Herbs for Vein Health

Keeping your veins in good health is one of the most overlooked aspect of holistic health. Many people wait until they start showing signs of poor vein health before thinking about using natural substances like herbs to increase the health of their veins. Several herbal substances contain powerful compounds that can help you improve one of the most important systems in your body: your veins. Take a minute to learn about the wonderful world of herbs for vein health.

Function

• Your veins carry oxygenated blood from your heart to every organ and tissue in your body and are under constant pressure and stress. Several notable herbs such as horse chestnut and gotu kola, and foods containing rutin, have been used traditionally for vein health and contain unique substances that may help your veins to become healthier and stronger, and may even clear up ugly venous conditions.

Horse chestnut

• Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is a disease characterized by a diminished ability to circulate blood back to the heart, especially from the legs. Horse chestnut is an herbal remedy that has a long history of use for vein health in western medicine and is used among holistic health practitioners as the number one herb for CVI and other venous conditions. In a recent review of all studies done on horse chestnut and CVI, published in Archives of Dermatology, the researchers conclude that horse chestnut is as effective as medications in relieving CVI.

Gotu Kola

• Gotu Kola is a staple of the Indian Ayurvedic herbal pharmacy and is one of the oldest species on earth. It is traditionally used for all circulatory problems and has found a niche among western herbalism as an herbal vein tonic. According to the University of Maryland's Medical Center, studies show that Gotu Kola improved the condition of those suffering from CVI and helped a group of people with varicose veins improve their vascular tone.

Rutin

• Rutin is a unique flavonoid that is found in citrus peels, cranberries, asparagus and buckwheat. Rutin has been isolated and used as a drug in the U.S. since the 1950s as a treatment for venous edema and broken capillaries. Indeed, it is rutin's reputation as a strengthener of the capillary system that has brought it renown. Several studies done in the 1950s and '60s showed rutin to be effective at increasing capillaries' resistance to damage.

Considerations

• Herbs used to strengthen and tone the veins have been traditionally used both externally and internally. A poultice can be made and applied to any area of the skin where damaged veins or capillaries are apparent.