Horse chestnut: photo

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Horse chestnut is a perennial plant that represents a tree reaching up to 30 m in height. It differs not only in its beauty, especially in the flowering period, but also in its useful properties. Therefore, chestnut is often used in non-traditional medicine for the preparation of various medicines. How does a horse chestnut look like in a photo.

Plant description - photo

Trees of horse chestnut can often be found on personal plots or park areas. It is a rather tall tree with opposite leaves. The shape of the leaf at the chestnut is pointed with small denticles along the edges. How does a sheet of horse chestnut look can be seen in the photo.

How are these trees blooming? This process begins in late spring. The flowers have a white or pale pink hue, they form into large erect clusters, reaching 30 cm in length. In the beginning of autumn the first fruits begin to appear on the tree. They are small round caps, covered with large spines. Inside these boxes are seeds of irregular shape, which have a brown color and a glossy surface. How does a horse chestnut fruit look like in a photo.

Where does this tree grow? Most often it can be found in Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, the Caucasus. Homeland of this plant is Greece.

The healing properties of chestnut

Fruits, flowers and horse chestnut grass are actively used in both modern and alternative medicine. This plant is used to eliminate such ailments:

1. Inflammatory processes in the body and swelling. Tinctures based on the plant have anti-inflammatory and anti-edema effects.
2. Thrombosis. Chestnut tree significantly reduces the coagulability of blood, prevents the formation of blood clots. Also, drugs based on it are used for uterine bleeding in women.
3. Increased acidity of gastric juice. The plant normalizes this index, due to what it is irreplaceable in case of exacerbation of gastritis.
4. Dysfunction of the gallbladder. Chestnut normalizes the secretory function of this organ.
5. Cough, bronchitis, bronchial asthma. The plant promotes the excretion of sputum, improves the general condition of the body.
6. Osteoarthritis, arthritis, gout. Ointments based on such a chestnut relieve the painful sensations, inflammatory processes that are observed in the joint tissues in these diseases.
7. High blood pressure. Chestnut is one of the most effective ingredients in the treatment of hypertension with the help of herbal remedies. It also improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system as a whole.

Thanks to its anti-inflammatory effect, chestnut fruits are used to prepare ointments and creams from trophic ulcers.

Application of chestnut

This plant is used in the manufacture of various drugs in modern medicine. You can also prepare medicines at home. The most common recipes are:

1. Tincture. To prepare this form of medicine, you need 50 g of chopped fruit or flowers of this plant and 0.5 liters of vodka or diluted alcohol. Put the ingredients in a container, tightly cover and leave to infuse for 3 weeks. After the time has passed, tincture is filtered and taken 3 times a day for 30 drops.
2. Infusion of bark. To prepare this remedy, take 1 tsp.crushed chestnut tree bark, pour 2 cups of boiling water. Insist for several hours. Then the infusion to strain and use 2 tablespoons.l.3 times a day. This infusion can also be used to treat skin diseases. For greater efficiency, before insisting, it should be boiled for about 15 minutes.
3. Tincture for external use. You should take 300 g minced with a meat grinder or blender fruits of the plant together with the skin, pour 1 liter of vodka or alcohol. Insist in tightly closed container for 1 week. The use of this tincture has a beneficial effect with radiculitis, arthritis, arthrosis, inflammatory processes in the muscle tissues.
4. Ointment. It will take 5 tbsp.l.flowers of the plant, which should be crushed. Add 0.5 liters of refined sunflower or olive oil. Put the boiled over a low heat for 1 hour. Then the prepared mixture is filtered, slightly cooled and applied to the affected areas of the skin.
5. Infusion of fruits. To prepare a remedy for chronic diarrhea or impaired renal function, you should take 2 fruits of the plant, grind well and pour 1 cup of boiling water. Leave to stand for 3 hours. At the end of time, take the medicine for 2 tbsp.l.5 times a day. Also, this broth is useful in diseases of the upper respiratory tract caused by inflammatory processes.

In addition to these recipes, folk medicine actively uses the juice of the flowers of this plant. It can be purchased in ready form in pharmacies.

It's important to remember! Before the treatment of a particular disease with horse chestnut, consult a specialist! Since, despite the large number of beneficial properties, this plant still has some contraindications to the application.

Difference of horse from edible chestnut

How to distinguish horse chestnut from an edible plant? There are a number of visual distinctive features of these plants:

1. Edible chestnut has not such large leaves, they are pointed from above.
2. The inflorescences of these plants are significantly different. The edible plant blooms with narrow and long earrings.
3. The edible chestnut taste is more sweet, as for the second plant species, it has a bitter taste.
4. A horse chestnut usually has one fruit in a nut, an edible tree grows mainly with two fruits.
5. The rind of horse chestnut fruit has a bright greenish shade. An edible chestnut has a brown color with a lot of long thorns.

The only similarity of these plants is the fruit. They are glossy, dark brown in color. The shape and size of virtually no difference.

Contraindications to the use of the plant

Drugs based on horse chestnut are not suitable for every person, as they have some contraindications. From the use of this plant should be discarded in such cases:

• regular constipation;
• reduced gastric acidity in chronic gastritis;
• decreased blood pressure;
• mild blood clotting;
• menstrual cycle disorders in women;
• period of pregnancy and breastfeeding.

During the period of taking medications on the basis of a chestnut tree, a person may experience nausea or severe heartburn. Therefore, before using them, always consult your doctor. He will assess the feasibility of this method of exposure, and also will tell the most effective dosage, taking into account the individual characteristics of the organism of each patient.