Beautiful Legs!

This time of year, whilst the sun is shining so beautifully, our natural instinct is to get out our summer shorts and skirts to stay cool. But what about our legs? What sort of state are they in? Hairiness and dry skin can be dealt with in the conventional way, if you should choose to, but what about those unsightly visible or varicose veins?

Depending on the severity of the problem, there are herbal remedies that may help. The main herbal treatment for varicose veins in the herb world is Horse chestnut seed extract, which has been in use for this for many years. It can be applied externally as a cream or taken internally. Research has shown that it actively strengthens the integrity of the blood vessel walls (veins), this helps to reduce leakage into the surrounding tissue, thus reducing fluid swelling in the lower legs and reducing likelihood of varicosing. It has been shown that applying the cream really does get absorbed into the right place.

There is such a thing as varicose eczema, which is related and can be most uncomfortable indeed. A cream containing Horse chestnut, witch hazel and calendula may be the right solution, just apply externally at least twice daily. This treatment may not remove large, bulging veins, but it may well stabilise them, so there is a slowing of the deterioration.

Horse chestnut can also be added to the bath and works well for tired legs, a common effect of veins under pressure. Give your veins a rest by putting your feet up in the evening, allow a bit of gravity to help.

Incidentally, you may not know that varicose veins are the same as haemorrhoids, but in a different place and that avoiding constipation can actually help with both!

As always, keeping your body hydrated will also lower the pressure your veins are under, so keep drinking fluids throughout the summer and beyond.

Lastly, vitamin C and Rutin are supplements used to support veins.