Getting rid of varicose veins at home: pros and cons
The use of folk recipes aimed at strengthening blood vessels can act as an auxiliary method of combating pathology. Remember: before starting home therapy using folk remedies, you need to consult a phlebologist.
Expert opinion
Folk remedies for varicose veins have fewer contraindications than oral medications. When the products of their breakdown are eliminated from the body, this affects the state of detoxification systems, such as the kidneys and liver, to a lesser extent. However, it must be borne in mind that herbal medicines cannot be considered absolutely safe, since some of them have contraindications. Therefore, when choosing a method of treatment and prevention of varicose veins, it is necessary to consult a doctor.
Vascular surgeon, phlebologist
Osipova Ekaterina Yakovlevna
Among the disadvantages of traditional methods of treating varicose veins of the lower extremities, the following are noted:
- Effective only at the initial stage of the disease. If the disease has reached the stage of decompensation, it is impossible to cure it with folk remedies alone.
- The need for long-term and systematic use. The first results from compresses, baths and herbal decoctions are not immediately noticeable. The positive effect usually appears after a few months.
Dr. P.V. Evdokimenko about the treatment of varicose veins. Source - Dr. Evdokimenko
What traditional medicines are most often used to combat this disease? This is an alcoholic infusion of horse chestnut, compresses of apple cider vinegar, lotions with propolis, baths with honey, rubbing and massage with essential oils (mint, sage, tea tree, orange), decoctions and infusions of herbs (hop cones, aloe, crassula, chamomile and etc.)
Statistics of drugs for the treatment of varicose veins.
Treatment of varicose veins on the legs with folk remedies
When blood vessels are affected, the main goal of treatment is to stop the spread of the disease. For this, both medications and folk remedies can be used. At the same time, for safety, it is important to observe the measure, not exceeding the duration of therapy and the permissible dosage. Experts say that the use of folk remedies can help in the early stages of varicose veins. To achieve the effect, it is also recommended to take pills and do gymnastics. Only complex treatment prevents the development of pathology.
When choosing medicinal folk remedies, you need to buy only those that are easy to prepare. In addition, they must have no toxic effects and can be stored in the refrigerator for a long time. At the same time, many components are easy to grow yourself or purchase at the best price. Treatment of varicose veins at home with folk remedies helps:
- eliminate swelling;
- increase the elasticity of venous walls;
- reduce blood viscosity and speed up blood flow;
- normalize sagging valves.
Tinctures
The main element of all tinctures is vodka, so this method is unsafe. If there is damage to your legs, then you should choose another method of treating varicose veins. You can prepare special herbal infusions and use them internally. Herbs contain many useful substances that prevent vein thrombosis. Although the tincture is not a particularly popular remedy for varicose veins, it is considered effective. Most herbs should be brewed and taken as directed. Recipe for tincture with verbena for the treatment of varicose veins:
- you will need 1.5 tablespoons of dried herb;
- you need to pour boiling water (200 ml) over verbena;
- then you need to infuse the mixture for half an hour;
- The folk remedy should be taken every hour, 1 spoon.
Kalanchoe tincture
Kalanchoe tincture for varicose veins is considered one of the effective ones. Often white acacia or comfrey is also added to it. To prepare the solution, you need to cut off the leaves of the plants and place them in the cold for 5 days. Then the leaf should be crushed in a blender and filled with water. Next, you need to let the mixture brew for several days. Strain before use. The finished infusion should be rubbed into the sore spot 2 times a day for 3 months.
Compresses
Another affordable and effective method in the fight against varicose veins is a compress. It is very effective, and the patient can do it independently without the help of strangers. Often soda or clay is used for compresses. Another product against varicose veins is potatoes. To do this, several potato tubers need to be peeled and grated. The resulting mixture should be applied to the veins. The composition should be wrapped with several layers of gauze on top. The mixture must be applied for 4 hours. There are other recipes for preparing compresses for varicose veins.
Tomato compresses
Only green tomatoes are suitable for treating varicose veins. This folk remedy helps eliminate pain and has a venotonic effect. Treatment of varicose veins with tomatoes can last 3 weeks, then you need to take a week break. The tomato needs to be cut into two halves and applied to the vein. Leave it this way until a burning sensation occurs. Then the tomato should be removed and the area should be washed with cold water.
Rubbing
Rubbing from products that are always on hand will help improve the condition of varicose veins. Apple cider vinegar can strengthen the walls of blood vessels, tone the skin, and eliminate swelling. You can buy it in the store, but you should choose only a natural product. Vinegar (6%) should be used to wipe the area where there is a spider vein. You can not wash off the solution and leave it on the body until the next procedure.
In the treatment of varicose veins, the most popular remedy is horse chestnut tincture. To prepare it, you need to take the fruits of the tree with the peel, grind it in a meat grinder, put everything in a jar and fill half with alcohol or vodka. The tincture should be kept for a whole month in a dark place, the contents of the jar should be shaken several times a week. The resulting mixture should be rubbed on your feet 4 times a day.
Lemon
Many women have been using lemon to treat varicose veins for a long time. This product can be applied externally or taken as juice. Citrus has medicinal properties and is an excellent tonic. To use this property, you need to wipe the affected areas with lemon slices daily. In addition, you can prepare a citrus compress for varicose veins. To do this, several slices of lemon should be applied to the diseased veins, securing the top with a bandage. This bandage is worn throughout the day.
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Medicinal drinks
Treatment of varicose veins with folk remedies is not complete without the use of a special diet. The treatment method should begin with establishing the correct drinking regime. Many doctors advise taking a week-long course of a juice diet before starting to change your diet. The most effective drinks in the treatment of varicose veins are: juice from sea buckthorn, chokeberry, grapes, and currants. You should definitely drink lingonberry and cranberry juices. The ideal drink for the correct regime is compote.
Nettle tincture can also help in the treatment of varicose veins. It gives a rejuvenating effect. In addition, you can take lemon juice internally, which increases the elasticity of blood vessels. To make this drink yourself, you need to cut 6 lemons and squeeze the juice. Next, it must be poured into a glass container and mixed with three leaves of golden mouth, two glasses of honey, and five cloves of chopped garlic. The mixture should stand in a dark place for a whole week. You need to take medicine for varicose veins four times a day.
Apple vinegar
People who suffer from varicose veins often use apple vinegar for treatment. This product contains more than 20 minerals that are necessary for blood vessels. Regular use of the product helps improve blood circulation, relieve swelling, and strengthen venous walls. When purchasing apple cider vinegar, you should only choose a natural product that is made from fresh apples. When treating varicose veins, you should take a tablespoon of vinegar on an empty stomach, first diluting it with a glass of water. To eliminate all risks, you should consult your doctor.
There are contraindications for using apple cider vinegar:
- intestinal disease;
- lactation and pregnancy;
- kidney pathology;
- liver disease;
- stomach ulcer and gastritis.
Ointments
For varicose veins, ointments based on vegetable oils help well. As a rule, olive oil is often used for their preparation, because it contains arachidonic acid. To give the composition thickness, add animal fat to the cream. To make an ointment for varicose veins, it is also recommended to use wormwood, willow bark, wood lice, and celandine. You can take rich baby cream as a base and add fresh calendula petals to it. The prepared ointment should be applied in the evening to problem areas. In the morning, rinse with warm water. This method will help cure mild forms of varicose veins.
Based on chestnut
On the shelves of pharmacies you can find a huge number of ointments for varicose veins, but, as a rule, they all contain chemical components. Therefore, it is best to make an effective ointment at home. Treatment with horse chestnut preparations is especially effective. The fruits of this plant contain glycosides, which increase capillary permeability, improve blood circulation, and relieve inflammation.
To prepare a healing remedy for varicose veins, you will need 6 dry chestnut fruits and 2 tablespoons of flowers, crushed in a blender. Next, this mass should be filled with vegetable oil (1:10). The product must be kept in a dark place for 10 days. After the time has passed, the ointment for varicose veins should be boiled for 40 minutes and cooled. The resulting composition should be smeared on the affected areas 2 times a day.
Modern methods of combating varicose veins without surgery
The following methods are among the “non-surgical” ways to combat the disease:
- Sclerotherapy. It is a procedure in which a doctor uses a needle to inject a special sclerosing substance (in the form of liquid or foam) into a varicose vein. As a result, the vein walls “glue” together. The advantages of the method include its painlessness, no need for anesthesia, and short duration (the session lasts about 15 minutes). However, sclerotherapy is not indicated for everyone: it is not performed during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
- Radiofrequency ablation. A catheter is inserted into the affected area of the vein, through which a high-frequency electric current passes; the veins are glued together under the influence of thermal energy. As a result of ablation, the vessel is heated and obliterated and closed. The procedure is performed under local anesthesia.
- Laser coagulation. A laser light guide is inserted through a small puncture in the vein. When exposed to heat, the endothelium is damaged in the vein, causing the vein to become obliterated.
Treatment of varicose veins without surgery with leeches
How to choose the optimal therapy system
It should be taken into account that effective treatment of varicose veins of the legs with folk remedies requires, firstly, an integrated approach to solving the issue, and secondly, it involves the regular and constant use of the chosen methods.
First of all, you should choose the herbs that will be added to decoctions and baths, and also develop a nutritional plan suitable for patients with varicose veins. Most often, the patient is offered a vegetarian diet for up to a week to relieve the body and reduce the load on the blood vessels.
Next, you need to decide whether it will be possible to prepare your own ointment, cream, or whether it is better to make do with compresses, wraps and hydrotherapy. The course of treatment usually takes about a month, after which it is repeated or a different combination of procedures and components for them is selected.
Important! Preparing an ointment or cream is a very labor-intensive process that requires considerable experience and knowledge.
In order not to harm your health, it is best to purchase such products at a pharmacy or from a herbalist.
Treatment of varicose veins with leeches
Separately, it is worth highlighting the positive effect of hirudotherapy in the fight against vascular diseases. Leech saliva contains hirudin, a natural anticoagulant that thins the blood and prevents the formation of blood clots. Thanks to these properties of hirudin, applying leeches can reduce the symptoms of the disease (feelings of heaviness and bloating in the legs).
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However, hirudotherapy cannot directly affect the cause of the disease - the formation of varicose veins and disruption of the functioning of venous valves.
The best recipes for infusions and ointments
Many plants have long established themselves as effective folk remedies for varicose veins on the legs. There are a huge number of recipes from them, but there are also the most common ones, tested by many people whom they helped get rid of varicose veins of the legs.
Horse chestnut extract
A traditional method for strengthening veins, preventing the development of thrombophlebitis and normalizing blood consistency. It is part of many anti-varicose drugs. At home, both external and internal use of products with this plant is possible:
- For the tincture, you need to pour 50 g of finely chopped fruits with 0.5 liters of vodka. The mixture is then stored at room temperature for 2 weeks, away from light and stirring occasionally. Next, the tincture should be filtered and taken 40 drops 3 times a day. The course of admission is 21 days. The finished medicine is stored in a dark glass container.
- The ointment contains 300 mg of olive oil, 6 fruits and 2 tbsp. horse chestnut flowers, ground into powder. The mixture should be simmered in a water bath for an hour, allowed to cool and passed through a sieve. For the desired consistency, you can add any animal fat. The ointment is applied at night for 2-3 weeks, then the results are assessed and the course is repeated if necessary.
Medication method
An integrated approach to the treatment of this disease usually includes the prescription of medications for external use and/or oral administration. These agents have venotonic, anti-inflammatory, decongestant and antithrombotic properties.
Expert opinion
In most cases, phlebologists recommend products based on rutin, diosmin, saponins, coumarins, rutosides, oligomers, etc.
Vascular surgeon, phlebologist
Osipova Ekaterina Yakovlevna
What signs will indicate the onset of the disease?
At the first stage, it is quite difficult to recognize the disease. For this reason, a very small percentage of the population consults a doctor during this period, although this moment is optimal for treating varicose veins with folk remedies.
You should be wary if:
- my legs began to quickly get tired, become heavy and hurt;
- swelling appears often and does not go away for a long time or turns into pastiness - a condition in which the hole does not immediately straighten out when pressed with a finger on the swollen area;
- small vessels or even large veins have become noticeable; they may swell slightly along their entire length;
- The shins periodically cramp, most often at night, or frequent itching causes discomfort.
The appearance of such symptoms almost certainly means that varicose veins of the legs are developing, getting rid of which in this period of time is quite possible if you use treatment with folk remedies. Traditional medicine has long kept advice that tells how to get rid of varicose veins.
Important! Any medications have contraindications and must be prescribed on an individual basis, so they must be taken under the supervision of a doctor.
Effective compresses for varicose veins
Treatment is carried out with tinctures and decoctions, as well as compresses. They work no worse, but sometimes better. Below are compresses for varicose veins, reviews confirm that they work:
- tomato compress. The tomatoes are finely chopped, placed on gauze or a bandage, and then applied to the sore areas on the legs. To prevent the compress from slipping, you can wrap it with cling film or a bandage on top. The duration of the procedure is 2 hours, after which a fresh compress is applied and after that another one. Repeat the procedure daily;
- compress of fern leaves. If it is possible to find a plant, then you need to collect the leaves, grind them in a meat grinder or blender to squeeze the juice out of the resulting mass. Add sour milk to the juice, soak gauze in the liquid and apply it as a compress on your feet until the morning;
Water procedures, how to perform them and their benefits for the treatment of varicose veins
How to cure varicose veins? In addition to the generally accepted methods of getting rid of this disease, which are often recommended by experts, you can try to get rid of it on your own. Many people do not even know that sometimes even the most advertised drug cannot compare with water procedures. And the main thing is that this method is the simplest and most accessible means.
So, how to use water to treat this ailment:
- at the first opportunity it is necessary to pour cold water over the lower limbs;
- baths with cool water and chamomile decoction, an indispensable remedy in the fight against this disease;
- if it is not possible to use cold water, it is enough to wipe the affected areas with ice cubes;
- contrast shower is an excellent way to strengthen veins;
- The most effective and generally accepted method in the fight against varicose veins is swimming in a river or pond.
If you use the above methods at the initial stage of development of this disease, then, as a rule, a person can forget about varicose veins forever. The most important thing is to start treatment in a timely manner. Is it possible to get rid of this disease only by adjusting the diet?
First of all, it is impossible to cure varicose veins of the lower extremities only by changing your diet. But at the same time, a review of one’s own diet is a prerequisite for the treatment of this disease. Why so, everything is very simple.
The fact is that excess weight can overload the veins, as a result the disease begins to progress. It is for this reason that nutritional adjustments are the most important condition for successful treatment.
If this disease has been identified, then the fight against it begins with the goal of eliminating the following products:
- spicy seasonings;
- fatty and salty foods;
- smoked meats;
- confectionery;
- alcohol.
During the treatment of this defect, it is imperative to include vegetables and fruits in the daily diet. In addition, if a person is overweight, it is necessary to perform exercises that will gradually reduce weight.
It is important to understand that only a set of measures will help you completely get rid of varicose veins at home. Do not forget that this disease is very dangerous due to severe complications, so therapy should be started as early as possible.
Is it possible to get rid of varicose veins using traditional methods?
You can get rid of varicose veins at home using folk remedies. As you know, this disease is as old as our world, which is why hundreds of different methods have been invented to combat it.
One such way to fight is apple cider vinegar. Not many people know that this liquid has such useful components as:
- cellulose;
- iron;
- potassium and calcium;
- amino acids and hydrochloric acid.
It is precisely for its extraordinary composition that apple cider vinegar is a very effective remedy. How is defective vein enlargement treated at home using this remedy? There are several of the most effective methods, which we will consider in detail below.
Method No. 1
For 3 liters of cool water, add 3 tbsp. spoons of apple cider vinegar, mix everything thoroughly, pour the resulting liquid over your feet for 10 minutes. Then, remove your feet from the bath and let the remaining water dry; wiping with a towel is not recommended.
The course of treatment with vinegar water should last a month. As a rule, this time is enough to forget about varicose veins forever. The main thing is to take such a bath every day before bed.