How to Use Buckeye for Health

Buckeye is the American version of the European horse chestnut tree. It blooms in late spring and produces white and orange flowers. Buckeye seeds mature into glossy brown nuts, bitter to the taste. Health benefits from buckeye stretch back to ancient European medicine, and the claim is that keeping a buckeye nut in a clothes pocket cures arthritis. Buckeye has since acquired a legitimate place in home remedies. A quick review reveals several useful possibilities.

Things You'll Need

• Water
• Pot
• Buckeye bark
• Buckeye leaves
• Buckeye nuts
• Kitchen hammer or rolling pin
• Lard

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Instructions

• 1

  Arrest arthritis. Try buckeye tea. It has anti-inflammatory health effects. Brew buckeye bark and leaves in boiling water for 6 minutes.

• 2

  Heal hemorrhoids. Buckeye makes veins strong and flexible. Drink tea made from buckeye bark. Take buckeye extract. It is often sold as horse chestnut extract in health food stores. Hemorrhoids start to shrink in a few hours.

• 3

  Diminish varicose veins. Buckeye improves blood flow through veins. It inhibits an enzyme responsible for breaking down vessel walls rendering them enlarged and inefficient. Drink tea made from buckeye leaves or take horse chestnut extract.

• 4

  Reduce edema. Take horse chestnut extract for swollen legs. Studies support the health benefits of buckeye when compared to placebo in treatment of edema.

• 5

  Heal rashes and sores. Make buckeye salve. Crush buckeye nuts with a kitchen hammer or rolling pin. Cover with water and boil to soften. Drain the water. Cover buckeyes with lard. Bring to a second boil. Allow the mixture to cool. Swab affected areas. Healthier skin appears in a day or two.