More Quack Cures for Varicose Veins
This herb is rich in allantoin which supposedly accounts for the healing properties of the plant. No controlled studies, however, support this claim. Moreover, comfrey is potentially toxic. It contains small amounts of pryrrolizidine alkaloids which can cause cancer. Internal use of this herb should be avoided.Apart from its lack of nutritional and medicinal benefits, comfrey has been shown to be toxic. It can cause cancer in the liver of rats and contains the toxic substance called pyrrolizidine alkaloids, especially in the small, young leaves early in its growing season," said Prof. Arnold Bender, vice president of the International Union of Food Science and Technology in Health or Hoax?
Butcher"s broom (Ruscus aculaetus) is touted as a circulatory tonic" which sweeps away varicose veins. This herb, which is also known as sweet broom, knee holly and box holly, appears to have a mild diuretic action which may reduce the swelling of varicose veins. But more scientific studies are needed to determine this. What"s more, butcher"s broom can cause high blood pressure and should be avoided.
Bioflavonoids are yellow pigments found in plants. There are at least 500 different varieties but two of these, namely, rutin and hesperidin, otherwise known as vitamin P, are the most popular. Since they are almost chemically similar to vitamin C, bioflavonoids have been promoted as effective in treating fragile blood vessels seen in scurvy. This led to their promotion for varicose veins.
In 1968, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration withdrew these products from the market after a review panel of the National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council concluded that bioflavonoids have no known use in humans and could not be recommended for any condition.
They cannot be considered vitamins because they have no established role in human nutrition and dietary shortage of bioflavonoids does not produce deficiency symptoms, said Drs. Harold M. Silverman, Joseph A. Romano and Garl Elmer in The Vitamin Book.
"Although bioflavonoids may be needed for lower forms of life, there is no established need for them in humans," added dietitians Annette Natow and Jo-Ann Heslin in The Pocket Encyclopedia of Nutrition.
Desperate patients looking miracles may turn to vitamin E for the treatment of varicose veins. Again it wont work, so don"t waste your money on supplements. Vitamin E does relieve intermittent claudication, a painful condition caused by narrowed arteries in the legs. But it has no effect on varicosities which are enlarged, swollen veins. Anyone experimenting with megadoses of vitamin E should be warned that it causes weakness, blurred vision and hypertension. (Next: Ways to remove varicose veins.)
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