Family- Hippocastanaceae; Sapindaceae.
Habitat- Endemic to the mountains of Balkan Peninsula and western Asia. Introduced into India;occasionally
grown as an ornamental tree.
English- Horse Chestnut tree.
Unani- Baloot. (Quercus incana and Q. infectoria have also been equated with Baloot in National Formulary
in Unani Medicine.)
Folk- Pu.
Action- Anti-inflammatory, vasodilator,astringent (used for rheumatism, venous congestion,haemorrhoids), febrifuge. Leaf—used in whooping cough.
Key application- In chronic venous insufficiency, varicosis, nocturnal systremma (cramps in the calves)
and swelling of the legs. (Noninvasive treatment measures should also be followed.) (German Commission E, ESCOP, The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia.)
Horse Chestnut contains triterpenoid saponins (especially aescin, a complex mixture composed of acylated
glycosides of protoaesigenin and barringtogenol-C, including hippocaesculin),coumarins and flavonoids.
Aescin has been shown to eliminate oedema and reduce exudation. It antagonizes the effect of bradykinin, although it is not a direct bradykinin antagonist. It causes an increase in plasma levels of ACTH, corticosterone and glucose in rats. Hippocaesculin and barringtogenol-C-21-angelate show antitumour activity in vitro.The hydroxycoumarin aesculin leads to increased bleeding time.(Roasting seems to destroy the toxins.)A few fruits can cause severe toxic symptoms. (Francis Brinker.) In some countries, an intravenous mixture containing aescin is used after surgery. (Natural Medicines Comprehensive
Database, 2007.)
Habitat- Endemic to the mountains of Balkan Peninsula and western Asia. Introduced into India;occasionally
grown as an ornamental tree.
English- Horse Chestnut tree.
Unani- Baloot. (Quercus incana and Q. infectoria have also been equated with Baloot in National Formulary
in Unani Medicine.)
Folk- Pu.
Action- Anti-inflammatory, vasodilator,astringent (used for rheumatism, venous congestion,haemorrhoids), febrifuge. Leaf—used in whooping cough.
Key application- In chronic venous insufficiency, varicosis, nocturnal systremma (cramps in the calves)
and swelling of the legs. (Noninvasive treatment measures should also be followed.) (German Commission E, ESCOP, The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia.)
Horse Chestnut contains triterpenoid saponins (especially aescin, a complex mixture composed of acylated
glycosides of protoaesigenin and barringtogenol-C, including hippocaesculin),coumarins and flavonoids.
Aescin has been shown to eliminate oedema and reduce exudation. It antagonizes the effect of bradykinin, although it is not a direct bradykinin antagonist. It causes an increase in plasma levels of ACTH, corticosterone and glucose in rats. Hippocaesculin and barringtogenol-C-21-angelate show antitumour activity in vitro.The hydroxycoumarin aesculin leads to increased bleeding time.(Roasting seems to destroy the toxins.)A few fruits can cause severe toxic symptoms. (Francis Brinker.) In some countries, an intravenous mixture containing aescin is used after surgery. (Natural Medicines Comprehensive
Database, 2007.)
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