Sweet chestnut

The chestnut tree is a tree whose leaves are used to make medicine. Chestnut leaves are used for respiratory problems including bronchitis and whooping cough, as well as digestive tract disorders including diarrhea, bloody stools, nausea and other stomach problems. Other uses include the treatment of circulatory disorders of the legs, fever, infections, swelling, kidney disorders, muscle pain, sclerosis and swelling of the lymph nodes due to tuberculosis infection. In addition, chestnut leaf products are used as a gargle solution for sore throats. Sometimes chestnut leaf products are applied directly to the skin to treat wounds.

How do chestnut leaves work?

Chestnut leaves contain chemicals called tannins, which may help reduce inflammatory swelling of the skin and have a drying effect on the tissue.

How effective are chestnut leaves?

There is not enough scientific data to make a statement about the effectiveness of chestnut leaves for bronchitis, whooping cough, nausea, vomiting, stomach problems, circulatory disorders, fever, infections, kidney disease and muscle pain, as well as a gargle for sore throats and applied to the skin to treat wounds. Further scientific research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of chestnut leaves in these applications.

Safety and side effects

Chestnut leaf appears to be safe and harmless for most adults when taken orally. However, there is not enough information on whether chestnut leaf applied to the skin for medicinal reasons is safe and harmless.

Precautions and warnings:

Pregnancy and breastfeeding: not enough is known about the use of chestnut leaf during pregnancy and breastfeeding. For this reason, pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid chestnut leaf.

Interactions

Care should be taken when combining chestnut leaves with the following medications:

Medication taken orally

Chestnut leaves contain large amounts of tannins. Tannins absorb substances in the stomach and intestines. Taking chestnut leaves in combination with oral medications can reduce the amount of active drug ingredients absorbed by the body and thus reduce the effectiveness of these medications. To prevent this interaction, chestnut leaf products should be taken at least one hour after oral medication.

Dosage

An appropriate dosage of chestnut leaf depends on various factors such as age, health status and others. At this time, there is insufficient scientific data to determine appropriate dosage ranges for chestnut leaf. For this reason, you should follow the dosage instructions on the label and/or consult a doctor or pharmacist before use.