The effect of Aesculus hippocastanum on vascular function and cardiovascular parameters

Abstract

Background: Herbal remedies are becoming increasingly popular especially as an alternative to pharmacological treatments. Chronic Venous insufficiency is serious health condition which affects the venous system of the lower limbs causing oedema and varicose veins. The current treatment for chronic venous insufficiency is compression stockings however treatment compliance rate is low due to the uncomfortable nature of the stockings. Herbal supplements such as Aesculus hippocastanum could be an alternative treatment for chronic venous insufficiency as it has shown in other studies to decrease oedema and have venotonic properties. Aim: to determine the effects of Aesculus ingestion over a two week period on vascular health and cardiovascular parameters in healthy adults. Materials and Methods: all participants that were recruited for this study were healthy adults between the ages of 18 to 55. Each participant was provided with a two week supply of Aesculus tablets and instructed to take them twice a day after meals. Measurements of blood pressure, height, weight, blood flowmetry and body water were taken at the beginning and end of the study. Participants also had to provide a 24hour urine sample to measure Creatinine levels. Results: 20 healthy adults were recruited to take part in this study. Only 2 participants withdrew from the study. The participant group consisted of 5 males and 13 females. Results for this study showed no statistical significance. There were slight changes in systolic (P=0.09) and diastolic (P= 0.07) blood pressure and intracellular (P= 0.55) and extracellular (P=0.09) water levels however none of the P values were <=0.05. The results however did show that Aesculus had no negative effects. Conclusions: This current study provided no significant results but it also showed no negative effects. Therefore this study can be used as a pilot study for future research which is carried out. Key words: Aesculus, hippocastanum, Venous, Insufficiency, horse, chestnut