Horse Chestnut

(Aesculus hippocastanum)

Other Names:

European horsechestnut, buckeye, conker tree

Range:

Family:

Sapindaceae - Soapberry family

Growth Type:

Woody Tree

Height:

Can grow to approximately 130 ft tall,20-40 meters.

Leaves:

Opposite palmate leaves consisting of 5-7 leaflets. The leaflets can be up to a foot long. The leaf scars left by leaves that have previously fallen leave a distinctive horseshoe shaped scar.

Stem/Trunk:

The trunk is typically straight and can be quite massive in older trees. The bark is gray-brown and develops deep fissures with age.

Root:

The root system is extensive and deep, providing strong anchorage for the large tree.

Flower Season:

Blooms in late spring, typically from May to June.

Flower Appearance:

The flowers are arranged in large, upright clusters called panicles. Each flower is white with a yellow to red spot at the base of the petals.

Seed/Fruit:

The fruit is a spiny capsule containing one or two large, glossy brown seeds known as conkers.

Miscellaneous characteristics:

The tree is known for its distinctive conkers and showy flower clusters. It is commonly planted as an ornamental tree in parks and along streets.

Habitat:

Prefers well-drained soils and can often be found in parks, gardens, and along streets in temperate regions.

Parts Used:

Seeds, leaves, bark

Culinary Uses:

The seeds are toxic if eaten raw and are generally not used in culinary applications. They must be processed to remove toxins before any potential use.

Energetics

Taste: Sour
Thermal: Warming
Humidity: Drying

Traditional Medicinal Uses:

Venous stasis in pelvis and legs, with dyspepsia and general GI hypofunction, rectal heaviness; hemorrhoids, in athletic, strong individuals with myenteric plexus suppression from sympathetic dominance (the opposite of COLLINSONIA). Internally, for treatment of symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency, including pain, feeling of heaviness in the legs, nocturnal calf-muscle spasms, itching and edema. Externally, for the symptomatic treatment of chronic venous insufficiency, sprains and bruises. Treatment of coronary heart disease. Treatment of bacillary dysentery and fevers. Also as a hemostat for excessive menstrual or other gynecological bleeding, and as a tonic.

Historical Ethnobotanical Uses:

Fever, Neuralgia, Pertussis, Piles, Rheumatism, Rheumatoid Ailments, Sclerosis (Breast), Sores.

Indigenous Usage:

Dutch, French, German, Irroquois, Italian, Mohegan, Portugese, Shinnecock, Spanish

Usage Indictions:

Edema, Venous Insufficiency

Indications Citations

The fact that studies concerning all indications listed above have not yet been completed, does not mean said uses are invalid. The plants I have included have a long history of effective use, and most were part of the U.S. Pharmacopoeia prior to the advent of allopathic medicine.

Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI): Ottillinger B, Greeske K. Rational therapy of chronic venous insufficiency--chances and limits of the therapeutic use of horse-chestnut seeds extract. BMC Cardiovasc Disord. 2001;1:5. doi: 10.1186/1471-2261-1-5. Epub 2001 Dec 7. PMID: 11747472; PMCID: PMC61039.

Edema (Swelling): Ottillinger B, Greeske K. Rational therapy of chronic venous insufficiency--chances and limits of the therapeutic use of horse-chestnut seeds extract. BMC Cardiovasc Disord. 2001;1:5. doi: 10.1186/1471-2261-1-5. Epub 2001 Dec 7. PMID: 11747472; PMCID: PMC61039.

Medicinal Actions:

Analgesic, Anodyne, Anticancer, Anti-Inflammatory, Antirheumatic, Antispasmodic, Astringent, Bitter, Emmenagogue, Febrifuge, Narcotic, Tonic: Cardiac, Vasoconstrictor, Vulnerary

This plant has been shown, by scientific studies, to exhibit the following medicinal actions. The fact that studies concerning all of the traditional medicinal actions listed above have not yet been completed, does not mean said actions are invalid. The plants I have included have a long history of effective use, and most were part of the U.S. Pharmacopoeia prior to the rise of allopathic medicine.

Clinical Trials:

Anticancer (Lung Adenocarcinoma, Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Leukemia): Cheong DHJ, Arfuso F, Sethi G, Wang L, Hui KM, Kumar AP, Tran T. Molecular targets and anti-cancer potential of escin. Cancer Lett. 2018 May 28;422:1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.canlet.2018.02.027. Epub 2018 Feb 21. PMID: 29474858.

Anti-Inflammatory: Cheong DHJ, Arfuso F, Sethi G, Wang L, Hui KM, Kumar AP, Tran T. Molecular targets and anti-cancer potential of escin. Cancer Lett. 2018 May 28;422:1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.canlet.2018.02.027. Epub 2018 Feb 21. PMID: 29474858.

Constituents:

The Major Constituents Are Triterpene Saponins (up To 10%), Collectively Referred To As Aescin (also Known As Escin), And Are Considered The Active Therapeutic Principles. Aescin Exists In Three Forms, A-aescin, B-aescin And Cryptoaescin, Which Are Differentiated By Their Physical Properties. B-aescin Is A Mixture Of More Than 30 Different Glycosides Derived From The Triterpene Aglycones Protoaescigenin (also Known As Protoescigenin) And Barringtogenol C. Other Constituents Include Flavonoids (e.g. Quercetin, Kaempferol And Their Glycosyl Derivatives)

Bark: (+)-Catechin, (-)-Epicatechin, Aescin, Aesculetin, Aesculin, Allantoin, Alpha-Spinasterol, Beta-Amyrin, Campesterol, Epicatechin, Escin, Esculetin, Esculin, Fraxetin, Fraxin, Leucocyanidin, Leucodelphinidin, Quercetin, Quercitrin, Scopoletin, Scopolin

Branches: Allantoin, Quebrachitol

Bud: Isokaempferide, Isorhamnetin, Kaempferol, Kaempferol-4',7-Dimethyl-Ether, Myricetin-3',4',7-Trimethyl-Ether, Quercetin-3',4',7-Trimethyl-Ether, Quercetin-3,3'-Dimethylether, Rhamnazin, Rhamnocitrin

Flower Essential Oil: 1,8-Cineol, 2,3-Dimethyl-Hept-5-En-1-Al, 2-Methyl-Buten-1-Al, 3-Methyl-Butan-1-Al, 5-Hydroxy-Methyl-Furfural, Alpha-Pinene, Benzaldehyde, Benzyl-Formate, Beta-Caryophyllene, Beta-Pinene, Butyl-Acetate, Camphene, Decan-1-Ol, Dodec-2-En-1-Ol, Gamma-Butyrolactone, Geraniol, Limonene, Nonan-1-Al, Tridec-2-En-1-Ol

Flower: Adenine, Adenosine, Astragalin, Guanine, Isoquercitrin, Kaempferol-3-0-Glucoside, Kaempferol-3-Arabinoside, Kaempferol-3-O-Glucoside, Kaempferol-3-Rhamnofuranoside, Kaempferol-3-Rhamnoglucoside, Rhamnocitrin, Rutin

Fruit Epidermis: (+)-Catechin, (-)-Epicatechin, Epi-Catechin-(4-Beta-6)-Epi-Catechin-(4-Beta-6)-Epi-Catechin, Epi-Catechin-(4-Beta-8)-Epi-Catechin-(4-Beta-8,2-Beta-8)-Epi-Catechin, Epi-Catechin-(4-Beta-8,2-Beta-7)-Catechin-(4-Beta-8)-Epi-Catechin, Epi-Catechin-(4-Beta-8,2-Beta-7)-Epi-Catechin-(4-Alpha-8)-Ent-Epi-Catechin, Procyanidin-A-1, Procyanidin-A-2, Procyanidin-B-1, Procyanidin-B-2, Procyanidin-B-3, Procyanidin-B-4, Procyanidin-B-5, Procyanidin-C-1, Procyanidin-D-1, Procyanidin-D2, Procyanidin-E, Procyanidin-G

Fruit: Alpha-Aescin, Barringtogenol-C-21-Angelate, Hippocaesculin, Proanthocyanidin-Polymer, Proanthocyanin-A-2, Procyanidin-A-2

Leaf: (+)-Catechin, (-)-Epicatechin, 2-Carboxyarabinitol, Allantoic-Acid, Allantoin, Alpha-Carotene, Amino-Acids, Aps-Sulfotransferase, Campesterol, Castaprenol-10, Castaprenol-11, Castaprenol-12, Castaprenol-13, Cyanidin, Escin, Flavazide, Isoquercitrin, Kaempferol-3-Arabinoside, Kaempferol-3-Rhamnofuranoside, Leucoanthocyans, Polyprenols, Procyanidin-A-1, Procyanidin-A-2, Procyanidin-B-1, Procyanidin-B-2, Procyanidin-B-3, Procyanidin-B-4, Procyanidin-B-5, Procyanidin-C-1, Procyanidin-D-1, Procyanidin-D2, Procyanidin-E, Procyanidin-G, Quebrachitol, Quercetin-3'-Glucoside, Quercetin-3-Arabinoside, Quercetin-3-Rhamnoside, Quercetin-3-Rhamnosidoglucoside, Quercitrin, Urea, Vitamin-K-1

Pericarp: (+)-Pinitol, (-)-Querbrachitol, (-)-Quinic-Acid, Esculin, Fraxin, Hippocastanoside, Myo-Inositol, Scopolin

Plant: 3',4',7-Trimethyl-Ether, 3,5-Dihydroxy-3',4'7-Trimethoxyflavone, Juglanin, Myricetin, Phytosterols, Plastoquinone-8, Rutin, Uric-Acid

Seed Coat: (-)-Epicatechin, Aesculitannin-A, Aesculitannin-B, Aesculitannin-C, Aesculitannin-D, Aesculitannin-E, Aesculitannin-F, Aesculitannin-G, Cinnamtannin-B-1, Cinnamtannin-B-2, Proanthocyanidin-A-6, Proanthocyanidin-A-7, Procyanidin-A-2, Procyanidin-A-4, Procyanidin-B-1, Procyanidin-B-2, Procyanidin-B-5, Procyanidin-C-1

Seed Oil: 24-Methylene-Cycloartenol, 5-Alpha-Tirucalla-8-23-Dien-3-Beta-Ol, Alpha-Amurin, Beta-Amyrin, Butyrospermol, Parkeol, Taraxerol

Seed: 1-Kestose, 16-Desoxy-Barringtogenol, 2-Kestose, 3[2'(Beta-D-Glucopyranosido)4'(Beta-D-Glucopyranosido)Beta-D-Glucuronopyranosido]21-Beta-Angeloyl-22-Alpha-Acetyl-Protoa, 3[2'(Beta-D-Glucopyranosido)4'(Beta-D-Glucopyranosido)Beta-D-Glucuronopyranosido]21-Beta-Tigloyl-22-Alpha-Acetyl-Protoae, 6,7-Dihydroxycoumarin, 6,7-Dihydroxycoumarin-6-Glucoside, Acetic-Acid, Adenine, Adenosine, Aescigenin, Aescin, Aesculetol, Aesculoside, Alpha-Aescin, Alpha-Methyl-Beta-Hydroxybutyric-Acid, Alpha-Spinasterol, Angelic-Acid, Barringtogenol-C, Barringtogenol-D, Beta-Aescin, Butyrospermol, Campest-7-En-3-Beta-Ol, Campesterol, Cryptoaescigenin, Cryptoaescin, Cryptoaescin-A, Cryptoaescin-B, Escin, Esculetin, Esculin, Flavones, Fraxin, Friedelin, Glucuronic-Acid, Guanine, Hippoaesculin, Hippocastanine, Kaempferol, L-(+)-Lysine, L-(-)-Tryptophan, Luteolol, Myricetin-3',4',7-Trimethyl-Ether, Opcs, Plastoquinone-8, Proanthocyanidin-A-4, Protoaescigenin, Provitamin-D, Quercetin, Quercetol, Quercetoside, Quercitrin, Quinones, Rhamnetol, Rutoside, Saponin, Saponins, Spinasterol, Stachyose, Stigmast-4-En-3-One, Stigmast-7-En-3-Beta-Ol, Stigmasta-5,7-Dien-3-Beta-Ol, Taraxerol, Tiglic-Acid, Triacontane, Uric-Acid, Xanthorhamnoside

Stem: Eleutheroside-B-1, Esculin, Fraxin

Tissue CUlture: Escin