to them.

For example, a 1996 study involving 240 patients, reported that horse chestnut seed extract (aescin, 50 mg twice a day) provided the same relief from lower leg swelling (edema) as compression (support) stockings. Such stockings are typically considered the primary treatment for varicose veins and venous insufficiency, so the fact that the horse chestnut seed extract could perform with similar effectiveness was significant.

Investigators who reviewed the findings of 13 clinical trials done on the extract concluded it was clearly better than a placebo (dummy drug or sugar pill) in relieving vein-related leg problems such as varicose veins. The analysis was published in a 1998 issue of the well-known scientific journal Archives of Dermatology.

Reduce hemorrhoids. Painful and inflamed hemorrhoids may subside with horse chestnut seed extract for the same reasons that the remedy is so effective for varicose veins. By strengthening and toning the body's veins, as well as actually lessening swelling and fluid retention in the body, the hemorrhoid--a swollen vein itself--will be more likely to recede.
German health authorities approve of horse chestnut seed extract for hemorrhoids.

Forms

powder
ointment
lotion
liquid
gel
cream
capsule
Dosage Information

Special tips:

--Only use horse chestnut seed products standardized to contain 50 mg aescin per dose.

--Oral formulations have been much more intensively researched than topical formulations such as gels and ointments, which have recently become available in the United States. It's not clear whether the topical forms are as effective.

For varicose veins or hemorrhoids: Take a 250 mg standardized extract capsule twice a day, or 1 teaspoon liquid extract twice a day. There are also topical formulations that can be applied two or three times a day; these may aid hemorrhoids especially.