Horse Chestnut For Maintaining Health and Vitality
Bet you didn’t know this…horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) got its name from a history of treating chest troubles in horses! The horse chestnut tree is a sturdy, domed tree that can grow to a height of eighty feet. Its leaves have five to seven leaflets, clusters of white and pink flowers, bearing a spiny green fruit that contains up to three shiny brown seeds also known as conkers.
The horse chestnut tree is native to Asia and southeastern Europe. However, now you will find horse chestnut trees widely planted in North America as an ornamental tree, mostly in cities and other residential areas for the reason that it’s an excellent source of shade!
The active constituent and effective form of horse chestnut is extracted from the seed and is called aescin or escin. (1)
Horse chestnut is beneficial for a wide variety of conditions, mainly because of its ability to tone the walls of the veins helping to prevent blood vessels from becoming slack or swollen. In turn, healthy blood vessels ease symptoms of varicose veins, hemorrhoids and edema. Another key point is, it reduces fluid retention by normalizing the permeability of the blood vessel walls.
There are claims that horse chestnut is effective in reducing wrinkles, improving gut health, reducing blood sugar, fighting infections (skin & internal) and protecting the kidneys from diabetes-related kidney problems. Of course, these are all compelling reasons to look at this substance as an addition to your natural health care protocol.
Benefits of Horse Chestnut
Chronic Vein Problems
The active ingredient aescin reduces the number and diameter of the tiny pores in the capillaries. This reduces swelling by inhibiting fluid from passing through the capillary membranes. Normalizing the vessel walls helps to firm up the veins horse chestnut is helpful in treating:
- Hemorrhoids
- Lymphedema
- Varicose Veins
- Swollen Ankles
Not only does horse chestnut firm up the veins increasing the tone of underlying muscle layers, but it also helps prevent blood clots from forming.
Horse Chestnut Improves Male Fertility
In a Chinese study, which included 219 subjects, escin, an active ingredient in horse chestnut, was administered orally for an uninterrupted period of 2 months. For one thing, the study confirmed that escin may help restore fertility in some men. However, all the men in the study also received other supplements and drugs, so it’s not clear whether the improvement was due to this escin alone or the combination of the combined supplements. (2)
Improve Gut Health
Prebiotics are a type of non-digestible fiber that is fermented by the gut microflora in the colon. Notably, there is promising evidence that horse chestnut supplementation can enhance the effectiveness of prebiotics. You’ll find prebiotics in foods such as whole grains, bananas, greens, onions, garlic, soybeans and artichokes. (3)
In other words, prebiotics work in conjunction with probiotics (live microorganisms intended to maintain or improve the “good” bacteria) found in yogurt, cultured vegetables and supplements. As a result, they work well together to keep your gut healthy.
For more information about probiotics, you can check out my friend James’ in-depth article here. https://about-probiotics.website/
In a study done on rats in 2011, it was found that the combination of horse chestnut and flax seed increased prebiotic action enhancing the effectiveness of probiotics. Awesomely, the study indicated that the treatment could be beneficial in treating colon cancer. (4)
Horse Chestnut for Anti-Aging and Skin Health
The saponins in horse chestnut, aescin or escin, inhibit the breakdown of hyularonuric acid in the skin. These compounds possess potent anti-inflammatories benefitting the health of the skin. Hyaluronic acid is one of the main components of the skin and is involved in tissue repair. Horse chestnut protects the skin by inhibiting the hyaluronidase enzyme that breaks down hyaluronic acid. (5)
Additionally, some of the compounds (including one called proanthocyanidin A2) in horse chestnut have anti-inflammatory, wound healing and antioxidant properties (6)
It should be noted that all the compounds in horse chestnut work synergistically to repair and nourish the skin. Isolating just the aescin from horse chestnut doesn’t have the same healing potential.
A Japanese study was done in 1995 to assess the effectiveness of 65 plant extracts for skin care. Their findings were:
“Aeseclus hippocastanum L. and Hamamelis virginiana L. are proposed as potent plant extracts with potential application as anti-aging or anti-wrinkle material for the skin.”(7)
Therefore, it was found that horse chestnut had active-oxygen scavenging activity lending to its anti-skin aging effectiveness. Additionally, it was found to be 20 times more effective than Vitamin C and comparable to Vitamin E in reducing the signs of aging.
May Cause Cell Death in Certain Cancers
Horse chestnut is known for its incredible anti-inflammatory properties, being used therapeutically for chronic venous insufficiency and edema. Because of its benefits for these therapies, it has been looked at further to see if in fact it could be of potential benefit for treating certain forms of cancer.
The research is promising and good results have been seen with lung cancer, liver cancer and leukemia. Importantly, escin has been shown to be an important addition to anti-cancer therapy by augmenting the effects of existing chemotherapeutic drugs. (8)
Horse Chestnut Reduces Cellulite
Cellulite occurs when the fat cells under the skin become engorged and lose their natural contours. Unfortunately, this results in what looks like orange peel or cottage cheese skin. For this reason, cellulite is vilified and those who are afflicted will do just about anything to get rid of it. But no amount of dieting or massage will give long-term results until you address the underlying cause.
For one thing, lower levels of oxygen delivered to the connective tissue under the skin results in lower collagen production. For another, lower blood circulation is the primary cause of lowered oxygen levels in the tissues.
Horse chestnut, with its ability to increase blood flow and protect the blood vessels, strengthens the contractile fibers lining the capillaries. Therefore it is beneficial at getting to the root cause of cellulite and assisting with the results you are looking for. (9)
Want to try horse chestnut? It can be found in capsules, tinctures, and creams. The following are a few recommended brands:
- Now Foods Horse Chestnut Extract – 90 Caps
- Price: $8.76
- Planetary Herbals Horse Chestnut – Cream 2 Oz
- Price: $7.69
- Planetary Herbals Horse Chestnut – Cream 4 Oz
- Price: $13.83
- Solaray Horse Chestnut Seed Extract – 120 Caps
- Price: $20.99
- Solaray Horse Chestnut Seed Extract – 60 Caps
- Price: $12.49
Dosages & Uses
Horse chestnut can be used in capsule form for internal use. The standard dosage is 10 milligrams of aescin. Look for products that are coupled with citrus bioflavonoids, which also increase vein strength.
For topical use, use aescin cream. It is most easily obtained from a compounding pharmacist.
Precautions
- Horse chestnut can interact negatively with anticoagulants (blood-thinning medication).
- Horse chestnut lowers blood sugar and can interact with diabetes medications.
- May exacerbate kidney disease. Kidney damage has been reported with very large doses. Horse chestnut should not be taken by anyone with liver or kidney disease.
- Do not take if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant or are nursing.
- Do not give horse chestnut to children.
- The seeds of the horse chestnut tree are poisonous. If the compound aesculin is not removed properly in processing it can lead to diarrhea, vomiting, paralysis or even death.
In conclusion, horse chestnut is beneficial for supporting vein health, gut health and supporting anti-aging if used responsibly. In other words, make sure you get your product from a reputable source so you can enjoy the wonderful benefits horse chestnut can provide!
Interested in learning more about herbal remedies? The Herbal Academy has courses for all levels!
The use of herbs is a time-honored approach to bolstering and strengthening the body and as a natural, chemical-free way to treat disease. It’s important to always keep in mind that herbs can trigger side effects and interact with supplements, medications or other herbs. Therefore, herbs should be taken with care, under the supervision of a qualified herbalist or doctor well versed in the field of botanical medicine.
I am not a doctor and do not claim to be. I am a seeker of pure, healthful living and I want to share my findings with you in the hopes that the information will be of help to you.
Always talk with your doctor or qualified health care professional before taking any herbal remedies to ensure safety, especially if you are already on medications. The information on this website has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. None of these statements are intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. Always consult with your medical practitioner or another qualified healthcare provider.
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