One of the most troublesome diseases of lower limbs are certainly varicose veins, also called chronic venous insufficiency. They manifest themselves in an exceptionally unpleasant manner, causing, among other things, strong pain, which is why they should be prevented as soon as possible. Most often in treatment and prevention of varicose veins we use preparations in the form of ointment or gel to lubricate the affected areas. They may have various compositions, but very often these are preparations containing, jointly or interchangeably, two active substances, horse chestnut extract or hesperidin, the properties and action of which will be presented in more detail.

The basis of the action of any remedy against chronic venous insufficiency depends on its effectiveness, but before we get into the description of these two substances, we should learn a little more about the disease itself, for which we will apply them. Varicose veins are a disease that begins with minor symptoms, slight tingling and swelling of the lower limbs, on which after some time small blood vessels begin to burst, visible in the form of red spider veins.

This is a symptom of progressive circulatory disorders, when the blood, pressing harder on the walls of blood vessels, leads to their gradual weakening, and then to bursting. At the site of damage, inflammation develops, the veins are increasingly visible and convex, painful and often bursting, bleeding ulcers form. This is accompanied by severe pain, especially after great physical effort, the feeling of heaviness of legs, calf cramps, tingling and itching.

Such symptoms of varicose veins cannot be ignored, but before undergoing treatment for symptoms of venous insufficiency, it is worth to diagnose the cause of their occurrence. The factors causing the development of the disease are many, some are due to our own negligence, and the most common causes of varicose veins are:

The treatment of varicose veins is a long and complicated process that depends, among other things, on the severity of the disease. If the disease has already progressed to an advanced stage, surgical intervention may be the only way to help, but when it’s just beginning, it’s worth using an ointment or gel in which the main active ingredient is horse chestnut extract.

Its source is the bark and seeds of horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanus), a tree belonging to the soap family (Sapindaceae), commonly found throughout Europe, also known in our parks and valued not only for being an ornamental plant. Its composition makes it used in the treatment and prevention of not only varicose veins, and we can find in it numerous substances with proven therapeutic properties, among which the most important is:

Without which we would not be able to talk about the medicinal properties of horse chestnut seeds, being a saponin, and its content in the seeds is between 5 and 13 percent. Escin is actually a mixture of saponins, several compounds, including protoescigenin, bararyngtogenin C, tannins, carotenoids and coumarin compounds. It is to them that escin owes its health-promoting effects, and most often specialists speak of:

As with many other plants, the medicinal properties of horse chestnut extract are directly related to its composition. Its use at the first visible symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency is fully justified and recommended by specialists, so it is worth summarizing its extremely broad health-promoting effects:

If you check leaflets of many popular preparations for varicose veins that contain horse-chestnut extract, you will notice a certain regularity in some of them. Very often their second active ingredient is hesperidin, an organic chemical compound classified as a flavonoid. Its first conspicuous feature is its intense yellow color, a pigment which gives color to citrus fruits, oranges , lemons and grapefruits, as well as blackberries, chokeberries, blackcurrants and vegetables such as peppers.

However, hesperidin is not only a dye, its beneficial effect on our health has long been studied and confirmed, so it is commonly used in medical preparations, including those used to treat the symptoms of varicose veins. This is supported by its therapeutic properties:

Hesperidin, because of such properties, helps in the treatment of varicose veins, showing even higher effectiveness when combined in one preparation with horse chestnut extract and diosmin. Its effects are also appreciated by manufacturers of cosmetics, lotions, creams and tonics for couperose skin, protecting it against the formation of those unpopular, unsightly spider veins.

On the market, in stationary and online shops as well as on manufacturers’ websites we can find many preparations with the addition of these two active components, and two are particularly recommended by specialists and people with varicose veins:

A modern supplement in the form of capsules which target the exact source of varicose vein problems and eliminate them from the inside of the body and not only relieve the external symptoms. Varicorin contains a unique, patented variety of horse-chestnut extract, Venocin®, supported by other substances which guarantee its optimal, comprehensive action:

In the form of a sensational cream, acting in the same way comprehensively and dealing with most causes of chronic venous insufficiency. VaricOff quickly and, most importantly, effectively eliminates the most annoying symptoms of varicose veins, pain, swelling, itching and feeling of heavy tired legs. This is possible thanks to a properly selected dose of active substances, and in addition to horse chestnut extract and hesperidin, the cream uses: