Natural anti-inflammatory for chronic venous insufficiency (CVI): A meta-analysis including 13 randomized controlled trials suggests that horse chestnut seed extract (HCSE), found to have anti-inflammatory effects, may be useful in the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), a condition in which the veins do not return blood from the legs to the heart well and is associated with leg swelling, leg pain, and itching. Findings show that compared to placebo, HCSE reduced leg volume by 46.4 ml, increased the chances of improving leg pain (4.5 times), edema/swelling (1.5 times), and itching (1.7 times). Serious side-effects were not reported. (4)
