Use of horse chestnut for medicinal purposes. Tincture of horse chestnut flowers - application

Many people are familiar with a beautiful flowering tree with a regular crown and large dissected leaves - horse chestnut. The use of its seeds, bark and flowers in folk medicine began several centuries ago. Healers and healers empirically came to the conclusion about the astringent and anti-inflammatory properties of the plant, and prescribed its decoctions and infusions for varicose veins and hemorrhoids. The study of the chemical composition and effects of drugs on the human body allowed specialists to systematize information about medical use this tree species.

Horse chestnut (Aesculus)

Rod Esculus by modern classification belongs to the Sapindaceae family. Almost all trees belonging to this systematic group have high decorative qualities. For example, the common horse chestnut is a tall deciduous tree that blooms in April - June. The flowers have irregular shape, they are white, with red-pink stripes and spots. The pyramidal panicles of another popular species, the meat-red horse chestnut, are a beautiful pink or dark red color. Ripe fruits are round capsules the size of a large nut. They are covered with pointed soft spines. Inside there are large brown seeds (1-2 per box). Fruit ripening time is September-October.

Triumph of a woody plant in medicine

Of all the representatives of the genus Aesculus, the largest medicinal value has Aesculus hippocastanum. This is what the common horse chestnut is called in scientific publications. The use of this plant in veterinary practice has been mentioned since 1556, when the physician P. Andreas Mattioli advised horse owners to feed the fruits of the tree to animals suffering from shortness of breath.

Later it turned out that chestnut is good for human health - it treats diseases caused by various disorders of blood circulation in the body. Around 1866, horse chestnut tincture appeared in European pharmacies. The use of this remedy was recommended by doctors for the following diseases: varicose veins, hemorrhoids, chronic inflammation intestines, gout. Help with skin diseases and rheumatism flowers and leaves (horse chestnut grass). The use of the decoction is external and internal.

Main indications for using the plant

Scientific and practical medicine has finally recognized horse chestnut tincture effective medicine only at the very end of the 19th century, after publications in one of scientific journals France. The main indications for the use of decoctions, infusions and tinctures of horse chestnut have not changed much over 120 years:

• leg ulcers;
• varicose veins;
• chronic digestive disorders;
• muscle inflammation;
• neuralgia;
• haemorrhoids.

Preparation of medicinal raw materials

In folk and official medicine They use the bark, leaves, flowers and fruits of the horse chestnut plant. Application in medicinal purposes implies the correct procurement of raw materials. The bark is removed from branches that have reached the age of 3-5 years during sap flow. Inflorescence panicles are cut off in May (during the flowering period). The raw materials are slightly dried in the sun, the main drying is carried out in the shade.

Leaves are collected in May - September. Early harvesting is preferable, because in summer the tree is attacked by the chestnut moth, the leaves turn yellow, turn brown and become unsuitable for treatment. The fruits are harvested when they are ripe, when the peel begins to turn yellow and crack, and the seeds fall to the ground. The bark, flowers and leaves are laid out in the shade to dry to ensure even drying and preservation. useful substances. Fruits are stored at temperatures up to 25 °C.

Chemical composition

Observed in all parts of the plant high content biologically active substances that have a variety of effects on the human body. Pharmacological activity has contributed to the growing popularity of the horse chestnut plant. Medicinal use is based on the rich chemical composition of flowers, leaves, bark and fruits. The plant contains: catechin tannins, triterpenoids, flavonoids, carotenoids, ascorbic acid and vitamins B1, B2, K, phenols and phenolcarboxylic acids, coumarins, saponins, tannins, aldehydes.
Horse chestnut glycosides:

• esculin, fraxin (coumarins);
• aescins, hypocaesculin (triterpene);
• quercitrin, quercetin and kaempferol (flavonoids).

Flowers are rich in glycosides, sugars, mucilage and pectin compounds. The seeds also contain phytosterols, sugars, saponins, bitter and protein compounds, many fatty oil. In addition to the compounds listed above, the leaves contain rutin, lutein, and violaxanthin. Content of some compounds (%):

• pectin, starch - about 50;
• proteins - 11;
• sugars - 9;
• fatty oil - up to 7;
• tannins - about 0.9.

Horse chestnut flowers: medicinal uses

Biologically active components are contained in flowers and other organs of horse chestnut. They help increase blood flow to the veins and increase their tone. All these properties are very important for the treatment of venous obstruction. A horse chestnut tincture rich in flavonoids and saponins is prepared from the flowers. Application:

• with varicose veins;
• for the treatment and prevention of thrombophlebitis;
• increasing the resistance of the vascular wall and venous tone.

Horse chestnut: use of bark

The glycosides esculin and fraxin present in the raw material are good anticoagulants. Therefore, the bark is used as a hemostatic agent; its decoction helps with hemorrhoidal and uterine bleeding. The drugs have anti-inflammatory, astringent and analgesic properties and are used to treat varicose veins, leg ulcers resulting from spasm. Baths with a decoction or infusion of the bark are useful for neuralgia; these procedures reduce inflammation in the muscle tissue. Take medications orally for chronic colitis, gastritis, diarrhea, chronic bronchitis.

Medicinal properties of horse chestnut fruits

The analgesic, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing properties of chestnut seeds are valued in official and alternative medicine. Prescribed decoctions of fruits and leaves for boils, ulcers and burns. It is used for ulcers as a powder obtained by drying and then grinding horse chestnut fruits. Use of the decoction:

• prepare 10 g of seed powder;
• pour 1 cup of raw material hot water;
• Boil for 30 minutes in a water bath, covered with a lid;
• strain while hot and bring boiled water volume to the original.

You should take 1 tbsp for two or three days. l. of this decoction once a day, then increase the frequency to 2-3 times a day. The duration of taking this medicine for venous insufficiency is 0.5-2 months. For hemorrhoids - no more than 1 month.

Types and forms of medicinal preparations from horse chestnut herb

Back in the mid-twentieth century, the German pharmaceutical industry began producing venotonic horse chestnut preparations. Then the production of oral solutions, ointments and creams with extracts of fruits, flowers and bark of this healing tree was established all over the world. Active substance drugs - glycoside escin. The names of medications often use the Latin term Aesculus.

The pharmaceutical industry produces fruit extract. Release form: oral solution and tablets. The name of the medicine is Escusan. It is produced on the basis of dry extract of the horse chestnut plant. The instructions for use contain a clarification that this is a herbal medicine. Essentially, oral drops are pharmacy tincture horse chestnut Indications:

The main contraindication may be increased sensitivity to the main and auxiliary components: escin, thiamine chloride, ethyl alcohol(as part of drops).

Take the drug orally before meals, 10-15 drops diluted in liquid, or 2-3 tablets. Frequency and duration of administration: 3 times a day for 3 months.

Occasionally you can see horse chestnut oil on the shelves of pharmacies. Application - external - is based on venotonic and lymphatic drainage effects. Prescribed for varicose veins, edema, spider veins. Oil is prepared from fruits and flowers by extraction with other oils. As a result, the final product is enriched with escin, terpenoids, resins, flavonoids, and vitamins. The oil can be used to make home cosmetics, fight cellulite, wrinkles, improve the condition of the skin and blood vessels.

Horse chestnut, whose use is common in folk medicine, is a plant that can strengthen vascular walls capillaries, normalize their tone, dilute the blood. Fruits, leaves, flowers, and tree bark are used for treatment. For medicinal purposes, chestnut flowers are collected during flowering, leaves during the growing season, and for fruits and bark best time autumn. They prepare different medicinal preparations: infusions, decoctions, alcohol tinctures, extracts, ointments, gels, etc.

Originally native to regions of northern India, today this tree grows throughout the world. This tall tree with a branching crown and large leaves reaches a height of up to 30 meters. It can be recognized in the spring by its cone-shaped inflorescences that bloom in the month of May. Fruits and nuts dark brown and gray spots ripen in early autumn.

What are the benefits of horse chestnut?

Horse chestnut owes its healing properties to its chemical composition. He contains:

Glycosides;

Saponins;

Coumarins;

Flavonoids;

Fixed oils;

Of the vitamins, it contains the most vitamin K. Vitamin C and thiamine are present.

All these chemical compounds give it properties:

Expectorants;

Tonic;

Stimulating;

Antipyretics;

Anti-inflammatory;

Sedatives.

Horse chestnut leaves have pronounced sedative properties. A glass of tea brewed with leaves can provide deep restful sleep. However, you should not take it often, since it still has tonic properties.

The presence of vitamin K makes it useful for people suffering from poor circulation, varicose veins, and frostbite.

Roasted nuts are traditionally used for diarrhea, illnesses prostate gland. Preparations from the fruit can help with thrombosis, rheumatism, neuralgia, burns, and strengthen veins and arteries.

Chestnut is used for bronchitis, gastritis, gastroenteritis. Tea with leaves is drunk for fever, colds, dysentery, malaria, as a poultice - for lupus and skin ulcers. Liquid extract helps with sunburn.

Although it is considered poisonous, the unripe fruits are used for rheumatic pain and toothache.

It is useful for fatigue, all types of physical pain, and quickly reduces swelling in the legs.

Its powerful astringent properties, along with anti-inflammatory ones, effectively improve the tone of the vein walls, which become weak over time, which leads to varicose veins. Chestnut can improve capillary permeability.

The astringent effect effectively helps in the treatment of malaria, diarrhea, diseases of the spleen, uterine bleeding, normalizes acidity gastric juice and secretory activity of the gallbladder

Horse chestnut use in folk medicine

For medicinal purposes in folk medicine, all parts of the plant are used: flowers, leaves, bark, fruits (the outer shell and the nuts themselves). It is used to treat many diseases, it relieves inflammation and swelling, and relieves pain. Particularly popular are alcohol tinctures made from the fruits and flowers of the plant.

In folk medicine, horse chestnut is used for:

Varicose veins;

Hemorrhoids;

Sinusitis;

Cold;

Rheumatism;

Skin diseases: ulcers, burns, frostbite, eczema, etc.

Infusions, decoctions, and ointments are prepared from it. Its best known use is in the treatment of varicose veins. The compounds present in it inhibit the enzyme hyaluronidase and reduce the permeability of veins, as a result of which venous fragility is reduced.

Horse chestnut leaves uses

Horse chestnut leaves contain glycosides, pectins, tannins, vitamin K. As remedy Decoctions and infusions are prepared from them, which are used for internal bleeding.

Leaves are harvested from May to September. Dry them in the shade in the attic or under a canopy, spreading them out in a thin layer. Properly dried leaves should have green color and have a pleasant smell.

Horse chestnut flowers

Chestnut flowers are used for many diseases. Decoctions, infusions, and alcohol tinctures are prepared from them. Used for treatment:

Endarteritis;

Hemorrhoids;

Ulcers on the feet;

Prostate adenomas;

Prostatitis;

Mastopathy;

Brain tumors.

Preparations are used on flowers for radiation therapy. They contain substances that are capable of restoring the amount of protein in the blood.

Horse chestnut extract

Horse chestnut extract contains estin, which helps relieve tired legs during treatment varicose veins veins In addition, it contains triterpenesaponins, which give it anti-inflammatory properties and improve venous tone. The extract is taken to lower cholesterol and normalize blood pressure.

Horse chestnut recipes for use in folk medicine

Horse chestnut preparations can be taken orally and used to treat external lesions. You can make many home remedies based on it.

Ointment and oil based on horse chestnut can be used for skin lesions, to strengthen the walls of blood vessels, maintain the tone of the veins. They are prepared on the basis of vegetable oils and fat. Sometimes homemade cream is used. In this case, the drugs must be stored in the refrigerator.

Horse chestnut ointment

To prepare an ointment from seeds, you should take 50 grams of peeled and crushed seeds, pour in 250 grams of pre-melted lard and add 250 grams badger fat. This entire mixture must be placed on the stove and brought to a boil. Then simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Cool and strain into a clean container. The ointment is ready.

Horse chestnut oil

To prepare horse chestnut oil, take 5 pieces of nuts (they can be crushed for better extraction of beneficial substances) or 5 tablespoons of dried flowers. Pour 500 ml of them vegetable oil and put on water bath. Simmer for about one hour. Then cool and strain.

Infusion based on horse chestnut bark

To prepare the infusion, brew 1 teaspoon of crushed bark with 400 ml of boiling water (preferably in a thermos) and leave overnight or for at least 8 hours. Strain and drink 2 tablespoons four times a day.

Bark decoction

To prepare a decoction, brew 50 grams of measles (crushed) with 1 liter of boiling water and simmer at low boil for another 15 minutes. Leave overnight (at least 8 hours) and strain. Use the strained broth for baths and baths.

Decoction of chestnut branches

To prepare the decoction, take 50 grams of chopped twigs and brew with 1 liter of boiling water. Leave and strain. It is useful to add water pepper tincture to the infusion.

These decoctions are used for bleeding hemorrhoids, to restore strength after long-term intestinal disorders, skin lesions. Take baths for bleeding at room temperature water, at skin diseases– at 35-37 degrees for 5 to 15 minutes.

Decoction on flowers

To prepare the infusion, brew 1 tablespoon of inflorescences (dried) with a glass of boiling water (200 ml). Place over low heat and bring to a boil. Remove and, wrapped, leave for 6-8 hours. Drink the resulting decoction per day from 1 to 1.5 liters.

Flower tincture

To prepare the tincture, take flowers and vodka in a ratio of 1:10 (i.e., 500 ml of vodka per 50 grams of raw material). The flowers are filled with vodka and the container is placed in dark place. Leave for 2-3 weeks, shaking occasionally.

The finished tincture is filtered through several layers of gauze or bandage. Drink 30-40 drops three to four times during the day.

Chestnut nut peel decoction

To prepare the decoction, take 5 grams of crushed seeds (or seed peels) and pour a glass of boiling water. The solution must be boiled for 15 minutes. Should be taken orally, a tablespoon, three times a day.

Chestnut fruit infusion

Crush two fruits and brew 200 ml of boiling water in a thermos. Leave for two hours and filter. Take the infusion 2 tablespoons up to 5 times a day.

This infusion helps with diarrhea, kidney disease, and colds of the upper respiratory tract.

Horse chestnut tincture

To prepare a tincture of horse chestnut and alcohol, you should remove the prickly shell and brown skin from the fruit. Next, you need to cut the seeds and use a meat grinder (blender) to grind them to a pasty state. The resulting mixture should be poured with a liter of vodka. Infuse for a week in a dark and cool place, shaking occasionally. The finished tincture is taken diluted with water, in the amount of 15 drops, three times a day.

Decoction to improve potency

Brew the green skins of two chestnut fruits with a glass of hot water. Place on the stove and simmer at low simmer for 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature and drink 100 ml morning and evening.

Horse chestnut for joint diseases

Preparations based on horse chestnut are used for gout, osteochondrosis, arthritis, and rheumatism. All these diseases in modern world They become younger every year and affect not only people in old age, but also those who are fully able to work. They cause pain and discomfort when moving, limiting joint mobility. Basically, in the treatment of such diseases, alcohol or vodka tincture is used.

To prepare the tincture, take about 1 kg of chestnut fruit (more is possible). The fruits are crushed using a blender or meat grinder. You can use a coffee grinder, but not a screw grinder.

The prepared raw materials are placed in a jar and filled with 1 liter of vodka. Place the container in a dark place and leave for 14 days, shaking occasionally.

The finished tincture is filtered through several layers of gauze and stored in a cool, dark place.

You need to take 40 drops diluted with water after each meal. The same tincture is rubbed on sore joints.

Warm cakes with nut flour and clay help to get rid of pain caused by inflammation of the joints. To prepare the flatbread, grind a few chestnuts and make a flatbread by adding clay. You can use any clay. As a rule, black clay or Dead Sea clay is used.

Horse chestnut use for hemorrhoids

For hemorrhoids, which are accompanied by cracks and bleeding, it is recommended to take sitz baths at room temperature with decoctions of chestnut bark or branches. Traditional healers also recommend chewing fresh nuts after removing the outer shell.

In addition, you can drink next decoction. To prepare it, prepare a mixture by taking 5 parts of chestnut bark, 2 parts of sage herb, 3 parts of chamomile and 3 parts of chestnut fruits crushed together with the shell. This mixture is brewed with 1 liter of boiling water and placed on low heat. Keep at low boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit overnight. Then strain and use for sitz baths.

Such baths relieve irritation and itching in anus, swelling caused by the swelling of veins, improve healing and tissue regeneration. The course of treatment is 10 days.

Horse chestnut in the treatment of cancer

In folk medicine it is used to treat oncology. For this disease, prepare an infusion by taking 1 tablespoon of chestnut flowers per 200 ml of water. The infusion requires 1.5 liters per day, which is drunk in small sips throughout the day.

It is prepared as follows: the raw material is poured with boiling water and left to infuse for 8 hours. Then filter.

This treatment is not recognized by official medicine. Therefore it can only be like concomitant treatment to the main course prescribed by the doctor. Take strictly after consultation with your doctor.

Horse chestnut for weight loss

Horse chestnut helps remove toxins and waste from the body, accelerates metabolic processes. When losing weight, prepare kvass from nuts. To prepare it, 25 pieces of fruit are cut into two parts and placed in a linen bag and placed in a three-liter jar.

Add 1 glass of sugar and 100 grams of whey. Pour in 2.5 liters of boiled and cooled water.

Place the jar in a warm, dark place. You can simply cover the jar with a cloth. Keep for 14 days.

Drink 1 glass of kvass twice a day. The course of treatment is 1 month.

Water and a tablespoon of sugar are again added to the remaining wort. every 2 weeks add 4 or more new chestnut fruits. In a day, the new kvass will be ready.

Horse chestnut in cosmetology

Found a horse chestnut wide application in home skin and hair care products. Rich useful composition relieves skin inflammation caused by for various reasons, enriches her useful minerals and vitamins, prevents premature aging.

Homemade skin whitening cream

To prepare it, take 5 tablespoons of the plant’s flowers and add a small amount of vegetable oil (preferably olive oil). Heat for half an hour in a water bath and leave until the oil cools. Filter and store in a container with a lid. Use instead of cream.

To rinse hair, make infusions and decoctions of chestnut fruits and flowers. They help strengthen hair follicles, improve growth and give hair shine, help cope with dandruff and relieve itching of the scalp.

For men, you can make homemade aftershave lotion by infusing horse chestnut with triple cologne. This lotion relieves irritation after shaving and cleanses pores well.

Side effects and contraindications

To avoid unpleasant side effects, all preparations based on horse chestnut should be taken strictly in recommended doses.

Use should be avoided by people suffering from liver or kidney disease.

It is contraindicated during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Treatment should not be given to people who suffer from bleeding. All parts of the plant contain coumarins, which thin the blood. For this reason, it is prohibited to take at the same time as taking blood thinners. medicines.

Sometimes some people may experience allergic reaction on the skin after topical application.

Any treatment based on horse chestnut must be agreed with a doctor, and in some cases carried out strictly under his supervision.

Video about the medicinal properties of horse chestnut

Almost every plant that is found in the vastness of our country has medicinal qualities. Herbs, flowers, shrubs, and even large trees can benefit our health. A variety of medicines are prepared from such plants, and many of them can be freely purchased at pharmacies. One of the famous medicinal crops is horse chestnut - a large deciduous tree that gives beautiful flowers. The topic of our conversation today will be chestnut flowers, medicinal properties and the contraindications of which we will discuss, consider how to prepare based on them most useful tincture, let's discuss its application.

Medicinal properties of chestnut flowers

The beneficial qualities of horse chestnut flowers are due to their richness chemical composition. Such plant raw materials are a source of kaempferoglycoside and other flavone glycosides, represented by rutin and quercetin. Horse chestnut flowers also contain a triterpene saponin, escin. They are rich in choline, sugars and tannins. All these components determine medicinal qualities such raw materials, providing an active healing effect.

Medicinal properties of chestnut flower tincture

Chestnut flower tincture is most often used as a component complex treatment varicose veins, as well as spider veins on skin. In addition, it is customary to use it for blood purification and for its effective liquefaction.

Tincture of leather chestnut flowers has a persistent venotropic effect. It heals veins and blood vessels, and also has a positive effect on the condition of capillaries. Rutin, found in horse chestnut flowers, remarkably strengthens the walls of all blood vessels, eliminating their fragility and fragility. In addition, a tincture based on them cleanses the blood and helps restore its protein structure, while simultaneously reducing clotting.

Among other things, tincture of horse chestnut flowers can be used for therapy various forms leukemia, as well as radiation sickness. It is also used in therapy fibrocystic mastopathy, tumor lesions of the brain and cardiovascular diseases. Chestnut flowers have a positive effect on the state of lymph.

Alcohol tincture based on such plant materials will be especially useful for patients with cancer who have undergone chemotherapy and radiation procedures. In this case, it is used as a blood and lymph cleanser. This medicine will also help patients who have had surgery about breast cancer. It prevents the occurrence of lymphostasis quite well.

Chestnut flower tincture copes well with arthritic and rheumatic pain. It is used to rub into the affected areas and taken orally.

Also, such a drug can be used for the treatment of endarteritis, hemorrhoids, leg ulcers and vein lesions caused by various injuries. Preparations based on chestnut flowers also help cope with prostate adenoma and prostatitis.

Chestnut flowers (tincture): use for treatment

For achievement therapeutic effect you need to take thirty to forty drops of alcohol tincture based on chestnut flowers, dissolving them in fifty to one hundred milliliters of water. This medicine It is recommended to drink three times a day shortly before meals. The duration of such therapy is two months. Then take a break for two weeks and repeat taking the tincture again.
Depending on the complexity and degree of neglect of the disease, several courses of treatment may be carried out in a row.

Does a tincture based on chestnut flowers have any contraindications for use?

A tincture based on horse chestnut flowers cannot be used to treat patients who are pregnant and carrying out breast-feeding. This medicine is also contraindicated in severe hypotension and reduced blood viscosity. Among other things, its use can cause reactions of individual intolerance (allergy), which makes the use of tincture based on horse chestnut flowers impossible.

How to prepare a tincture based on chestnut flowers?

To prepare such a medicine, you need to prepare one hundred grams of dried chestnut flowers. Fill them with a liter of alcohol and leave to infuse for one and a half to two weeks. It is best to prepare such a product in a fairly dark and at the same time dry place. Strain the finished tincture through cheesecloth and squeeze out the plant material.

How else can horse chestnut flowers be used?

You can also prepare an infusion based on horse chestnut flowers. For this purpose, you need to prepare a tablespoon of dried plant material. Brew it with two hundred milliliters of water and bring to a boil. Set the broth aside and leave for six to eight hours. Strain the finished medicine and drink in small sips throughout the day. You can take one to one and a half liters of this drink per day.

Patients with different types For varicose veins, you can also use juice obtained from chestnut flowers. To prepare such a remedy, you only need to grind the flowers themselves (without the candle columns) using a meat grinder. Squeeze the juice from the resulting mass and combine with alcohol, maintaining an equal ratio. Take a teaspoon three times a day immediately before meals.

Other medicines based on chestnut flowers have all the same contraindications as the tincture.

Equine are no less important reason its distribution rather than the quality of the tree. In view of this, in the article below we will study in detail horse chestnut, its medicinal properties and contraindications.

Medicinal properties of chestnut

The medicinal properties of horse chestnut cover a large number of diseases. First of all, the tree is valued for its ability to influence the protein composition of the blood, thereby preventing the formation of blood clots.

In addition, thanks to taking medicines from chestnut, the walls of blood vessels are strengthened, and the main blood arteries become wider, which again helps to avoid thrombosis. Treatment with horse chestnut shown when:

• high blood pressure;
• capillary hemorrhages (often there's blood coming out from the nose);
• hemorrhagic diathesis;
• varicose veins;
• ulcers on the legs;
• hemorrhoids.

Did you know? In France, roasted chestnuts are one of the culinary delicacies. However, horse chestnut fruits are not used for this purpose, since they contain a large amount of bitter glycosides, which makes the taste very unpleasant. But in agriculture The fruits are often used as animal feed.

Even the peel has medicinal properties - it is used in gynecology. It is recommended to use a decoction prepared from it for douching, which helps with leucorrhoea. Chestnut decoctions can even stop uterine bleeding. For men, fruit peels help relieve inflammation in the prostate gland.

The properties of horse chestnut are determined by its chemical composition. In particular, his seeds contain:

• 10% saponins, thanks to which it enhances natural process hemolysis (destruction) of red blood cells, and the release of hemoglobin from them;
• about 6% fatty oil;
• 49.5% starch;
• up to 10% proteins;
• flavonoids, which improve vascular elasticity;
• vitamins C, B and K.

The leaves also contain flavonoids and tannins. In addition, they are valuable for the presence of rutin, which reduces capillary fragility and reduces the intensity of blood clotting, and carotenoids - natural antioxidants, which also increase human immune resistance.

Horse chestnut flowers are rich in rutin and flavonoids, as well as pectins, which normalize metabolism and promote the elimination of cholesterol.

When and how to collect chestnuts

To healing properties manifested itself in full force, it is necessary to prepare it correctly. Since in folk medicine not only the seeds of this tree are used, but also its bark, flowers and even leaves, we will consider the method and time of their preparation in more detail.

Important! For workpiece medicinal raw materials horse chestnut, only those species that have White color inflorescences.

Bark

The bark does not have as many medicinal properties as the fruit, but its effect on the human body should not be underestimated either. The process of harvesting bark is worth starting in early spring, as soon as the juices begin to circulate through the tree. It is better to cut it from young branches, but you should not get carried away so as not to harm the tree.

The collected bark is cut into small pieces and laid out to dry in a dark, well-ventilated place. Dry bark is best stored in bags made of linen, cotton or durable paper. However, they should not be stored for more than two years, since natural reasons the bark may begin to rot and change its chemical composition.

Flowers

Flowers are harvested at the very beginning of flowering. At the same time, you should not completely tear off the entire inflorescence - just remove the flowers themselves with petals and stamens from it. You need to dry them very carefully, laying them out one at a time. Please note that if the air humidity rises and there is not enough heat, the flowers may rot.

Therefore, if you do not have an ideal place to dry chestnut flowers, you can even use an electric dryer for this purpose.

Did you know? Horse chestnut extract is even used in cosmetology, as it is very effective against severe hair loss. In addition, it can also slow down skin aging by stimulating collagen production.

Leaves

Leaves are also collected during the flowering period of the tree, that is, in May. You only need to pluck the leaves themselves from the tree - you won’t need their petioles. The process of drying leaves is similar to the process of drying flowers. It is better to store them in airtight glass containers so that the leaves do not become damp.

Fruit

In traditional and folk medicine, only well-ripened fruits are valuable. For this reason, they need to be collected closer to autumn or even in September, when the boxes themselves will turn yellow and open, and the fruits will end up on the ground under the tree.

For long-term storage, the fruits should also be dried. If this is not done, they may bloom and rot in a closed container. It is also recommended to dry in a dark and well-ventilated place. If you are interested not in the fruit itself, but in its peel, you can remove it immediately after harvesting the fruit.

Traditional recipes for treating chestnuts

In folk medicine, horse chestnut is used much more actively than in traditional medicine. In particular, decoctions, tinctures and ointments are prepared from it, the concentrations of which vary significantly depending on the disease:

A tall deciduous tree or shrub plant, the height of which in meters reaches 20-25 m. Even the wild species looks very attractive and has large, complex, palmate opposite leaves on elongated petioles, without stipules. The foliage forms a fairly dense and spectacular crown. The buds and buds are often whitish or pink in color.

The shape of the flowers is bell-shaped. The flowers are collected in large, pyramidal in shape, very erect racemes. The plant blooms massively between May and June. Several forms are grown, some of which have a double flower. After flowering, fruits are formed, represented by a tricuspid spiny capsule with an opening sash part.

IN natural conditions the plant is found in southern Europe, northern India and East Asia, as well as in North America. In our country, horse chestnut plantings grow very well, and about thirteen species have been cultivated. Any variety is a very good honey plant, highly decorative throughout the growing season.

origin of name

Horse or horse chestnut has been known since ancient times. Currently, a large number of explanations for the name of this plant are known. Most often it is referred to as the petioles of fallen leaves. A falling leaf leaves a scar on the branches, which appearance resemble a horse's horseshoe. In the second case, it is generally accepted that after over-ripening they acquire the very characteristic color of a bay horse. According to a third opinion, the name is associated with dark brown fruits with a light spot reminiscent of a horse's hoof mark.

Many domestic experts also believe that the name was given to the plant solely in order to be able to distinguish inedible fruits from the harvest of edible plants.

Useful and medicinal properties of horse chestnut

Horse chestnut is very useful for many diseases. For medicinal purposes folk healers and the pharmaceutical industry produces foliage, flowers, bark from branches, seed material, and seed peels. It is best to collect tree and branch bark in May-June, flowers - at the flowering stage, fruits and berries - in August-September. Foliage can be harvested throughout the season.

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Photo gallery

Fruits (seeds) of horse chestnut

The fruits are a real treasure useful components and microelements. They contain a small amount of fat and a large amount of carbohydrates and proteins. The fruits also contain about 60% starch, fiber, approximately 15% sugar, B vitamins and minerals such as iron, sodium, potassium, copper and phosphorus.

Horse chestnut leaves

Like any healing herb,foliage has a number of medicinal properties, which allows the use of drugs based on it in the treatment of various vascular diseases, including varicose veins, thrombophlebitis, increased capillary fragility and various inflammatory processes veins

Plant bark

Decoctions based on the bark, widely used if there is a history of chronic colitis and enterocolitis, as well as difficult to treat diarrhea and gastritis with increased performance acidity of gastric juice. T This remedy also helps get rid of spleen diseases, treats bronchitis and various bleedings.

Chestnut flowers

Flowers are used to prepare decoctions, infusions or alcohol tinctures, which are excellent for treating heart disease, liver problems, pulmonary tuberculosis, shortness of breath, anemia and rheumatism. Alcohol tincture is excellent for the treatment of arthrosis and relief from gouty pain.

Industrial applications of horse chestnut

Durable and high-quality horse chestnut wood is very similar in its basic characteristics to linden wood. The wood of this plant is not currently widely used commercially, but is often used in the manufacture of door panels or various furniture elements.

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Besides everything else, on an industrial scale, the culture is used in modern cosmetology, which is explained by the presence in the composition large quantity tannins. In the cosmetics industry, plant raw materials are used to prepare products that have tonic properties, increase microcirculation, and strengthen vascular walls. Such drugs allow you to fight cellulite and natural aging skin.

Preparations in the pharmacy based on chestnut

Pharmacy products can be in the form of an extract, tincture or cream, and preparations are also available in tablets and Escusan drops, which help reduce capillary permeability and increase venous tone.

Such drugs have very high, proven effectiveness in combating the formation of blood clots and reduce inflammatory processes. The manufacturer's instructions recommend using the drops three times a day, fifteen or twenty drops. A very popular tablet form is available under the name "Esflazid" and is effective analogue drops "Eskuzan».

How to make chestnut tincture (video)

Traditional medicine recipes with horse chestnut

It is not difficult to make your own products based on plant raw materials - it is enough to strictly follow the established proportions, and also use a high-quality, correctly assembled and prepared base.

Tinctures

For different etiologies of venous problems, you need to pour about 50 g of flowers into a clean glass container, then pour in half a liter of vodka. The tincture is infused for a couple of weeks, but the liquid needs to be shaken periodically. After two weeks, the resulting tincture is carefully filtered. This medication must be taken daily, thirty drops before meals. The standard course of treatment is four weeks, after which it is necessary to take a mandatory break.

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Decoctions and infusions

Such types medicines most in demand for external use. Foliage, flowers, and crushed fruits are suitable for preparation. Half of an ordinary enamel bucket is filled with plant mass, after which boiling water is poured into the container. Under the cover like this healing solution should infuse for about twelve hours, after which it is filtered. Infusion and decoction are perfect not only for lotions and irrigations, but also widely used as a highly effective herbal bath.

Ointment

For self-cooking healing ointment you need to chop five chestnuts or five tablespoons of flowers, then pour half a liter of any vegetable oil over them and boil in a water bath for about an hour. The resulting composition is cooled at room temperature and filtered. This product lubricates the face and sore spots.

Oil

At home healing oils based herbal ingredients quite often made using cream, low-fat bio-yogurt or olive oil. All components of the medicinal oil are mixed in arbitrary proportions. The resulting mixture can be stored for several weeks in a regular household refrigerator.

Consumption of horse chestnut during pregnancy and for the treatment of children

It should be remembered that at the moment there is scientific evidence about negative impact active ingredients horse chestnut on the body of a pregnant woman and fetus are completely absent. However, experts recommend refusing to use such folk remedies And pharmacological drugs in the first trimester of pregnancy, as well as in the treatment of preschool children.