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horse chestnut graphic

Horse Chestnut

Horse chestnut trees are native to Asia and northern Greece, but now they are grown all around the world including North America. In fact, you probably can find a horse chestnut tree at your nearby park. The tree produces seeds that are encased in a hard shell. One shell contains one to three large seeds, which are called horse chestnuts. The extracts from horse chestnuts are called aescin, which is an antioxidant. Aescin works by maintaining the integrity of collagen and elastin of blood vessels and therefore helps prevent leakage of fluids from veins into the tissue space (known as edema). Horse chestnut has been used in the past to treat hemorrhoids and varicose veins, which are weak, fluid-leaking veins.

 

Claimed Health Benefits

  • Decreases swelling of the feet and legs

  • Strengthens veins (prevents/treats varicose veins)

  • Decreases pain associated with sprains

 

Food Sources

None

 

Dose

300mg of horse chestnut every 12 hours is usually taken for up to 12 weeks. This dosage should contain about 15-20% of aescin (about 50-75 mg of aescin per dose). Once symptoms improve, smaller doses can be taken of 25-100mg/day.

 

Evidence for Health Benefits

There have been a few clinical studies looking at the effectiveness of horse chestnut as a remedy for individuals with varicose veins. The results have shown that horse chestnut reduces leg swelling at the calf and ankle by about 20%. Leg pain was also reduced.

 

Cautions

  • In rare cases, taking horse chestnut can cause stomach discomfort, nausea, and itching of the skin.

  • Individuals with kidney disease, liver disease, or women who are pregnant/breast feeding should avoid horse chestnut.

 

References

1. Aetna InteliHealth Inc. (2003) Harvard Medical School’s Consumer Health Information. http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtPrint/WSIHW000/8513/31402/346383.html?d=dmt
Content&hide=t&k=basePrint Accessed June 17, 2003

2. Healthnotes, Inc. (2003) Helping People Lead Healthier Lives. http://www.healthwell.com/healthnotes/healthnotes.cfm?ContentID=2110008 Accessed June 17, 2003

3. SupplementWatch, Inc. (2002) Supplement Decisions Made Easy. http://www.supplementwatch.com/supatoz/supplement.asp?supplementId=168 Accessed June 17, 2003