L'histoire
The horse chestnut is native to the Balkans and western Asia; it is found across the hemisphere, but was first discovered in the 16th century. A horse chestnut sapling was introduced in Constantinople in 1557. The ambassador of the Holy Empire to the Ottoman Gate offered a horse chestnut conker ready to germinate to Charles de l’Écluse, ambassador to Vienna, in 1576. From Austria, and probably via other routes, the chestnut tree spread across Europe. It was introduced in Paris in 1615, by a certain Monsieur Bachelier, who brought it from the East and planted in the courtyard of the Hôtel de Soubise. Charles de l’Écluse after Pierre Belon acclimatised it understanding that it had to be sown very early because the conker quickly lost its germination power.
Propriétés
The horse chestnut tree is very commonly used for circulatory problems. The bark contains numerous coumarinac heterosides including esculoside, which are known for their significant anti-inflammatory powers and major activity on congestive states of the vascular system. The bark of the horse chestnut tree also contains vitamin P, which increases capillary strength and reduces membrane permeability. This is the plant of the vascular circulatory system and its illnesses: heavy legs and haemorrhoids.
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