Aesculus hippocastanum L. Horsechestnut
Family: Hippocastanaceae
Description: “Large tree with sticky buds and palmate leaves. Erect spikes of white flowers appear in late spring. Globular, green-brown, spiny fruits contain 1-3 shiny red-brown seeds. H 25-40m, S 5-8m. Fully hardy.” (Bown, 1995: 75)
Habitat: Native to Asia- Minor; widely cultivated, common in Britain.
Harvest: Ripe seeds and bark collected in autumn.
Parts used: Seeds, bark.
Dosage: 1:5 Tincture: 1.5-2.5ml tds, Fluid Extract: 0.5-2ml tds, Dried: 1g tds.
Character: ‘vigorous’ (AD)
Actions:
-VENOTONIC,
-ANTI-OEDEMATOUS,
-ANTI-INFLAMMATORY (Mills and Bone, 2000),
-ASTRINGENT,
-febrifuge.
Indications:
-Venous insufficiency, especially chronic*: varicose veins*, oedema of lower limbs*, haemorrhoids.
-Preventative measure against deep venous thrombosis following surgery*.
-To improve circulation by improving venous tone (peripheral vascular disorders, slow healing leg ulcers)**
-Disorders where local tissue oedema may be involved (eg. carpal tunnel syndrome, Bell’s palsy’ dysmennorhoea, intervertebral disc lesions)**.
-Conditions requiring treatment of early phase of inflammation such as soft tissue injuries, swelling, minor surgery**.
-Rheumatism; neuralgia; rectal complaints; disease states associated with inflammatory congestion.
-To tone skin; to treat fragile capillaries, pimples, sunburn, cellulite. (Mills and Bone, 2000)
External usage: Haematoma, contusions, non-penetrating wounds, sports injuries involving oedema*. (Mills and Bone, 2000)
Safety: Very low risk with oral or topical administration. (Mills and Bone, 2000)
Contra-indications: Do not apply to broken or ulcerated skin; children (due to saponin content). Apply caution with other drugs for blood-clotting.
Key Constituents:
-Saponins (3-6%), ‘AESCIN’: complex mixture of over 30 individual pentacyclic triterpene diester glycosides.
-Flavonoids, lipids, sterols. (Mills and Bone, 2000).
Pharmacology: Extensive studies of aescin demonstrated : venotonic, vascular protective and anti-oedema activity; also antioxidant activity. Some suggest aescin in combination with flavonoids, as found in whole plant, superior treatment to aescin alone. See Mills and Bone, 2000:449-451.
Clinical trials: With aescin: intravenously, produced fast reduction in postoperative inflammation and oedema; effective in treatment of cerebral oedemas following cranial fractures and cranial trauma, also disappearance of cephalgia, vertigo, general discomfort. With horsechestnut: venous insufficiency, deep vein thrombosis; in topical use, treatment of acute and chronic traumas and venopathies, gel broke down haematomas. See Mills and Bone, 2000: 451-454.
Toxicology: Low acute and chronic toxicity, high therapeutic index; various studies on rats, dogs and small animals. See Mills and Bone, 2000: 454.
History: Name ‘horsechestnut’ may derive from use of the seeds in treating coughs of horses (Grieve, 1995). Extensively used in European traditional medicine since 16th century and wine based on flowers imbibed for neuralgia and arthritis. Flowers and flower buds used in two of Bach flower remedies. (Mills and Bone, 2000).
Traditional and Practitioner sources:
“If you dry the chesnuts, (only the kernels)…beat them into a powder, and make…up into an electuary with honey, so you have an admirable remedy for the cough and spitting of blood.” Culpeper (1995: 67)
“VARICOSE VEINS: Massage the legs [not on the ‘vein’ -BC] with an ointment containing Horse Chestnut (first choice).” Carol Rogers (1995: 190)
