Horse Chestnut
Parts Usually Used
Nuts, leaves, flowers, bark
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Grows to 100 ft. in height. Has 5-7 toothed leaflets per leaf; up to 12 inches long; without stalks. Buds are large and very sticky. Broken twigs do not have foul-smelling odor as the Ohio Buckeye has. Flowers are white (mottled red and yellow); flowering in May. Fruits are spiny or warty; produced in September-October.
Where Found
Planted in towns, horsechestnut is naturalized in the United States.
Medicinal Properties
Tonic, stimulant, narcotic, astringent, anti-inflammatory, nutritive, febrifuge, expectorant
Biochemical Information
The seeds contain various saponins including aescine, tannins, flavones, purines, starch, sugar, albumin, and a fatty oil. The bark contains coumarins, glycoside, resin and pigment.
Legends, Myths and Stories
The name is derived from a famous Taoist priest, Chang T’ien-shih, who lived in Ts’ing-ch’en. Because of the high tannin content in horse-chestnuts, they must be shelled, crushed and leached overnight in cold water before they can be used. They are then strained and boiled for half an hour. The meal from the nuts is dried and used as medicine for humans or fodder for animals. The green outer casing of the fruit is poisonous and narcotic but the toxic principles appear to be neutralized by preroasting.
Another chestnut tree (Castanea dentata) is also called horse-chestnut. It is not the horse-chestnut reported on here.
Uses
Historically, herbalists utilized horse chestnut seeds for conditions such as lymphedema, poor circulation, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, and chilblains. Traditional European practitioners prepared the seeds with the intention of addressing thrombosis, rheumatism, neuralgia, burns, weak blood vessels, bronchitis, and digestive complaints such as diarrhea, gastritis, and gastroenteritis.
Roasted and peeled nuts were brewed for prostate ailments. Herbal traditions also employed the leaves, which were considered tonic and sedative, preparing them as teas to induce sleep or to manage fevers and colds. Topical applications of the leaf were historically used for skin ulcers, while extracts of the fruit were applied to shield against sunburn. Additionally, local Native American traditions utilized the related California buckeye (Aesculus californica) to address toothaches and rheumatic aches.
How Sold
Horse chestnut extract can be purchased as supplements, powder and topical cream.
Warning
This herb is potentially fatal. Could cause death or other serious consequences. Although horse-chestnut has been found to be safe and helpful for some people under the guidance and care of trained clinicians, we do not recommend its use for self-diagnosis and treatment. However, the extract from horse chestnut seeds removes the toxic constituents, making it much safer for medicinal use.
Care should be taken to follow instructions exactly. Horse chestnut should never be used by pregnant or lactating women. Toxic symptoms include gasteoenteritis, enlarged pupils, drowsiness, and flushing of the skin. Outer husks are poisonous. All parts can be toxic. Fatalities have been reported. Seeds (nuts) contain 30%-60% starch, but can be used as a foodstuff only after the toxins have been removed.
Professional care is essential with this herb.
Bibliography
Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000 Chinese Medicinal Herbs , compiled by Shih-Chen Li, Georgetown Press, San Francisco, California, 1973. The Magic of Herbs , by David Conway, published by Jonathan Cape, Thirty Bedford Square, London, England. , Simon & Schuster/Fireside, Rockefeller Center 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 The Nature Doctor: A Manual of Traditional and Complementary Medicine , by Dr.
A. , 27 Pine Street (Box 876) New Canaan, CT. 06840-0876. Copyright Verlag A. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Copyright 1988, published 1992