You may or may not suffer from them just yet, but one thing is certain. Everyone has seen varicose veins at one point or another in their life. If you have, then you know all too well that these veins can not only be unsightly but can also be painful as well.
But what exactly are they and how do you treat them? Well, today, we are going to take a close look at what causes varicose veins and what you can do to help alleviate their appearance a bit.
Varicose veins are enlarged and twisted veins, usually located on legs. Although heredity seems to play a role, excessive pressure on these veins is the leading cause of their enlargement. Varicose veins usually affect women and people who stand for extended periods on a regular basis.
The legs are the human body’s farthest extremity from the heart, which means pumping blood up from the leg to the heart against gravity requires extra effort.
The paired valves in veins responsible for the prevention of back flow usually fail once these veins lose elasticity and become dilated, which causes blood pooling in the veins and leads to their twisting and bulging.
Listed below are 17 simple, but effective natural options for varicose vein treatment.
1. Blood vessel shrinkage with Horse Chestnut
One of the most effective herbal remedies for multiple circulatory diseases including varicose veins is the Horse Chestnut, which is an extract obtained from Aesculus hippocastanum. The vasoprotective Aescin is the active ingredient here, and it helps to inhibit the enzymes that usually damage the walls of blood vessels.
Aescin has the ability to shrink or constrict body tissues, such as blood vessels, and can be used to obtain vasoconstriction. Horse Chestnut also contains blood-thinning properties that increase blood circulation and effectively minimize clotting in the varicose veins.
Although the direct application of Horse Chestnut’s bark to ulcers located on legs is possible, no part of this plant should be ingested in any form since it contains a toxic substance known as esculin.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar a day keeps the devilish varicose veins away
Apart from being a natural body cleansing product, Apple Cider Vinegar also enhances both blood circulation and flow, significantly minimizing the inflammation and heaviness associated with varicose veins.
Gently massage the affected area after applying undiluted Apple Cider Vinegar onto your skin over the varicose veins. Practice this routine on a daily basis, before and after sleeping, for several months.
You can also drink a mixture of two teaspoons of Apple Cider Vinegar with water twice daily for at least a month.
3. Achieve the extraction of varicose veins with grape seed extract
Grape seeds contain antioxidants such as vitamin E, linoleic acid, and several types of flavonoids, which prevent radical damage to blood vessel walls. These components also promote collagen formation, helping to maintain the connective tissues’ elasticity and strengthen blood vessel walls.
Grape seed can prevent fluid from leaking through veins as well as the swelling of legs associated with leakage. You can orally consume powdered grape seeds or grape seed oil. Using grapeseed oil topically also help to relieve pain and inflammation.
4. Mudpack away your pain and vein enlargement
The application of a mudpack to varicose affected legs often contributes to the minimization of vein enlargement and pain. Mixing fine clays such as Fuller’s earth with water makes the most suitable mudpacks.
Clay contracts while drying and causes a tightening effect and constricting dilated blood vessels, and enhancing the flow of blood. Clay also has a detoxifying effect and helps to draw impurities from both the blood vessels and skin.
Regardless of the fact that fine clay is usually considered sterile, the use of clay is however discouraged if ulcers complicate your varicose veins.
You can try an application of clay onto your varicose veins. If you see or feel any complications or pain, then you will want to stop and not proceed again until you have gotten the okay from your doctor.
5. Use cayenne pepper to protect your blood vessels
Cayenne pepper contains adequate amounts of vitamin C and flavonoids, which protect blood vessel walls from free radical damage while promoting the formation of collagen to keep the vessels healthy and elastic.
However, capsaicin, an analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and blood-thinning component, is the most potent component of cayenne pepper.
You can take cayenne pepper powder orally starting with small doses of half a teaspoon mixed with a cup of water, increasing the dose gradually up to one tablespoon.
6. Daily olive oil massages for improved blood circulation
When it comes to treating varicose veins, using olive oil to rub the affected area helps to increase blood flow, which reduces both pain and inflammation.
Slightly warm a mixture comprising of equal amounts of vitamin E oil and olive oil and use the warm mixture to massage your veins for a few minutes. Practice this routine twice a day for about two months.
You can also massage the affected area using a mixture comprising of two teaspoons of warm olive oil and four drops of cypress essential oil.
7. Enjoy a pine-barked extraction of pain and inflammation
Pine bark extract contains several phenolic acids, proanthocyanidins, and flavonoids, which notably reduce varicose veins and the associated inflammation. Pine bark extract relieves varicose vein symptoms including leg cramps and pains by improving blood circulation and reducing blood pressure.
Taking pine bark extract orally strengthens blood vessel walls and restores elasticity by binding together with the structural protein known as collagen.
8. Perform an effective detox using garlic
Apart from helping to break up harmful toxins and improving circulation, garlic also provides an excellent remedy for several other symptoms of varicose veins such as inflammation.
Put about six sliced garlic cloves, some freshly extracted orange juice, and two tablespoons of olive oil into a clean jar and allow the mixture sit for at least 12 hours.
In circular motions, use this mixture to massage inflamed veins for about five minutes and then use a cotton cloth to wrap the massaged area, leaving it on overnight. Repeat this routine every day for several months.
You can also integrate fresh garlic into your diet.
9. Itchy? Here is the pot marigold solution
Varicose veins can often cause itching, dermatitis, skin dryness, boils, eczema, and skin ulcers, all of which pot marigold offers an age-old remedy due to its anti-microbial properties as well as its ability to promote blood circulation.
You can soak in a warm bath consisting of pot marigold petals or infuse its petals in boiling water and then use the water for warm compresses. This herb contains anti-inflammatory properties effective for the reduction of inflammation and pain while promoting collagen formation to restore the skin’s natural texture.
10. Sweep out infections using butcher’s broom
This herb contains ruscogenins, which helps in the reduction of inflammation while effectively constricting blood vessels thanks to its anti-elastase and anti-inflammatory properties.
Note: do not take butcher’s broom if you suffer from either prostate hyperplasia or high blood pressure.
11. Gotu Kola
Dried Gotu Kola powder or its extract helps in the treatment of venous insufficiency when taken orally. It also minimizes inflammation, retention of water, and leakage from veins. This herb also contains triterpenoids, which strengthen blood vessels and increase blood flow.
By increasing blood flow to affected areas, topical application of Gotu Kola helps in the healing of ulcers, wounds, and dermatitis.
12. A cabbage poultice diet for varicose veins ulcers
The high sulfur contained in cabbage leaves destroys ferments in the blood, relieving ulcers and associated infections. Applying cabbage leaves onto varicose ulcers helps to cure such infections and also reduces pain and swelling.
Make a paste from cabbage leaves and apply this to the affected areas. Wrap a linen cloth around the affected body part after you apply the cabbage paste to hold it in place and also let your skin breathe.
You can also place a cabbage leaf on the affected area, leaving it there until it dries off before you use a fresh one.
13. Witch Hazel is quite unlike human witches
Apart from being an astringent, Witch Hazel also contains several essential oils and gallic acid, which help to reduce pain and inflammation. It also strengthens blood vessels.
Place a washcloth thoroughly soaked in witch hazel on the affected area about three times daily for two months. You can also add about 20 drops of distilled witch hazel to a tub filled with lukewarm water and soak your legs in this solution for 15 minutes twice daily for two months.
14. Afford yourself a flowery Helichrysum oil regeneration
Derived from Helichrysum flowers, this oil has proven effective for the treatment of varicose veins due to its anticoagulant, antispasmodic, and anesthetic properties, which help in the regeneration of nerves while reducing pain.
This oil works on the coagulated blood inside your veins, relieving discomfort. Massage your skin using about four drops of Helichrysum oil applied directly on your skin, particularly where varicose veins show up. Regular application of Helichrysum oil can gradually make varicose veins disappear.
15. The soothing and relieving joys of Chamomile oil
Chamomile contains compounds that are quite effective when it comes to soothing and relieving the heaviness and discomfort associated with throbbing veins. Varicose veins usually cause this throbbing sensation after affected persons have been on their feet for extended periods.
Use a mixture of chamomile oil and organic coconut oil to rub and massage your legs on a daily basis before bed.
16. Increase blood circulation while enjoying a gentle massage
Blood pooling in the veins makes for a major concern since it aggravates varicose veins by causing the expansion and twisting of the veins’ lax walls, which further impedes blood flow.
The development of blood clots is also a risk factor. Although keeping your legs slightly elevated while sitting and lying down enables the flowing of blood towards the heart, the administration of gentle massages offers a more active technique to increase blood circulation.
Gentle upward massage strokes are capable of smoothening out twisted veins to accelerate blood circulation. Use either coconut or olive oil for lubrication and refrain from applying pressure directly onto the bulging veins. The addition of several drops of peppermint or wintergreen provides a soothing effect.
17. Essential oils to the rescue
Combining the right essential oils and applying such a blend of oil to the affected area can help to improve blood flow and strengthen blood vessels, which significantly contributes towards curing varicose veins.
Mix three drops of chamomile oil, carrot seed oil, and lavender oil with one teaspoon of tincture and a cup of water. Soak a soft cloth in this mixture and wring it to drain any excess solution.
Place this compress on the affected area. Practicing this routine daily helps to reduce itching and broken varicose veins.
Get Rid of Your Varicose Veins Today!
As evidenced by the natural options for treating varicose veins in this article, you should not always opt for medical treatment before trying some of the remedies mentioned above.
You do not have to try every natural remedy mentioned in this article. For some people, you will find that one specific remedy works best for your varicose veins. For others, you will find that a mixture of different remedies is the way to go with your varicose veins. The best way to start is by picking one method that stands out to you the best. Then you can try on different methods as you progress.
We hope our list of the different ways you can fight off varicose veins has been helpful to you. Have you ever tried any of the methods we listed above? If so, be sure to share with us your experience in the comments section below. Also, if you know someone who is struggling with varicose veins, be sure to share this article with them as well.