Most often, varicose veins affect the lower extremities, since they experience enormous stress and are the parts of the body most distant from the heart muscle.Treatment for varicose veins should begin as early as possible.Treatment with folk remedies for varicose veins on the legs is not a replacement for medications and surgical treatment, but it helps to improve the patient’s condition.How to cure varicose veins of the lower extremities using traditional medicine?This question can be answered only by approaching the problem comprehensively.
General information about varicose veins
With varicose veins of the legs, deformation and expansion of the veins occurs.The causes of this pathology are excessive physical activity, pregnancy, weight gain, congenital pathologies of the vascular system, and a sedentary lifestyle.In this case, the venous outflow of blood is disrupted, resulting in a change in the configuration of the veins.
The earliest sign of varicose veins is spider veins that appear in the thigh area.Another early symptom of the disease is the presence of edema.Since edema can be a consequence of various diseases of the cardiovascular and urinary systems, it is necessary to exclude their presence.
The most serious sign of pathology is pain in the lower extremities.It is pulling, aching, and often appears after prolonged straining of the leg muscles, in the evening.At night, patients suffer from cramps in the calf muscles and a feeling of heaviness.A clear sign of pathology is the visual identification of altered veins (thickening, nodes, tortuosity).
If these symptoms appear, you should contact a phlebologist.He will prescribe treatment and give appropriate recommendations.Treatment of varicose veins with folk remedies should also be discussed with your doctor; you should not self-medicate.Traditional medicine offers more than one method of treating this pathology, but only the attending physician can choose the right option, based on diagnostic data and the patient’s complaints.Each person will have their own individual treatment schedule.
Properties that folk remedies should have
Folk remedies for varicose veins on the legs can have both general and local effects.Herbal healing is quite versatile and is used in many areas.But herbs for varicose veins on the legs must have certain properties:
- a folk remedy for varicose veins based on medicinal plants should help improve the condition of the walls of blood vessels;
- the medicine should relieve inflammation;
- contain components that thin the blood, as this helps improve blood flow throughout the body;
- a traditional medicine drug should prevent the formation of blood clots;
- The herbs used for varicose veins must have a diuretic effect, this is necessary to reduce tissue swelling.
There are many folk recipes for varicose veins, but they must meet certain requirements so that they can be used at home:
- The herbs used for varicose veins should not have a negative effect on the body.
- The products can be easily used independently and are simple to prepare.
- The herbal mixture can be stored in the refrigerator for a certain period of time.
- Folk remedies for treating varicose veins are inexpensive.
Diet therapy
Traditional methods of treating varicose veins are varied, one of them is diet therapy.This type of treatment is a general technique.Patients with varicose veins of the lower extremities are prescribed a certain diet.And before starting treatment of varicose veins on the legs with folk remedies, it is necessary to follow the so-called fasting diet.
Bakery and confectionery products, meat, fish, caffeine-containing and alcoholic drinks should be excluded from the diet.The diet should consist of fruits and vegetables.Two days later, buckwheat and rice porridges are introduced.
This diet is recommended to be used every month for 2 or 3 days.
General treatments
To treat varicose veins, general methods are used (baths, infusions, decoctions, tinctures), which help improve blood circulation and have a positive effect on the body as a whole.
How to treat this disease with baths?First you need to familiarize yourself with the contraindications:
- Trophic ulcers.
- Thrombophlebitis.
Baths can be either shared or foot baths.The water temperature should not exceed 39 degrees (that is, when checking the temperature, the hand must be patient).Take a bath for 30–40 minutes.
Medicinal plants such as chamomile, hazelnut (leaves), pine (shoots), clover, willow and oak (twigs) help against varicose veins.
You can use baking soda to prepare a bath.A full bath will require a standard pack of soda, but to prepare a foot bath you need to take 6 liters of water and 7-8 tablespoons of soda.
A bath of willow, duda and chestnut branches, as well as string herbs, chamomile or St. John's wort has a good healing effect.You need to take 0.5 kilograms of twigs and boil them for 30 minutes.Then you need to add medicinal herbs (4 packs) to this solution.This medicinal decoction is infused all night.
A bath of willow twigs is very easy to make; you just need two handfuls of twigs per three liters of water, boil the mixture for 30 minutes.
Baths for varicose veins of the legs are treated for a long time, over several months.
After the baths, it is recommended to do a light stroking massage for the legs, starting from the bottom and moving up.After that, you need to put on compression garments and give your legs an elevated position.
We treat varicose veins with folk remedies, what herbs to drink?Treatment of varicose veins with herbs is also carried out using dosage forms for oral use.The easiest way to prepare a decoction at home is using a thermos.It should be strained before use.
To thin the blood for varicose veins, the following is used:
- Horse chestnut fruit.You need to take 50 grams of fruit peel and 0.5 liters of vodka.The tincture is kept in a dark place for 14 days.Take one teaspoon of tincture before meals with water.
- Sweet cloverIt thins the blood well, but it should be used with caution and after consulting a doctor.An infusion or tea can be made from this medicinal plant.
- White willow(bark) promotes blood thinning due to the salicin content in the composition.You can make tea from the bark.
Take a soda solution inside.For 200 milliliters of warm water you need to take one teaspoon of soda.You should drink the solution in the morning and before bed.
Nettle tea.For half a liter of boiling water, take 3 tablespoons of dried nettle leaves.Infuse the tea for 30 - 40 minutes, after which you can drink it (80 - 100 milliliters after meals).
Garlic with honey is a good remedy for treating this pathology.Honey - 350 grams and garlic - 250 grams are crushed, mixed and infused for 10 days.Use one tablespoon 30 minutes before meals.
Treatment of varicose veins with local effects
In this case, the therapeutic effect is aimed only at pathologically altered veins.At home you can prepare cream, lotions, compresses, ointment.
Various juices are used in treatment:
- Potato juice helps in treating ulcers.The potatoes should be grated on a fine grater to obtain a paste-like mass.This mass is applied to the affected areas of the skin; a bandage must be applied over it.This compress needs to be changed every 5 hours.
- Apple cider vinegar will help improve the tone of the vascular walls; it is applied to areas affected by varicose veins twice a day (morning and evening).
- Cabbage juice has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.It is best to apply a leaf of white cabbage to the limb at night.
- Compress with tomatoes.The tomato (necessarily green) is cut into slices, which are used to line the pathologically altered veins.They are fixed on the limb with a bandage.The compress should be changed after 4 hours.
- Lotions with hops.Hop cones in the amount of 1 tablespoon are poured with 200 milliliters of boiling water and infused.Lotions are made with the resulting infusion.
Tinctures for the treatment of varicose veins:
- Alcohol tincture with Kalanchoe.The leaves must be cut from the plant and kept in the cold for a week.After which these leaves are crushed (passed through a meat grinder) and poured with vodka.The composition is infused for seven days.The tincture must be strained and stored in the refrigerator.
- Crushed green walnuts are infused in olive oil.The composition stays in the sun for 40 days, after which it can be applied topically.
- Leaves and inflorescences of horse chestnut are brewed like tea with boiling water and compresses are made.
- An alcohol tincture with birch tree buds and white acacia flowers is infused for 7 days.Used for application to diseased areas of the skin.
At home, you can even make an ointment for varicose veins.Herbal medicines in the form of ointments penetrate very well under the skin and eliminate the symptoms of the disease.Fat of animal (chicken) and vegetable (vegetable oils) origin is used as the basis for the preparation of such a dosage form.High concentration decoctions of medicinal herbs are added to the melted base.Mix all ingredients, keeping them on low heat for 5 minutes.
The following medicinal herbs can be added to the ointment base: chamomile, eucalyptus, lemon balm, fir, celandine, calendula.You can use either one component or a combination of several herbs.
Homemade ointment should be stored in the refrigerator to prevent it from spoiling.This product is applied to the skin in a thick layer; it must be rubbed into the skin.On top of the ointment you need to apply special paper (compress) and a bandage.It is more advisable to make such a compress before bedtime.
Contraindications
Alternative treatment also has a sufficient number of contraindications and side effects.If a person has diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, then he needs to be careful about oral medications.All solutions are quite concentrated, so they can lead to exacerbation of chronic pathology of the digestive tract.
Natural remedies can lead to the development of allergic reactions (urticaria, Quincke's edema, anaphylactic shock).When the first signs of allergy appear, you must stop taking the medications and consult a specialist.
Improper administration or preparation of medications can lead in some cases to poisoning.
Prevention of varicose veins
- Physical education plays an important role in the treatment and prevention of this disease.People prone to developing varicose veins, as well as those with symptoms of the disease, are advised to exercise in moderation.Walking, running and swimming help improve blood circulation.Walking 3 kilometers or more is an excellent preventative measure in this case.
- Much attention should be paid to nutrition.The diet should contain a lot of fruits and vegetables, foods rich in phosphorus, B vitamins and potassium.Cherries can prevent the formation of blood clots, so you should include them in your daily diet.
- Refusal of bad habits and heavy foods (fatty, spicy, fried foods).
- A contrast shower improves vascular tone.
- Rest your feet, wear comfortable shoes.At the end of the day, the legs should be allowed to rest; after a contrast shower, the legs should be elevated.