Aesculus indica - Indian Horse Chestnut

Habitat

Exposition

Plein soleil ou mi-ombre

Humidité

Humidité moyenne.

Sol

Tous sols. Nécessite un sol drainant.

pH

Sol acide ou calcaire

Rusticité

Zone 7

Habitat originel

Wet temperate forests and shady ravines to 3,000 metres[51, 243].

Origine géographique

E. Asia - North-western Himalayas.

Dangers connus

• The seed is rich in saponins [20, 65].
• 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 advisable to eat large quantities of food that contain saponins .
• Les saponines sont beaucoup plus toxique pour certains animaux, comme les poissons; des tribus de pêcheurs en ont traditionnellement mis de grandes quantitié dans les rivières et les lacs pour droguer ou tuer les poissons [K].

Comestibilité

• Graines - cuites .
• It can be dried, ground into a powder and used as a gruel [2, 63, 145, 146, 158].
• The seed is roasted then eaten in Nepal [272].
• It is also dried then ground into a flour and used with wheat flour to develop the flavour when making bread [272].
• The seed is quite large, about 35mm in diameter[194], and is easily harvested .
• Unfortunately it also contains toxic saponins and these need to be removed before it can be eaten .
• The seed is used as an emergency food in times of famine when all else fails [177].
• It is dried and ground into a powder, this is then soaked in water for about 12 hours before use in order to remove the bitter saponins and can be used to make a 'halva' [194].
• It is estimated that mature trees yield about 60kg of seeds per annum in the wild [194].
• See also the notes above on toxicity .

Usages médicinaux

• The seed is astringent, acrid and narcotic [272].
• An oil from the seed is applied externally in the treatment of skin disease and rheumatism [240, 243, 272].
• The juice of the bark is also used to treat rheumatism [272].
• A paste made from the oil cake is applied to the forehead to relieve headaches [272].
• The seed is given to horses suffering from colic [240, 243].
• It is also used as an anthelmintic on horses to rid them of intestinal parasites [272].

Autres usages

• Saponins in the seed are used as a soap substitute [169].
• The saponins can be easily obtained by chopping the seed into small pieces and infusing them in hot water .
• This water can then be used for washing the body, clothes etc .
• Its main drawback is a lingering odour of horse chestnuts [K].
• Wood - soft, close grained .
• Used for construction, cases, spoons, cups etc [145, 146, 158].

Culture

• Prefers a deep loamy well-drained soil but is not too fussy [1, 11, 200].
• Succeeds on chalk [11].
• Dislikes dry soils [11].
• This species does very well in south-west England, growing best in areas where the minimum temperatures do not fall below about -5°c [200].
• Young shoots in the spring can be cut back by late frosts in low-lying districts [11, 126].
• Trees cast quite a dense shade [194].
• Most members of this genus transplant easily, even when fairly large [11].

Propagation

• Seed - best sown outdoors or in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe [11, 80].
• The seed germinates almost immediately and must be given protection from severe weather [130].
• The seed has a very limited viability and must not be allowed to dry out .
• Stored seed should be soaked for 24 hours prior to sowing and even after this may still not be viable [80, 113].
• It is best to sow the seed with its 'scar' downwards [130].
• If sowing the seed in a cold frame, pot up the seedlings in early spring and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer .