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Alternative medicine

By Mayo Clinic staff

Horse chestnut seed extract may be an effective treatment for chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), a condition associated with varicose veins in which leg veins have problems returning blood to the heart. The herb may help improve swelling and discomfort caused by varicose veins. Talk with your doctor before trying horse chestnut seed extract or any other herb or dietary supplement.

References
  1. Varicose veins. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/vv/vv_all.html. Accessed Dec. 8, 2008.
  2. Greenberg DL. Varicose veins of the leg. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Dec. 10, 2008.
  3. Beebe-Dimmer JL, et al. The epidemiology of chronic venous insufficiency and varicose veins. Annals of Epidemiology. 2005;15:175.
  4. Varicose veins and venous insufficiency. Society of Interventional Radiology. http://www.sirweb.org/patients/varicose-veins/. Accessed Dec. 10, 2008.
  5. Spider vein, varicose vein therapy. American Academy of Dermatology. http://www.aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/cosmetic_spider.html. Accessed Dec. 8, 2008.
  6. Horse chestnut. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed Dec. 8, 2008.

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Jan. 16, 2009

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