Condition
Chronic venous insufficiency
When leg veins struggle to return blood to the heart, causing aching, heaviness, swelling, and varicose veins — usually worse after standing.
See a clinician
Some causes of chronic venous insufficiency need medical care, not self-treatment. Seek help for any of these:
- Sudden one-sided leg swelling that is painful, warm, or red — possible deep vein thrombosis (blood clot); seek urgent care and do NOT self-treat.
- Sudden shortness of breath, chest pain, or coughing up blood (especially with leg swelling) — possible pulmonary embolism; call emergency services.
- An open sore or non-healing wound on the lower leg or ankle (venous ulcer).
- Spreading redness, warmth, and fever (cellulitis), or hardened/discoloured skin.
- Swelling in both legs with breathlessness or reduced urination — may point to heart, kidney, or liver causes.
What may help
Remedies studied for chronic venous insufficiency, ranked by strength of evidence.
- B Horse chestnut herb
Standardized seed extract reduces leg pain and swelling versus placebo across RCTs pooled by Cochrane (leg volume −32 mL), though the underlying trial quality is low.
- C Gotu kola herb
Standardized triterpene extract improved microcirculation and symptoms (leg heaviness, pain, edema) versus placebo, but trials are small with bias concerns.
Compression stockings, leg elevation, and movement are the mainstays. A couple of plant extracts have trial evidence for reducing leg swelling and aching as adjuncts — but new or one-sided leg swelling must first be checked for a blood clot, which is an emergency, not something to self-treat.