Cosme-Phytami™ Horse Chestnut

Native to mountain woods in the Balkans and western Asia, this tree is cultivated in temperate regions world-wide. The species name, hippocastanum, comes from the Latin hippos, 'horse', and castanum, 'chestnut', as it was believed to cure all horse ailments. Decoctions of the bark are traditionally used for ulcerations and skin diseases, and the seeds for gastritis and enteritis. In folk medicine, the flowers are used as a tonic and astringent, and the leaves as a bechic. The medicinal use of chestnut bark had fallen into oblivion when the Napoleonic wars forced the search for a substitute for cinchona, which had become scarce and expensive, among indigenous products to combat malarial fever. Chestnuts are also traditionally used for domestic purposes. The liquid obtained by macerating them has been used to bleach linen and to make soap. Its flour is used to produce an excellent wood glue whose bitterness keeps rodent insects away. A necklace of chestnuts hung in a cupboard keeps the wool away from moths.