External Treatments for Varicose Veins:
- Fresh grape leaves (infusion or compress paste).
- Fresh lilac leaves (apply as a leaf wrap secured to the leg for a day).
- Compresses with milk whey applied overnight; rinse off with cold water in the morning.
- Ground horse chestnut leaves as a compress; fresh chestnut flowers are even more effective but have a short shelf life.
- Slices of ripe red tomatoes applied to the varicose nodes for 3–5 hours.
- White cabbage leaves as a compress.
- Apple cider vinegar-soaked cloths applied to swollen veins, wrapped with a towel, and held for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Apply cedar oil to the veins.
- Massage the legs with a tincture of kalanchoe leaves for 3–4 months.
- Use tinctures of birch buds for painful nodes and white acacia flowers to reduce vein thickening.
Internal Treatments for Varicose Veins:
- Cedar nuts, eggplants, red grapes, and nutmeg mixed with honey (1 tsp ground nutmeg in a cup of boiling water, steep, add 1 tbsp honey, and drink twice a day on an empty stomach).
- Infusion of hazel leaves (1 tbsp of raw material per cup of boiling water; steep overnight and drink half a cup 30 minutes before meals three times a day).
- Tincture of horse chestnut flowers or crushed fruits (50g of raw material in 0.5L of vodka; steep for 2 weeks and take 30–40 drops three times daily).
- Infusion of nettle leaves (1 cup twice daily for a month).
- Propolis (4–5g three times daily, chewing slowly an hour before meals).
Foot Baths for Varicose Veins Treatment
Take foot baths 2–3 times a week for 20–30 minutes at 35–37°C, with a course of 15 sessions. These baths alleviate leg pain and have a soothing effect.
- Sage baths (250ml sage extract per 10 liters of water).
- Baths with decoctions of oak bark or willow bark.
- Baths with a decoction of marsh cudweed (100g of raw material per 5 liters of boiling water, steep for 10 hours).
- Garlic baths (crush garlic, wrap in cheesecloth, boil for 5 minutes in 2 liters of water, dilute with 4 liters of water, and alternate between hot and cold baths: 2 minutes in hot, 30 seconds in cold. Repeat for 20 minutes, ending with a cold bath. Use once a week).
- Salt baths (20 minutes at 36–38°C, every other day).
- A cool shower with strong water pressure (like a massage) from the toes to mid-thigh for 5 minutes daily.
Diet for Varicose Veins
Vitamins C and P (rutin, citrin) are vital for veins, as they restore the elasticity of blood vessel walls, strengthen capillaries, and reduce their fragility. Include foods rich in these vitamins:
- Vitamin C: black chokeberry, rose hips, black currants, elderberries, red bell peppers, citrus fruits, horseradish, sea buckthorn, parsley, and dill.
- Vitamin P: currants, chokeberry, buckwheat, citrus peels, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, grapes, apricots, hazelnuts, sea buckthorn, figs, green salads, parsley, cilantro, cabbage, tomatoes, and bell peppers.
Vegetarians can follow this diet with ease. For those who include animal proteins, pair meats with plenty of greens and fresh vegetables. Seafood is especially beneficial, such as mussels, squid, shrimp, and seaweed, which contain elastin to strengthen blood vessels and reduce deformation risk.
Hirudotherapy for Varicose Veins
Leech therapy is a proven remedy for varicose veins. The enzyme hirudin, released during leech bites, improves vessel tone and elasticity, thins the blood, activates capillary circulation, heals damaged tissues, reduces vascular inflammation, and dissolves clots. Hirudotherapy is effective for varicose veins and complications.
Bee Sting Therapy for Varicose Veins
Bee venom therapy (apitherapy) can also treat varicose veins but is not suitable for everyone, especially given the prevalence of allergies. Bee stings are more likely to cause allergies than leech bites. Always prioritize safety and begin with minimal exposure to test tolerance.