Support for Healthy Legs

Word is spreading in the United States about the benefits of horse chestnut - a traditional botanical widely used in Europe to support vein integrity, especially in the legs.

Centuries of Use

Horse chestnut's botanical properties were first described by Italian medical botanist Mathiole in 1565, and the plant was widely used throughout Europe by the 18th century. In 1896, a French researcher, Artault de Vevey, reported on horse chestnut's benefits for the healthy of blood cells.

Clinical Studies Document Horse Chestnut's Benefits

Today a growing body of research is confirming horse chestnut's benefits for circulatory health - turning horse chestnut into one of the tip ten best-selling herbs in Europe.

Horse chestnut's benefits are associated with a variety of constituents, but especially with a group of saponins collectively known as aescin. Horse chestnut is also a valuable source of bioflavonoids, including the subclass of flavonoids known as proanthocyanidins, renowned for their antioxidant activity.

When taken internally, research has shown horse chestnut's constituents to strengthen the capillaries (the minute blood vessels that connect arteries and veins), support normal blood flow, and support the normal exchange of fluids through cell membranes.

Source: Planetary Formulas

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Scientific References

• Blumenthal, M., et al. 1998. The Complete German Commission E Monographs, Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. Austin: American Botanical Council.

• Brown, D. 1997. Ginkgo biloba extract for age-related cognitive decline and early stage dementia - a clinical overview. Quart Rev Nat Med. Summer. 91-96.

• Diehm, C., et al. 1996. Comparison of leg compression stocking and oral horse chestnut seed extract therapy in patients with chronic venous insufficiency. The Lancet. 347: 292-294.