마로니에 나무 열매 (말밤)의 독성에 대해

[과천거사]

공원이나 도로변 가로수로 많이 심어져 있는 마로니에 나무 열매 생김새가 마치 밤을 닮았더군요. 영어로는 'Horse chestnut' 이라해서 직역하면 '말밤'입니다. 마치 밤처럼 생겨서 구워먹고 싶은 생각도 드는데 ^^... 인터넷에서 마로니에 나무 열매를 검색해보면 독성이 있다고 하며 호기심에 먹었다가 두드러기가 생겨서 혼났다는 글도 있었습니다. 그래서 호기심에서 인터넷을 검색해 봤습니다. 외국에선 이 열매를 어떻게 이용하는지 궁금하더군요. ^^

마로니에 나무 잎사귀는 7가닥이라고 해서 칠엽수라 불립니다. 물론 입사귀 갯수는 6개, 8개도 있습니다. 일본산과 유럽산이 있는데, 일본산은 그냥 칠엽수라고 하고, 유럽산은 서양칠엽수라 부릅니다. 우리나라엔 일본산 칠엽수가 많이 심어져 있다 하며, 잎사귀 뒷면에 털이 있고, 열매에 가시가 없는 것이 특징입니다.

마로니에 나무와 열매

외국에서 판매되고 있는 마로니에 씨앗 (말밤) 추출물

Horse Chestnut (말밤, 마로니에 나무 열매)

Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine | 2005 | Schonbeck, Joan | COPYRIGHT 2005 The Gale Group, Inc. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

 

Horse chestnut

Description

The European horse chestnut, Aesculus hippocastanum, is the horse chestnut most frequently used in herbal medicine. It is a member of the Hippocastanaceae family. Horse chestnuts are in an entirely different botanical family from the well-known sweet chestnut tree, Castanea vesca. Horse chestnuts exist in nature as both a tree and a shrub, and are found in all temperate regions of Europe, Asia, and North America.

유럽산 마로니에 나무 열매 (말밤)은 약초 의학에서 가장 널리 사용되고 있는 말밤입니다. 이것은 Hippocastanaceae 과(科)의 하나입니다. 말밤은 잘 알려진 달콤한 말밤, Castanea vesca 하고 완전히 다른 식물종입니다. 말밤은 자연계에서 나무(교목)와 관목으로 존재하며, 유럽, 아시아 그리고 북미의 모든 온도 영역에서 발견됩니다.

There are 15 recognized species of horse chestnut. The European horse chestnut is believed to have originated in the Balkan region of eastern Europe but is now grown in every country in the Northern Hemisphere.

지금까지 알려진 말밤은 15종이 있습니다. 유럽산 말밤의 원산지는  동유럽 발칸지역으로 믿어집니다만, 오늘날에는 북반구 전역에서 자라고 있습니다.

The name Aesculus is actually a misnomer, coming originally from the word esca, meaning food. It was applied by ancient peoples to a certain species of oak; somehow the name was transferred over the years to the horse chestnut. The name hippocastanum is thought to refer to the horse chestnut's ability to heal horses and cattle of respiratory illnesses. Another possibility may be that it is named for the small horseshoe-like markings that are present on the branches of the horse chestnut tree.

Horse chestnut trees grow in nearly any soil but seem to prefer a sandy loam. They grow very rapidly into tall straight trees that can reach heights of over 100 ft (approximately 30 m) tall, with widely spreading branches. The bark is grayish-green or grayish-brown in color, and the tree limbs are thick and have corky, elongated, wart-like eruptions that appear from a distance like ribbing. The interior of horse chestnut bark is pinkish-brown, with fine lines running its length. It is odorless and its taste is very bitter and astringent.

The characteristic horseshoe markings found on the branches are actually the scars from where leaves previously grew. Horse chestnut wood is seldom if ever used for lumber due to its soft and spongy character. Large leaf and flower buds are clearly visible even during winter months but are encased in a scaly, resinous protective covering that prevents damage from frost or damp. This thick sticky coating melts with the beginning of warm weather in spring, and flowers and leaves appear with remarkable rapidity, usually within three to four weeks.

The leaves are dark green, rough in texture, and large, with minutely serrated edges. Horse chestnut leaves can be nearly 1 ft (0.3 m) in length. They somewhat resemble a hand with five to nine leaf sections emerging from a palm-like base to form the finger-like projections. European horse chestnuts produce clusters of white flowers with a pale scarlet tinge at the throat or yellow mottling. American horse chestnut flowers can be white, pale pink, or yellow, depending upon the species. All types of horse chestnut trees, with their graceful wide limbs and showy flowers, are grown for their ornamental beauty.

The fruit of the horse chestnut is a dark brown smooth-surfaced nut approximately 2 in (5 cm) in diameter. It has a polished appearance except for the rounded dull tan-colored scar on the side that was attached to the seed vessel. Horse chestnuts are encased in a light green spine-covered coating that divides into three parts and drops away prior to the nut dropping from the tree. Horse chestnut nuts contain mostly carbohydrates which are generally indigestible until boiled. They also contain saponins, tannin, flavones, two glycosides, aesculin and fraxin, some crude protein, a fatty oil, ash and water.

Horse chestnuts native to North America are called buckeyes because of their large seeds which resembling the eye of a buck, or male deer.

American horse chestnuts are divided into four types:

• Ohio buckeye, or Aesculus glabra, is a medium-sized tree which grows from the southern United States to the prairies of western Canada. It is the state tree of Ohio, hence the state's nickname of the Buckeye State.
• Yellow buckeye, Aesculus octandra, or Aesculus flava, is a tree which grows to heights of 40 ft (12 m) or more. It is fairly common across the central portion of the United States. Its leaves are somewhat smoother than those of other horse chestnuts.
• Red buckeye, or Aesculus pavia, is a shrub or small tree that generally is found in the southern United States. In early summer it develops brilliantly scarlet flowers in large clusters, and has dense foliage. The tree species of red buckeye grows to heights of between 15–20 ft (5–7 m) tall.
• California buckeye, or Aesculus californica, is a horse chestnut tree found all along the Pacific coast.

General use (일반 용도)

Horse chestnuts have been used as fodder for feeding farm animals, and some Native American peoples have included them in their diet. However, the outer covering of the horse chestnut nut is toxic, and the nut itself has to be boiled prior to being eaten safely. Its wood, which is too soft for furniture-making or construction, is used in building crates and other packing cases.

마로니에 나무열매 (말밤)은 농장의 동물을 먹이기 위한 사료로 사용되어 왔습니다. 일부 북미 원주민들은 이것을 다이어트 식품으로 먹었습니다. 그러나 말밤의 겉껍질은 독성이 있습니다. 그래서 밤 그 자체는 안전하게 먹기전에 반드시 끓여야 합니다. 마로니에 나무의 목질은 가구를 만든다든지 또는 건축자재로 사용하기엔 너무 부드럽기에 나무상자 및 포장용도로 사용되고 있습니다.

Both the bark and the fruit from horse chestnut trees are used medicinally to strengthen and tone the circulatory system, especially the venous system. It is used both internally and externally to treat varicose veins, phlebitis , and hemorrhoids. Horse chestnut preparations are particularly effective in treating varicose ulcers. Due to its ability to improve circulation, it is also helpful for the relief of leg cramps. Its bark also has narcotic and fever-reducing properties. A compound known as aescin, which is present in the horse chestnut fruit, is now often added to external creams and preparations used for the treatment of varicose veins , varicose ulcers, bruises, and sports injuries.

말밤의 껍질과 열매는 의학적으로 혈액순환계, 특히 정맥계를 강화하고 정상으로 돌리는데 사용되고 있습니다. 이것은 비정상적으로 부푼 정맥, 정맥염을 치료하는데 복용하거나 외용으로 사용되고 있습니다. 말밤 처방은 비정상적으로 부푼 정맥 병근을 치료하는데 특히 효과가 있습니다. 혈액순환을 좋게하는 효능으로 인하여 다리의 경련을 풀어주는데 또한 유용합니다. 말밤의 껍질은 또한 마취성분이 있고 열을 낮추는 성질을 갖고 있습니다. 아에신(aescin) 이라 알려진 화합물, 이것은 말밤 열매에 존재하는데, 오늘날에는 비정상으로 부푼 정맥을 치료하기 위한 외용 크림이나 처방에 종종 첨가됩니다.  

Horse chestnut preparations using the seed, bark, twigs, and leaves are all utilized in traditional Chinese medicine. Chinese herbalists consider horse chestnut to be a part of treatment not only for circulatory problems, but use it as an astringent, as a diuretic, for reduction of edema or swelling, to reduce inflammation, as an expectorant in respiratory problems, and to fight viruses.

말밤의 씨앗,  껍질, 작은가지 그리고 잎사귀, 이 모든 것을 사용한 처방은 전통적인 한의학에서 이용되고 있습니다. 중국의 한약자는 말밤이 혈액순환계통의 문제를 치유하는데 사용되는 약재의 하나일뿐만 아니라 부종이나 종기를 가라앉히기 위한 이뇨제로써, 흥분을 가라앉히기 위한 수렴제로써, 호흡기 계통에 문제가 있을 때 거담제로써 사용하고 있습니다.

Preparations (처방)

Horse chestnut bark is removed in the spring in strips 4 or 5 in (10–13 cm) long, about 1 in (2.5 cm) thick and broad. The fruit of the horse chestnut is gathered in the autumn, when they fall from the tree. Both the bark and the fruit are dried in sunlight or with artificial heat, and are either kept whole or ground to a powder for storage. A decoction made of 1 or 2 tsp of the dried, pulverized bark or fruit left to simmer for 15 minutes in 1 cup of water can be either taken internally three times a day or used externally as a lotion. Horse chestnut preparations are also available as tinctures, extracts, capsules, and external ointments and lotions.

말밤 껍질은 봄철에 길이 4내지 5인치(10-13cm), 폭과 두께는 1인치(2.5cm) 정도로 하여 띠모양으로 제거됩니다. 말밤 열매는 가을철에 나무에서 떨어졌을 때 모아둡니다. 껍질과 열매는 햇볕이 쪼이는 곳에서 말리거나 인공적으로 열을 가해서 말립니다. 그리고 저장을 위해 이상태로 보관하거나 갈아서 분말로 만듭니다. 잘 말려서 분말화된 껍질과 열매(분말)을 1~2 티스푼을 1컵의 물에 넣고 15분간 달여서 만든 달인 즙을 하루에 세번 복용하거나 로션으로 만들어 외용합니다. 말밤 처방은 또한 팅크제, 추출물, 캡슐 그리고 외용 연고나 로션으로 만들어 사용할 수 있습니다.

Precaution (주의사항)

The outer husks of the horse chestnut fruit are poisonous. There are also reported cases of poisoning from eating raw horse chestnuts.

말밤 열매의 겉껍질은 독성이 있습니다. 말밤을 날것으로 복용하면 중독된다는 보고가 있습니다.

Side effects (부작용)

There have been reported cases of gastrointestinal irritation, nausea , and vomiting from taking large doses of horse chestnut. There are also rare reports of rash and itching , and even rarer cases of kidney problems.

말밤을 다량 먹으면 위장 자극, 구역질, 구토가 일어난다는 보고가 있습니다. 드문 경우이지만 발진이나 가려움이 일어난다는 보고도 있습니다. 아주 드문경우이지만 신장(콩팥)에 문제를 일으켰다는 보고도 있습니다.

Interactions

Horse chestnut's ability to reduce blood coagulation, or clotting, indicates that it should not be given to those with bleeding disorders or who are taking anticoagulant drugs. It is known to add to the action of such blood thinning drugs as warfarin or aspirin.

혈액응고를 감소시키는 말밤의 효능은 출혈장애가 있는 사람이나 혈액응고 방지제를 복용하는 사람에게 처방해서는 안된다는 것을 시사합니다.

Resources

BOOKS

Grieve, M., and C.F. Leyel. A Modern Herbal: The Medical, Culinary, Cosmetic and Economic Properties, Cultivation and Folklore of Herbs, Grasses, Fungi, Shrubs and Trees With All of Their Modern Scientific Uses. NY: Barnes and Noble Publishing, 1992.

Hoffman, David, and Linda Quayle. The Complete Illustrated Herbal: A Safe and Practical Guide to Making and Using Herbal Remedies. NY: Barnes and Noble Publishing, 1999.

Taber, Clarence Wilbur. Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary. Philadelphia: F. A. Davis Co., 1997.

OTHER

Hobbs, Christopher. "Herbal Advisor."http://www2.allherb.com/. Healing People. http//www.healingpeople.com. Support@healing people.com.

Joan Schonbeck

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퍼 갑니다.