Horse Chestnut: Medicinal Plant of the Year 2008
The horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) is anything but ordinary. The tree has a long history as a medicinal and useful plant, and today its seeds are mainly used to treat chronic vein problems. The Würzburg study group “Development History of Medicinal Herbs” therefore chose the horse chestnut as medicinal plant of the year 2008. Children love them, for many adults they are the epitome of autumn alongside the colorful leaves: the smooth, shimmering brown chestnuts that dare to emerge from their green bed of thorns and roll down streets and paths in their thousands.
No drastic cure
But the unusual seeds of the horse chestnut offer more than fun with games and handicrafts: They contain aescin, a group of active ingredients that seal blood vessels and whose effect has been scientifically well studied. On top of that, the power pack also contains a number of other substances such as flavonoids , tannins and coumarin derivatives that contribute to the health-promoting effect.
In addition to the chestnuts, the leaves and sometimes the bark and blossoms were also used medicinally in folk medicine. The horse chestnut not only has a vascular-sealing and vein-strengthening effect, but also an anti-inflammatory, decongestant and blood circulation-promoting effect.
The extract from the seeds is mainly used because of its aescin content and its effect on the blood vessels. The sealing means that less fluid escapes from the veins into the surrounding tissue and the feeling of heaviness and edema (“water in the legs”) typical of venous disorders is reduced.
The common horse chestnut is used internally and externally: for varicose veins , swollen legs, a tendency to cramps in the calves , leg pain and haemorrhoids . Preparations are available in the form of ointments, tablets, dragees and capsules, tinctures, as well as bath additives and shampoos.
History of the medicinal plant
The horse chestnut has an eventful history. Tens of thousands of years ago it was found throughout Europe, but then retreated to the low mountain ranges of Greece, Macedonia and Albania during the last Ice Age. About 450 years ago the tree was brought back to Western Europe, among others by the Ottomans, who used chestnuts as horse feed and medicine. This is probably where the name comes from – to distinguish it from the sweet chestnut, which was already known at the time and was also edible for humans. The horse chestnut with the large finger-shaped leaves quickly became a tree in princely parks and avenues, and later became a trademark of public parks and beer gardens.
If you consider that the trees can be several hundred years old, their new life with us is still quite young. Unfortunately, it doesn’t threaten to get very old either – the miner moth is gradually killing it off. This pest has chosen the horse chestnut as its favorite food, its larvae eat the leaves, which therefore already feel like autumn in summer. The premature fall weakens the tree permanently and leads to its death.
The horse chestnut was first systematically examined for its medicinal properties at the end of the 19th century – the first thing that was scientifically proven was its effectiveness in hemorrhoids.