The human upright posture is considered to be the reason of the chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), which is the syndrome of impaired blood backflow from lower extremity veins. A number of factors contribute to the onset and progression of the disease: hereditary background, female gender, pregnancy, poor physical activity, excessive weight, etc.
CVI treatment is based on 4 major therapeutic strategies:
- changing the way of life;
- conservative treatment;
- wearing compression garments;
- surgical interventions.
Conservative therapy is the most popular treatment method with a vast evidence basis. The CVI therapy should be combined (depending on the stage, it should include the effect on the lymphatic system, correction of microcirculatory and hemoreologic disorders, etc.); its obligatory components at all stages of the disease are medicines with a phlebotropic effect.
Horse chestnut extract venotonics hold a special place in the arsenal of medicinal agents.
The horse chestnut seed extract contains over 20 active substances – bioflavonoids (quercetine and kaempferol), proanthocyanidin A2 (antioxidant) and fraxin, coumarins and esculin. Escin is the main active ingredient of the horse chestnut seed extract.
Hallmark studies and practical observations have confirmed that escin prevents the destruction of mucopolysaccharides in the cell wall, reduces the vascular permeability thus disabling the egress of water, proteins and electrolytes into tissues and, subsequently, prevents the edema development. In clinical terms, it improves the sense of well-being, removes itching, pain, and reduces the feeling of heavy legs, tiredness and edema.
