What Are Horse Chestnut 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’.

What happen if you eat horse chestnut?

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.

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.

Is horse chestnut seed a nut?

Both horse chestnut and edible chestnuts produce a brown nut, but edible chestnuts always have a tassel or point on the nut.

What is horse chestnut seed good for?

Today, horse chestnut seed extract is promoted for chronic venous insufficiency (CVI; poor blood flow in the veins of the legs, which may lead to leg pain, swelling, itchiness, and other symptoms), irritable bowel syndrome, male infertility, and other conditions.

Why are horses born with chestnuts?

What are they and why do horses have them? Both chestnuts and ergots are considered by some to be vestigial remnants of the pre-evolutionary leg and foot structure of Eohippus. ‘Vestigial’ refers to something that has lost is purpose as part of the evolution process.

What part of a horse chestnut is poisonous?

All parts of the horse chestnut tree are toxic, but the greatest concern is for horse chestnut seeds. These can be easily mistaken for edible chestnuts. Horse chestnut seed pods usually contain only one seed, while edible chestnut pods contain multiple seeds. Eating horse chestnuts can result in serious stomach upset.

Do horse chestnuts taste good?

Chestnuts have long, narrow leaves; horse chestnuts have big, compound ones composed of five to nine leaflets sharing a common stem. Another difference: Chestnuts are starchy (and edible). Horse chestnuts taste horribly bitter. In a word: inedible.

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 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).

Does horse chestnut improve circulation?

Using Horse Chestnut to Treat Venous Insufficiency
Aescin, a compound found in Horse Chestnut seed extract, has anti-inflammatory and other properties that can improve blood circulation. This extract can prove beneficial for patients suffering from venous insufficiency.

Does horse chestnut help blood clots?

Horse chestnut may slow blood clotting and increase the effects of blood thinners like Coumadin.

Do all horses have chestnuts?

Distribution among equines
Chestnuts are absent from the hind legs of asses and zebras. The majority of domestic horses have chestnuts on all four legs, as does the Przewalski’s horse, but a few horse breeds are reported to lack chestnuts on the hind legs. These include: Banker horse (most individuals)

Are horse chestnut seeds edible?

The nut of a horse chestnut is not edible, and tastes quite bitter. USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913.

Are horses born with chestnuts?

No one really knows why horses have them. Some in the scientific world believe they’re inherited from early forms of horses who may have had an extra toe, called multi-toed Equidae.

What are the side effects of chestnut?

The nut is also LIKELY SAFE when consumed in the amounts found in food. It is not known if American chestnut leaf, nut, or bark are safe in the larger amounts typically used as medicine. American chestnut might cause some side effects such as stomach and intestinal problems, kidney and liver damage.

What does horse chestnut do for hair?

The chestnut extract is said to repair and protect hair from this daily damage without causing buildup and is said to impart a glossy look to hair. The extract is recommended at 1-3% in both rinse-off and leave-on treatments including shampoos and conditioners, hair gels and hair masks.

How long does horse chestnut take to work?

It may take up to 4 weeks before your symptoms improve. Call your doctor if your symptoms do not improve, or if they get worse while using horse chestnut.

Does peeling horse chestnuts hurt?

Although peeling the chestnut does not hurt the horse, it often comes off more easily if baby oil or moisturizer is first applied to soften it.

Do chestnuts on horses hurt?

There is living tissue at the base of each chestnut, and the area will bleed if too much of the dry layer is pulled off. Don’t try to twist the chestnuts off, as this will pull the surrounding skin and cause pain. Occasionally, horses that are very ill can actually shed their chestnuts.