DlyaSerdca → Varicose veins → Horse chestnut - a folk remedy for varicose veins
Varicose veins are a pathology, the main manifestations of which are a consequence of the expansion of venous vessels, disruption of the functioning of their valve apparatus and, as a consequence, insufficient blood circulation in this organ. Varicose veins of the lower extremities are a common disease.
Symptoms of varicose veins vary from an aesthetic defect of the lower extremities to pronounced venous nodes with pain and trophic disorders in the tissues of the legs.
Medicinal properties of chestnut
The healing properties of horse chestnut for varicose veins are due to its composition. Due to the presence of escin, a triterpene saponin, horse chestnut fruit can be used to thin the blood. They also contain other useful substances: esculin, which belongs to a number of coumarins, kaempferol from the group of flavonoids, tannins, rutin. Read more in the article “Chestnut fruits. Description, application, medicinal properties and contraindications.”
Thanks to the active substances, the use of horse chestnut for the feet has a whole range of beneficial effects:
- activates metabolic processes;
- relieves inflammation, swelling and heaviness from the legs;
- strengthens the walls of blood vessels;
- reduces capillary permeability;
- expands the lumen of blood vessels;
- prevents the formation of cholesterol plaques;
- promotes the resorption of blood clots;
- accelerates the healing of trophic ulcers;
- prevents the occurrence of rosacea.
These same properties make it possible to use horse chestnut fruits in the treatment of hemorrhoids.
According to numerous reviews, horse chestnut for varicose veins in 85% of cases has a noticeable effect after 2 weeks of use.
Buy chestnut (fruit) on our website
Important!
The fruits of horse chestnut for varicose veins will have an effective effect only in the initial stages of the disease. In advanced cases, they can only alleviate the general condition.
The plant is also effective for other diseases. For example, the fruits of horse chestnut in the treatment of sinusitis will clear the sinuses and make breathing easier, and the use of horse chestnut for men will help get rid of prostatitis and prostate adenoma.
Manifestation of varicose veins on the legs
The concept of varicose veins (varicose veins) in medicine refers to a long-term pathological process accompanied by expansion of the vein lumens. The valves, thanks to which the venous system “starts”, do not work fully, and the blood rises with difficulty.
This condition impedes the outflow of venous blood, which gradually accumulates in the leg area. There is a reverse outflow, stagnation, a dangerous painful condition is accompanied by unpleasant symptoms.
Many people, speaking about varicose veins on the legs, immediately imagine the following picture: the veins are dilated, swollen, and protrude upward on the surface of the body. The veins themselves have a bluish tint, from light blue to almost black. The legs hurt a lot, it’s hard to walk, the lower leg and foot swell, any movement of the lower limbs causes severe discomfort.
A similar picture is possible only in advanced stages of the pathology, and the initial manifestation of varicose veins is as follows:
- In the first stages of pathology development, patients observe cosmetic disturbances in the structure of the skin of the legs.
- The second stage of the disease is characterized by nighttime cramps; during the day, heaviness and fatigue of the legs are felt. The veins begin to burst and gradually appear blue.
- Over time, the lower legs and feet begin to swell, the skin becomes denser, and the subcutaneous tissue becomes covered with pigmentation.
- Ulcers form and tissue trophism is disrupted.
This condition is complemented by the following symptoms:
- telangiectasia develops - spider veins form;
- the veins expand, lengthen, gradually bend and bulge upward;
- Initially, excessive dryness of the skin of the legs appears, pigmentation gradually appears, dermatitis, eczema, and trophic ulcers begin.
This pathology provokes severe pain, and the more advanced the disease, the more frequent and severe the attacks of pain. Therefore, someone complains of throbbing pain when moving the limbs, slight aches, severe itching of the skin, night cramps, heaviness, and distension. Someone feels severe pain in the veins themselves. Unfortunately, the initial manifestations of varicose veins are very similar to the symptoms of other leg diseases, so it is often difficult to diagnose varicose veins at an earlier stage of development.
Note! Lack of treatment for varicose veins on the legs leads to the fact that by the age of 40 a person can become disabled.
Treatment of varicose veins with chestnut alcohol tincture
To prepare a tincture for oral administration, peel 100 grams of fruit and chop it. Place the resulting slurry in a glass jar, pour a glass of alcohol and leave for 2 weeks to infuse in the dark. Drink chestnut for varicose veins in alcohol three times a day, 30 drops, diluting with water.
Alcohol can be replaced with vodka. In this case, proceed similarly to the previous chestnut recipe for varicose veins, but increase the amount of vodka to a liter.
Alcohol tincture can also be used externally. According to the recipe for rubbing chestnuts against varicose veins, 100 grams of the fruit is poured with 300 milliliters of vodka and left for 14 days. The prepared tincture is rubbed onto the thighs, legs and ankles. You can also use the product as a compress. The duration of treatment for varicose veins with horse chestnut is a month. After 2 weeks, if necessary, therapy can be repeated. On our website you can find other recipes for chestnut fruit infusions, as well as read reviews about chestnut fruits.
Important!
You should not collect medicinal raw materials yourself. If the collection and drying rules are not followed, it will not have the desired effect. It is better to buy already prepared raw materials: prices for chestnut fruits are quite affordable.
A little about the disease
Prolonged standing on your feet, a sedentary lifestyle, endocrine diseases, poor diet, bad habits, excess weight, and pregnancy contribute to the formation of disturbances in the venous vessels.
Varicose veins
Great importance is given to heredity. If one of the parents had varicose veins, then pathological changes in the vessels in the form of weakness of the vascular wall and disruption of the valvular system of blood vessels will most likely occur in children.
Blood through the veins returns from the legs to the heart against the force of gravity. The valve apparatus contributes to this. An increase in the diameter of the superficial venous vessels of the lower extremities with a large volume of blood leads to insufficient closure of the valve leaflets in the veins.
This leads to a pathological return of blood to the vessels of the lower extremities and even greater accumulation of it. The result of this is the formation of wide veins, varicose veins, swelling of the legs, and pain. In addition, impaired blood supply leads to impaired tissue nutrition and trophic ulcers.
Therapeutic and surgical methods are used in the treatment of this disease. Moreover, surgical intervention is more effective in the stage of pronounced changes.
In order to improve the condition of blood vessels, relieve pain and avoid surgical intervention, various methods have been used since ancient times. Some were rejected, some were questioned. But others turned out to be most effective.
Horse chestnut has also shown itself to be such a medicinal folk remedy.
Horse chestnut ointment
Ointments based on chestnut fruits can relieve inflammation and swelling of the legs and eliminate rosacea.
Recipe 1
Peel and chop a glass of chestnut kernels. Melt 2 tbsp in a water bath. l. pork fat, add kernel pulp and 1 tbsp. l. sea buckthorn oil. Keep the mixture in a water bath for 2 hours. Leave to infuse for an hour.
Recipe 2
Grind 7 chestnut kernels and add half a liter of any vegetable oil. Place in a water bath for 2 hours.
Chestnut ointments for varicose veins should be stored in the refrigerator. It will harden, but when applied to the body it will quickly melt. The ointment is rubbed into problem areas several times a day, after which it is recommended to massage them.
Healing ingredients
Horse chestnut contains many valuable medicinal substances. These are flavonoids, tannins, vitamins, saponins, coumarin, astralagin... All of them have a healing effect in the treatment of varicose veins. Esculin and escin are especially in demand.
Escin is relevant in the treatment of varicose veins, as it has a reparative effect on blood vessels, improving their properties and increasing tone. It has a blood thinning effect, preventing the formation of blood clots. In addition, it promotes the formation of antithrombin.
It is typical for the treatment of varicose veins to relieve the inflammatory response, pain, and tissue swelling.
In the preparation of chestnut-based medicines for varicose veins, the fruits of the plant, its foliage, and flowers are also used.
Chestnuts with skins are harvested in the fall during their ripening season; leaves and flowers are recommended to be prepared in the spring.
Foot cream with chestnut
At home, you can also prepare foot cream with chestnut for varicose veins. To do this, grind 30 grams of horse chestnut kernels, 10 grams of sage, 20 grams of wormwood and 10 grams of white acacia flowers. Add 1 tbsp. l. corn or potato starch and 200 grams of melted chicken fat. Place in a water bath for 2-3 hours. Then remove from heat and leave for 12 hours. After this, bring to a boil again, strain and cool.
Store the cream in the refrigerator. Use it before bed.
When to collect and how to prepare
ATTENTION
! It is very important to carry out the collection and subsequent preparation of the material according to the rules, as this allows you to increase the effectiveness of the finished drugs significantly.
It is recommended to harvest chestnuts only when the fruits have become round, large in size and have begun to ripen. Leaves and flowers are stored in the spring when the trees bloom, since it is at this time that they contain the most beneficial properties.
To make healing ointments, decoctions, and tinctures to combat varicose veins from horse chestnut, you can use almost all parts of this plant (fruit, its peel, leaves, flowers and tree bark).
Many recipes call for peeling the green skin off the chestnut. This is not difficult to do; an ordinary knife is used for this.
To obtain a pulp from fruit seeds, you need to grind them in a meat grinder. To obtain a more uniform consistency, the resulting mixture is passed through a meat grinder again or all particles are thoroughly ground in a mortar.
If drying is required, it is carried out within a month. During this period, the drying particles must be stirred to prevent the formation of mold.
The fruits and flowers of the tree are dried indoors.
Gel with chestnut
Chestnut gel for varicose veins will help relieve fatigue and heaviness from your legs and relieve pain. To prepare it, chop the horse chestnut kernels well and dry them. Then cut the black bread into thin slices. Spread camphor oil on them and sprinkle with chestnut powder. Apply the slices to painful areas at night, securing them with a cloth or a thick bandage.
Important!
Make sure that the “sandwiches” you prepare are not eaten by animals or children - this can cause severe poisoning.
How to treat swelling of the legs with varicose veins with folk remedies
Remember: not a single folk remedy, no matter how much it promises, can cure varicose veins. However, a few recipes will help you feel better.
First of all, this is the use of plants that have a diuretic effect. For example, you can make an infusion from young birch leaves. Or take whole parsley (along with the root), grind it in a meat grinder and pour boiling water over it. The strained infusion can be drunk.
Offers traditional medicine and foot bath recipes. For example, they can be made with the addition of sea salt and peppermint. Schisandra, chamomile and nettle tone the blood vessels of the legs, which can also be used to make baths.
Contraindications
The medicinal properties of chestnut will not benefit everyone. The fact is that even with external use of products based on these fruits, the active substances quickly enter the blood and spread throughout the body. Therefore, chestnuts should not be used to treat varicose veins if:
- individual intolerance;
- low blood pressure;
- renal failure;
- pregnancy and lactation.
Is this treatment effective?
The chestnut is a tree well known to everyone. In autumn, huge quantities of ripe fruits falling out of their green skins are scattered around the tree. In spring, this is one of the most profusely flowering trees in our latitude.
The properties of chestnut as a remedy aimed at treating varicose veins are as follows:
Horse chestnut affects the walls of blood vessels, making them more elastic, correcting their permeability. Moreover, it affects both large veins and small microcirculation vessels.- Activates blood flow in the vessels, thereby eliminating blood stagnation in them. The risk of thrombosis is reduced.
- Has an anti-inflammatory effect. This explains the reduction in the severity of swelling in the legs and pain relief.
Pharmacy drugs
Horse chestnut has a tremendous healing effect in the fight against varicose veins. It is for this reason that it is used in the production of pharmacological agents that are designed to eliminate this pathology. The most popular of them are:
- Gel Venitan.
- Aescusan.
- Escisan.
- Rectactive.
- Herbion Esculus.
These products are designed to help correct blood circulation and keep veins toned.
It is worth noting that these medications will not completely eliminate the disease if a blood clot has already formed in the vein, but they will improve the patient’s overall condition. In addition, they can be used as a preventive measure.
The use of one or another method in the fight against varicose veins should be agreed with a doctor. It is recommended to take care of the health of your feet from a young age and prevent thrombophlebitis from developing.
