**Today I’m sharing a tincture formulation featuring horse chestnut to help keep our cardiovascular system healthy & potentially treating varicose veins**

Horse Chestnut Tincture: Your Ultimate Vein & Cardiovascular Ally

This post may contain links but they are not affiliate links. I am not in any sort of affiliate program at this time. They are links to things I actually use.

Varicose veins were always something I thought afflicted my grandmothers, that I would be much too young for that to be my issue. Well it turns out varicose veins don’t care how old you are. Let’s talk a bit about what they are, some reasons why we might get them as well as various treatment options.

As always this is not medical advice but we don’t always know what we don’t know so now is the time to know!

What are varicose veins?

They are the swollen blood vessels that appear just under the skin's surface on the lower portion of the body.

They are the blue or purple bulges just under the surface of the skin but don’t generally cause any concerns on their own. However they can lead to some more serious health concerns such as blood clots.

It is estimated that 10-15% of adult males & 20-25% of adult females will experience venous insufficiency which often results in varicose veins & swollen ankles.

*Image of varicose veins on a leg at the beach. Courtesy of Canva.com*

What causes varicose veins?

The main culprit to this condition is actually found in the state of the tissue. There are 6 main tissue states that we can encounter in the body which cause certain dis-eaeses & ailments. These tissue states are polarities of each other

Temperature polarity

Heat Excitation → energy moving up, disputing & radiating
Cold Depression → energy moving down, heavy, slow & lethargic

Moisture polarity

Damp Stagnation → slow & stagnating
Dry Atrophy → weak, withered, malnourished, brittle & deficient

Tone polarity

Wind Tension → too tight
Damp Relaxation → too lose & fluid flows where it’s not supposed to go

We will be exploring these concepts in future posts so don’t worry if this is the first you’ve heard of them. These tissue states are at the heart of Western Herbalism, or at least the portion of Western Herbalism I am studying.

Out of these 6 tissue states what would you guess could cause varicose veins?

Damp Relaxation is the answer. Examples of damp relaxation include a runny nose, excessive sweating, salivation, digestive secretions & diarrhea.

It can also be the cause of high blood pressure, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, dilation of the right side of the heart, congestion of the liver & lungs as well as creating deep tension either psychological, physiologically or both

We can have dampness that stagnates & becomes stuck, boggy or swampy or we can have dampness that flows.

If this tissue state is left unchecked it can cause some major problems such as organ prolapse in its most extreme cases and in less extreme cases it causes hemorrhoids & varicose veins

Varicose veins appear when blood pressure in the veins is increased & the walls of the vein become weakened which is what allows the veins to get bigger in the first place.

As the vein stretches the valves that keep the blood moving in one direction stops working properly.

*Image of circulatory pathway of the lower legs. Courtesy of Canva.com*

Stagnant blood ends up backing up or pooling in your vein causing it to swell, bulge & twist.

What factors can contribute to developing varicose veins?

Age as veins lose elasticity over time & tend to stiffen up
Gender as females are more likely to have fluctuations in hormones such as pregnancy, birth control or going through menopause. On a side note I do wonder if this affects transwomen in the same way or if it’s just a cisfemale thing but more research needs to be done & I don’t want to exclude anyone from developing varicose veins.
Lifestyle as sitting or standing for long periods of time, wearing tight restrictive clothing can decrease circulation & blood flow
Weight as excessive weight puts more pressure on the blood vessels
Family history (thanks grandma)
Tobacco use

In medical astrology venous circulation is ruled by the planet Venus & it is said that an excess in Venus in the birth chart can be expressed as varicosities.

If you do have a copy of your birth chart handy take a look & see where Venus is residing. It’s taught that the moment you take your first breath that breath inhales these archetypal influences into your being. This is a deep concept that we are only scratching the surface of.

If it is in Scorpio, Aries or Virgo there is a potential for some issues to occur, although this is not a guarantee.

On the flip side if Venus is Libra or Taurus you have a strong Venus placement.

If you do not have a copy of your birth chart head over to astro.com & grab a copy for free.

Go to the charts & calculations tab → chart drawing, ascendant → enter your birthday, time & place born to receive a copy of your birth chart.

Unfortunately you do require the birth time to see an accurate birth chart. I will be going deeper into these concepts so stay tuned if you find this stuff as fascinating as I do.

In the Alchemical tradition elementally the damp relaxation tissue state is caused by a deficiency in the Earth element leading to excess Water. Basically speaking we need the earth to contain the water. Nature exhibits this beautifully if you think of a river bed. It’s the earth that keeps the water contained from spilling all over the place.

In Ayurveda damp relaxation is caused by an excess of Kapha.

In TCM damp relaxation is caused by deficient Qi (Chi)

Can varicose veins be treated?

Treatment options include elevation, the use of elastic stocking & injection therapy, laser therapy & vein surgery.

If you choose to take the herbal route you would want to use plants in the astringent & circulatory stimulant category, like Horse Chestnut!

Horse Chestnut Tincture: Your Ultimate Vein & Cardiovascular Ally

**Horse Chestnut**

*Aesculus hippocastanum*
*Image courtesy of Canva.com*

Common names: European horse chestnut, buckeye & conker tree, TCM it is called Qi Ye Shu

Family: Sapindaceae

Parts used: seed/fruit & bark

Taste:

Bitter
Astringent
Pungent

Herbal Actions & Bodily Affinities:

Used traditionally to treat venous insufficiencies including hemorrhoids, varicose veins, ankle swelling, leg swelling & leg cramps as it helps to reduce fluid retention by increasing the permeability of the capillaries & allowing for the reabsorption of excess fluids back into the circulatory system. This means it acts on the connective tissue barrier between blood vessel & tissue
Contains antioxidants which can help reduce symptoms of poor circulation
Astringent helping to tighten & tone the veins so the blood moves better
Contains a compound called aescin that has inflammation modulating properties helping the vein walls stay strong & stops water from leaking into any nearby tissue
It also addresses venous return & can help decrease venous pressure & swelling because by toning the veins there is an overall improvement of blood flow

In TCM Horse chestnuts are used for their ability to move & tonify the blood essentially removing stasis, balancing the body’s Qi

Signature:

The nuts also resemble the liver so that is also an indication that this plant will have some influence & impact on the liver as well
The heavy drooping branches that curve back up at the tips illustrate the venous blood giving into gravity

*Image of the nuts & heavy drooping branches. Courtesy of Canva.com*

Signature = Sign in Nature. Learn more HERE.

Energetics:

Cooling
Drying
Tonifying

Contraindications & precautions:

It may interfere with anticoagulant medications as it may thin the blood
I would talk to your health care professionals if you have any heart, kidney or liver concerns to make sure this will be a safe option for you
Don’t eat the nuts raw as they contain potentially poisonous compounds called alkaloid saponins & glycosides
Avoid it all together if you are pregnant or lactating
If you notice any adverse side effects such as bloating, itching, nausea or dizziness stop the treatment immediately

**Channeled Message from Horse Chestnut:**

*“Allow me to pick you up when you fall. Allow me to show you how to stand up tall.*
*Allow me to hold you when you need to be held. Allow me to shelter you when you need a break.*
*I am here. All you have to do is ask & I shall appear”*
*Image from Canva.com*

Ruling planet:

Venus

Ruling element:

Earth

Additional notes:

If you wanted to practice plant alchemy with this tincture you would want to make sure you are preparing your medicines on the day of the week that the planet governs.

Think of the planets as archetypes. Each plant is governed by a specific archetype. If you make your medicines while the planetary influence is at its strongest you are harvesting a new level of healing on the archetypal level.

Sunday → ruled by the sun

Monday (moonday) → moon

Tuesday → Mars

Wednesday (wodensday)→ Mercury represented by Norse god Odin AKA Woden

Thursday (thorsday) → Jupiter represented by the Norse god Thor

Friday → Venus represented by the Norse goddess Freya

Saturday → Saturn

You can also break it down even further by using a planetary calculator as each hour of the day is also governed by a specific planet. All you have to do is enter your location & the calculator does the rest.

So you would want to make this tincture on a Friday if possible or at the very least when Venus is shining her influence the strongest.

Don’t be so quick to think this is way out there, too woo if you will. Alchemy degraded into what we know now as chemistry. Astrology turned into astronomy & herbal medications turned into pharmaceuticals. This stuff is at the core of so much that we can sometimes forget it's even there.

Recipe:

Dried herb: 1:5 ratio

Alcohol: 50%

Equipment:

Coffee/herb grinder or mortar & pestle
Mason jar
Wax or parchment paper
Cheesecloth for straining
Amber glass dropper bottle
Pen for labeling

Instructions:

Break down the herbs slightly in a coffee grinder or mortar & pestle
Add 1 part dried herb to a sterilized mason jar → I like the oven method 200 for 20 minutes
Add 5 parts alcohol leaving 1 inch of space at the top
Store in a dark cool place for 4-6 weeks shaking daily
Strain the tincture
Pour into a dark glass bottle with a dropper & label

Dosage:

1-5 ml up to 3X a day for 6 weeks

If you do not have the desired results take a break for 4 weeks and start again

Notes:

For your alcohol you can use vodka, brandy or rum, as long as it hits the 50% we’re looking for
If you were wanting to avoid alcohol you could use vegetable glycerin or vinegar as an alternative but vegetable glycerin or vinegar will not extract the medicinal properties as effectively as alcohol.
Will have a shelf life of approximately 3-5 years

Comment down below & let me know how you like to support your cardiovascular system?

Be sure to come back next week & learn how to make a basil pesto with properly prepared nuts & seeds.

Until next time, may you find Peace wherever you are!