Aesculus hippocastanum L. – Horse-chestnut
Hippocastanaceae family
Parts used for treatment include: unripe fruit (Hippocastani fructus immatrurus) and seeds from the ripe fruit (Hippocastani semen), the bark (Hippocastani cortex), the leaves (Hippocastani folium) and the flowers (Hippocastani flos).
Horse-chestnut – appearance and origin:
The chestnut appeared in Poland during Stefan Batory’s reign (king of Poland, 1576-86), who ordered his Italian gardener Lorenzo Bozetho to plant chestnuts in the garden in Łobzowo, near Kraków.
The chestnut grows up to 30 m. There are several strains and forms of chestnut that differ in flower colour (white, yellow and red) and leaf shape. The white flower strain is the one used in medicine. The leaves are palmately compound, made up of 5-7 elongated, obovate leaflets with serrated edges. The chestnut blooms in May, and the dorsiventral flowers are clustered into erect flowerheads. The fruit is a spiky, globular capsule containing 1-3 flattened, shiny brown seeds.
Herbal material from the chestnut is used to isolate active substances: escin from the seeds and esculin from the bark.
Horse-chestnut – effects and use:
The horse-chestnut seed (Hippocastani semen) contains 3-10% of escin, which is a mixture of saponins which are acylated triterpene glycosides. Thirty different saponins were isolated from escin, with different fractions among them: beta escin, cryptoescin and alpha escin. Apart from saponins, there are flavonoids, sterols, essential oils and a high content of starch (30-60%). Isolated escin exhibits anti-inflammatory and anti-edema activity. Clinical trial on patients with chronic venous insufficiency or varicosity proved a reduction of edema caused by decreased capillary permeability. Escin inhibits hyaluronidase, the enzyme that breaks down hyaluronic acid which is the main ingredient of blood vessel endothelium.
Horse-chestnut for clots and venous stasis
Fresh, unripe fruit (Hippocastani fructus immatrurus) are used to produce the Intractum Hippocastani extract, used for treating clots and venous stasis.
The chestnut bark (Hippocastani cortex) contains mainly coumarins: esculin, esculetin, fraxin, scopoletin, as well as tannins, saponins and flavonoids. Esculin has a similar effect to vitamin P, is also strongly protective against light, absorbing light rays with a wavelength up to 370 nm, and also seals blood vessels. Chestnut bark extracts are also used in medicine. The tannins contained in the bark is astringent, anti-inflammatory, antihemorrhagic and antibacterial. This activity is synergistic with esculin which is also contained in the chestnut.
Chestnut flowers and leaves contain flavonoids, coumarins, phenolic acids, leukocyanidins, tannins, saponins, adenosine, adenine and guanine. Their extracts contain escin, flavonoids and coumarins which seal capillary walls. They are used for inflammations of lower leg veins and hemorrhoids. Esculin and flavonoids reduce vascular fragility, while escin and esculin have an anti-inflammatory effect and prevent venous stasis.
Horse-chestnut for inflammation and edema
In vitro studies have shown that saponin fractions from chestnut seeds inhibit the activity of prostaglandin synthase. Pharmacological human studies on the chestnut seed extract proved that its anti-edema activity is caused by the reduction of capillary permeability. There was also a number of studies on patients with venous insufficiency or varicosit, aiming to confirm the efficacy of chestnut seed extracts. These studies have demonstrated that compared to placebo, the extract reduced edema, inflammation, sensation of heavy legs and fatigue.
Horse-chestnut – influence on liposomal enzymes
Studies on patients with varicosity concluded that hydrolase enzymes (β-N-Acetylglucosaminidase, β-Glucuronidase, arylsulfatase) were more effective compared to healthy patients. These enzymes catalyze the breakdown of proteoglycans, which part of capillary walls. The increased activity of the enzymes is probably the cause of the increased permeability and fragility of blood vessels. It is suspected that chestnut seed extracts do not inhibit individual enzymes, but protect the fragile lysosomal membrane, which is where they are released. The observed reduction of enzyme activity may lead to a decreased degradation of proteoglycans, in turn reducing capillary permeability and increasing their durability.
Horse-chestnut for hematoma
Pharmacological studies have shown that a gel with 2% escin reduced the tenderness. The reduction of hematoma tenderness (induced by experimental injection) lasted from 1 hour after adiministration until the end of the study which lasted for 9 hours.
Horse-chestnut cosmetics and colorants
Chestnut seeds are used in the cosmetics industry to produce shavings creams and shampoos, as well as washing detergents and glue. The chestnut bark is used in tanning and textiles for coloring wool. The wood is used in carpentry and furniture.
PL