Remedy · herb
Horse chestnut
Also: Aesculus hippocastanum, escin, aescin
A seed extract with solid short-term evidence for leg-vein swelling and aching.
Evidence by condition
Each grade reflects the research for Horse chestnut and that condition specifically.
- BChronic venous insufficiency
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.
1 citation
- Horse chestnut seed extract for chronic venous insufficiency Systematic review 2012 · n=1,518 · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · PMID 23152216 · DOI 10.1002/14651858.CD003230.pub4
- Horse chestnut seed extract for chronic venous insufficiency
Among herbal options for chronic venous insufficiency, horse chestnut seed extract has the best evidence — it measurably reduces leg swelling and aching short-term. Only the escin-standardized seed extract is used; raw horse chestnut contains toxic esculin and must never be eaten.