Aesculus chinensis Chinese horse chestnut (Hippocastanaceae) Deciduous tree

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Aesculus chinensis
Chinese horse chestnut
Deciduous tree
(1 Page of 5)

The Aesculus chinensis plant species is found in E. Asia - N. China. It is a member of the Hippocastanaceae family. Common gardeners may know the plant as Chinese horse chestnut.

Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses
Medicinal | Edible Uses

Latin Name:  Aesculus chinensis
Common Name:  Chinese horse chestnut
Family:  Hippocastanaceae
Author:  Bunge.

Known Hazards:  The seed is rich in saponins. Although poisonous, saponins are poorly absorbed by the human body and so most pass through without harm. Saponins are quite bitter and can be found in many common foods such as some beans. They can be removed by carefully leaching the seed or flour in running water. Thorough cooking, and perhaps changing the cooking water once, will also normally remove most of them. However, it is not advisible to eat large quantities of food that contain saponins. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish[K].

Mature Height:  25   Mature Width:  10

Habitat:  Mountains of Szechuan[178]

Edible Uses: Seed - cooked. It can be dried and ground into a powder and used as a gruel. The seed is quite large, it can be 3cm in diameter, and is easily harvested. Unfortunately it is also rich in saponins, these must be removed before it can be used as a food and this process also removes many of the minerals and vitamins, leaving behind mainly starch. See also the notes above on toxicity. The following notes apply to A. californica, but are probably also relevant here:- The seed needs to be leached of toxins before it becomes safe to eat - the Indians would do this by slow-roasting the nuts (which would have rendered the saponins harmless) and then cutting them into thin slices, putting them into a cloth bag and rinsing them in a stream for 2 - 5 days[213].

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Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses
Medicinal | Edible Uses

The information above has been supplied solely via the hard work and dedication of the team at 'Plants for a Future'.
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