Are Horse Chestnuts Seeds?

Horse chestnut is a tree native to parts of southeastern Europe. Its fruits contain seeds that resemble sweet chestnuts but have a bitter taste. Historically, horse chestnut seed extract was used for joint pain, bladder and gastrointestinal problems, fever, leg cramps, and other conditions.

What is a horse chestnut seed called?

The horse chestnut has hand-shaped, palmate leaves with five to seven toothed leaflets. It displays large, pinky-white flower spikes, and its spiny-shelled fruits contain the seeds, or ‘conkers’.

Why is horse chestnut not edible?

While cultivated or wild sweet chestnuts are edible, horse chestnuts are toxic, and can cause digestive disorders such as abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, or throat irritation.

What is horse chestnut seed good for?

Horse chestnut contains trace amounts of a poison called esculin. If eaten raw, it could be fatal. Extract from the seeds and leaves of the plant are used in the treatment of varicose veins, hemorrhoids, and phlebitis. The seeds may also be used for the treatment of diarrhea, fever, or an enlarged prostate.

Can you eat the nuts from a horse chestnut tree?

Sweet chestnuts are edible, but horse chestnuts are poisonous. If eaten, they can cause digestive problems such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and throat irritation. More than one in 10 cases of poisonous plants being mistaken for edible plants involve horse and sweet chestnuts.

Can I grow a horse chestnut from seed?

– Make a 2cm hole in the soil with your finger for each seed. – Place the pots outside in a safe place, where they will get 4 hours of sunshine. – Water the pot(s) whenever the soil starts to dry out. Note: Make sure the seeds are planted in late autumn, before the first frost (Around October to November).

Who should not take horse chestnut?

Don’t use it if you have a bowel or stomach disorder. Liver disease: There is one report of liver injury associated with using horse chestnut. If you have a liver condition, it is best to avoid horse chestnut. Latex allergy: People who are allergic to latex might also be allergic to horse chestnut.

What should I do if I eat horse chestnut?

If someone has unintentionally eaten part of a horse chestnut, you can help them by doing the following: Gently wipe out their mouth. Have them rinse with water and spit to remove remaining plant material from their mouth. They can drink a few small sips of water to rinse the remaining material into their stomach.

How do you prepare horse chestnuts to eat?

You can also try roasting them over an open fire or grill—though technically nestling them in the embers is best to prevent scorching. Depending on the temperature of the embers, this process can take anywhere from 15-30 minutes. Cooked nuts should be tender, sweet and peel easily.

What do horse chestnuts taste like?

Horse chestnuts taste horribly bitter. In a word: inedible. Horse chestnuts, Mead adds, pretty much give themselves away with their nasty scent. And unlike edible chestnuts, their covers don’t pop off easily, which makes them, literally, a tougher nut to crack.

What are the side effects of taking horse chestnut?

Horse chestnut seed extracts are generally well tolerated but may cause side effects such as dizziness, nausea, and digestive upsets in some people. Little is known about whether it’s safe to use horse chestnut seed extract during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

Does horse chestnut raise blood pressure?

Its actions are unique and fascinating. On the one hand, horse chestnut seed extract relaxes the endothelial lining of capillaries³, enhancing friendly nitric oxide production, and reducing inflammation⁴. This generally supports appropriate pressure or push coming from the arteries (healthy blood pressure).

Can horse chestnut cure varicose veins?

May treat varicose veins
In an 8-week study, 58% of participants who took horse chestnut seed extract tablets containing 20 mg of aescin 3 times daily and applied 2% aescin gel topically twice daily had reduced varicose vein symptoms like leg pain, swelling, heaviness, and discoloration ( 4 ).

Are chestnuts poisonous if eaten raw?

Raw chestnuts are safe to eat for most people. However, they do contain tannic acid, which means they could cause stomach irritation, nausea, or liver damage if you have liver disease or experience a lot of kidney problems.

Why are they called horse chestnuts?

Etymology. The common name horse chestnut originates from the similarity of the leaves and fruits to sweet chestnuts, Castanea sativa (a tree in a different family, the Fagaceae), together with the alleged observation that the fruit or seeds could help panting or coughing horses.

Does any animal eat horse chestnuts?

There are some animals that can safely eat conkers. These include wild boars and deer. However, they are too toxic for humans to eat and will make people unwell. Strangely, despite the name horse chestnuts, they are also poisonous for horses.

Can I plant a horse chestnut tree in my garden?

Planting Horse Chestnut Conkers
Plant in a composted, well-draining soil. Keep the soil moist, but not overly wet. Learning when to plant horse chestnuts is important, but you can attempt to get them started any time after they’ve had the proper chilling.

How quickly does a horse chestnut grow?

Horse Chestnut trees grow very rapidly. Growth in young trees may be between 60-80cm from mid-April to late July. Growth rates slow with age and many trees at around 150 years old shed branches and begin to break up.

How many years does it take for a horse chestnut tree to flower?

It is also one of those grown-up things that anybody in their right mind should celebrate, although conkers belong to children. I would love a conker to fall and hit me. Our own horse chestnut has not produced any fruit yet, but it is just six years old and they only start to flower around their seventh year.

Can dogs eat horse chestnuts?

All parts of the horse chestnut tree are poisonous and could make your dog ill. The toxin is found in the seeds (conkers), leaves, bark and flowers.

What does horse chestnut do for the skin?

Horse chestnut’s benefits for the skin do not stop at saponins – the seed extract contains a number of flavonoids (powerful antioxidants) such as quercetin, kaempferol, and rutin, that have demonstrated wound healing, anti-inflammatory, and anti-enzymatic properties.