The common horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) is anything but ordinary. The tree has a long history as a medicinal and useful plant, and its seeds are used today primarily for chronic venous disorders. The Würzburg study group “History of the development of medicinal plant science” has therefore chosen the horse chestnut as medicinal plant of the year 2008. Children love them, and for many adults, along with the colorful leaves, they are the epitome of autumn: the smooth, brown-shimmering chestnuts that venture out of their green bed of thorns and roll along streets and paths by the thousands.
No horse cure
But the unusual seeds of the horse chestnut offer more than just play and crafting fun: they contain aescin, a group of active ingredients that seals blood vessels and whose effects have been well studied scientifically. On top of that, this powerhouse also contains a number of other substances such as flavonoids, tannins and coumarin derivatives, which contribute to the health-promoting effect.
In addition to the chestnuts, the leaves and sometimes the bark and flowers were also used medicinally in folk medicine. The horse chestnut has not only a vascular sealing and vein strengthening effect, but also an anti-inflammatory, decongestant and circulation-promoting effect.
The extract from the seeds is used mainly because of its aescin content and its effect on the vessels. As a result of the sealing, less fluid leaks 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, tendency to calf cramps, leg pain and hemorrhoids. Preparations are available in the form of ointments, tablets, dragées and capsules, tinctures, as well as bath additive and shampoo.
History of the medicinal plant
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 in Greece, Macedonia and Albania during the last Ice Age. The tree then returned to Western Europe about 450 years ago, partly through the Ottomans, who used chestnuts as horse feed and medicine. This is probably also where the name comes from – to distinguish it from the sweet chestnut, which was already known at that time and was also edible for humans. The horse chestnut with its large finger-shaped leaves quickly became a tree in princely parks and avenues, and later a trademark of folk parks and beer gardens.
Considering that the trees can live for several hundred years, their new life in our country is still quite young. Unfortunately, it doesn’t threaten to grow very old either – the leaf 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 in summer as if it were autumn. The premature falling weakens the tree in the long run and leads to its death.
The horse chestnut was first systematically studied for its medicinal properties at the end of the 19th century – the first to scientifically prove its effectiveness against hemorrhoids.