April 28, 1999 – Good news for people with varicose veins: A review of published studies on horse chestnut extract (Aesculus hippocastanum) demonstrates that it is as, if not more effective than treatment with O- (ß-hydroxyethyl) -rutosides, a mixture of flavonoid glucosides derived from buckwheat and other plants, which is used to improve hair function.
The extract taken from the seed of the horse chestnut tree, a tree found in all temperate zones around the world, is commonly used in Germany to treat people with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). People who suffer from CVI often complain of heaviness in the legs, caused by edema (water retention) and inflammation of the veins. The study published in Archives of Dermatology analyzed the results of 13 clinical studies that compared all the effects of horse chestnut extracts with a placebo or with a standard medication.
In the eight placebo-controlled studies, subjects took one capsule of horse chestnut extract twice daily, standardized between 50 and 75 mg of aescin, for periods varying between 20 days and two months. The results taken as a whole show that horse chestnut has markedly reduced edema of the lower leg. At the end of the studies, the subjects reported a decrease in pain, fatigue and itching in the legs. Positive results appeared within two weeks in several of the studies and continued for at least six weeks after the research ended.
In the five comparative studies, horse chestnut was shown to be as effective as the treatment of O- (ß-hydroxyethyl) -rutosides. Between 1% and 3% of subjects reported side effects such as poor digestion, dizziness, nausea, headache and itching, side effects that compared significantly to side effects of common symptomatic treatments.
Among the main constituents of horse chestnut, there are triterpene saponids called aescin, which studies in vitro have demonstrated the ability to protect the integrity of veins and capillaries by inhibiting the enzymes elastase and hyaluronidase. Horse chestnut may also reduce the levels of leukocytes and proteoglycan hydrolases, which are especially high in limbs affected by CVI. Laboratory studies on animals have already shown that horse chestnut increases venous pressure and circulation, but these results remain to be confirmed in humans.
HealthPassport.net
Pitler MH, Ernst E. Horse-chestnut seed extract for chronic venous insufficiency: a criteria-based systematic review. Arch Dermatol 1998; 134: 1356-1360.
According to Herbal Gram, 1999; 45: 22-23.
