Horse Chestnut

(Aesculus hippocastanum L., Hippocastanaceae)

Also called: Buckeye.

Description: Large deciduous tree more than 30m (100ft) high, bark at first smooth, then scaly.
Leaves with long petioles, digitate with 5-7 leaflets.
Flowers white, tinted pink or yellow, arranged in an erect, conical inflorescence.
Fruit a spiny green capsule containing one or two brown seeds.

Parts Used: Fresh seeds, freed from seed-coat; more rarely bark from the branches, or the fruit walls.

Habitat and Collection: Native to central Asia and of Albania and Greece.
Introduced,widely cultivated & naturalised in Europe and the United States.
Much of today's medicinal supply is produced in Poland.
The seeds are collected in autumn and the bark in spring.

Constituents and Action The saponin aescine is regarded as the main active constituent; but flavones, coumarin and tannins in the seed are also active.
This action is to strengthen the blood vessels, to prevent thrombosis, to strengthen the veins and to relieve haemorrhoids.
Therefore used for weak veins, varicose veins, oedema, bruises, sprains.
Injectable forms are used in Germany to treat severe head injuries and to reduce post-surgical swelling.

Forms available: The crude herb may be toxic; therefore, only standardised preparations (typically to 20 per cent aescin) are recommended.

Usage: Previously the seeds and dried bark were used in domestic medicine for bleeding piles and bleeding of the womb.
Today, under medical control, extracts of horse chestnut either as drops or injections are used for venous stasis, varicose veins and thrombosis.

CAUTION: The seeds are poisonous and have resulted in accidents to children.
Rarely, people using horse chestnut have reported stomach upset, nausea and itching.