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Chestnut

Useful properties, cultivation and application recipes chestnut


Botanical characteristics of chestnut

Chestnut – trees, reaching 30 metres in height with a beautiful spreading crown. The leaves of the trees are located in the opposite direction, using existing long stalks they still have sessile leaves in the amount of 7 pieces. These leaves are short and cloves. Pale pink or white flowers clustered inflorescences conical shape. The inflorescence consists of a larger number of staminate flowers than pistillate.

Chestnuts – green prickly rounded boxes, which at maturity open to 3 fold, and fall to the ground nuts. Inside the fruit has few seeds. Seeds are large, slightly flattened, covered with dark brown skin. Chestnut flowering begins in may, and fruit ripening occurs at the beginning or middle of autumn.

Most of the chestnut grows in the South and middle belt of the European part of the CIS. The Caucasus and Central Asia also belong to the places of growth of a chestnut. The plant is found in the forests and on the slopes.


Planting and care of chestnut

Chestnut is propagated from seed. Sow the seeds in spring, as if sowing seeds to produce in the autumn, they can be damaged by mice. The end of April – beginning of may is the best time for sowing the seeds of chestnut. The seedlings of the chestnut in the first years grow very slowly, so before you grow a beautiful and large tree, will take 10-15 years. At this age the plant is very well tolerated transplant with a lump of earth. And at the age of 8-10 years old chestnut can be planted without a lump of earth. The main thing is to dig up the chestnut, while maintaining its root system. Also the plant should be watered abundantly. To plant a chestnut should be a mixture of soil, namely a mix of sod and leaf soil with sand. In the spring it is necessary to make fertilizer consisting of urea and mullein.

Chestnut is a water-loving tree, so it should be regularly watered, but if the summer was dry, watering should still be done profusely. When the soil weed, it must be loosened. The circle around the tree trunk need to be mulched with peat. The growth of the tree needs to release him from the dry branches. Before the beginning of winter, the young seedlings need the shelter of fallen leaves.


The beneficial properties of chestnut

Chestnut has a lot of nutrients, making is so widely used in folk medicine. Its beneficial properties are used in the venous stasis. In chestnut fruits contain biologically active substances, tannins, pectins, flavonoids and oils. With these componentsdecreases permeability of blood capillaries, blood viscosity is reduced. Drugs chestnut raise the tone of veins, so they are used for varicose veins, thrombophlebitis, ulcers tibia, and post-thrombotic condition.

Preparations based on chestnut fruits have analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects on the human body. Chestnut is used not only inside but also as a means for external use.

The use of chestnut

In many countries, the chestnut is used in traditional medicine. Infusion and decoction of chestnut have hemostatic and analgesic properties. A decoction of the bark of the chestnut is used as a means for internal or external use in the treatment of hemorrhoids, inflammation and chronic diseases of the bowel. The juice of the flowers of chestnut helps in the treatment of thrombophlebitis, hemorrhoids and atherosclerosis. A decoction of the skins of the fruit of the chestnut tree is used for uterine bleeding.

Infusion of the bark of the chestnut used in the treatment of different rheumatic diseases, varicose veins of the legs, wounds that heal slowly. The broth is made of dried nuts, used for inflammation of the upper respiratory tract. Fresh chestnut leaves help to cure whooping cough.

The bark and fruits of chestnut can be applied when the swelling and bleeding from the nose. A decoction of chestnut used internally and externally. For example, a decoction is used as a means for poultices for treatment of sores and boils.

Tincture of the dried flowers of the chestnut is recommended for the treatment of chronic dysentery or Qatar of the bladder. Due to the fact that a decoction or infusion of the plant contains tannins, it is used for burns and various wounds on the skin.


Application recipes chestnut

Traditional medicine uses chestnut in the form of decoctions, infusions, tinctures and fresh juice.

Medication for vascular disease of the. You can take fresh juice squeezed from the flowers of chestnut. It take 20-30 drops, diluted in advance of their tablespoon of water. More than two times per day juice of chestnut do not need to drink.

In this disease helps tincture of flowers chestnut. For its preparation you need to take 10 grams of dried flowers of chestnut and pour 250 ml of vodka, and then leave for 7 days to infuse. Finished tincture rubbed into the painful joints.

You can take a bath with a decoction of the fruit of the chestnut. Taking 500 gramschopped fruit chestnut (powder), and fill them 2.5 liters of water and put it on the fire for half an hour. Once strained the broth is ready, pour it into the tub.

Tincture chestnut for varicose veins. Take 50 grams of flowers of chestnut and pour 500 ml of vodka. Leave for 2 weeks in a dark place to infuse. Don't forget to occasionally shake the tincture. After straining the tincture drink 30 drops three times a day before meals (within 20 minutes). This treatment should be about a month. Except for internal use, you should use the ointment for external use.

Ointment chestnut for varicose veins. To prepare it take 25 grams powder of chestnut fruits, 5 grams powder of chamomile flowers, 5 grams of flowers and sage leaves. To this mixture is added 2.5 grams of potato starch and pour 100 grams of hot chicken fat. Put everything in a water bath for 2-2. 5 hours. Remove from the heat and leave for 12 hours to infuse. Then put all again in a water bath and bring to a boil. After heating, the composition is filtered and cooled. Ready ointment to lubricate the affected area 2-3 times a day.

Ointment for sciatica. Mix equal quantity of powder of the fruit of the chestnut, camphor oil (pig fat) and spread on a slice of black bread. This piece will attach to the sore spot and not take 3 hours.


Contraindications to the use of chestnut

Still the medicine is not revealed contraindications to the use of drugs chestnut. However before using them you need to consult with your doctor.