Lok Kealad | ลูกเกาลัด | Aesculus turbinata
Family: Sapindaceae - Genus: Aesculus
You will find this chestnut tree near the staircase going down from the restaurant towards the school and behind the Social Impact Cafe and Shop of TCDF.
A tree up to 30 meter high. Leaves with five to seven stalkless leaflets, but more regularly toothed and tapering more gradually at the apex. Fruit without spines, but rough; broadly pear-shaped, 5 centimeter wide near the top, tapering to a short stalk
It is in flower from May - June. September - October the fruit can be found, but most fruit here in Paksong is eaten by squirrels.
THE TREE
The horse chestnut tree is a deciduous tree growing to 30 meter. It is in flower in June, and the seeds ripen in September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by bees.
THE LEAVES
The Japanese horse chestnut tree is distinctive for its remarkably large leaves, up to 60 centimeter across. The palmate leaves with 5-7 toothed leaflets attached at the same point on a central stalk.
THE FLOWERS
The flowers are white and appear in upright, cone-shaped, branching clusters of flowers (or panicles). Each panicle can grow 15 - 25 centimeter in height.
Producing a sweet, subtle scent, the flowers attract pollinators, such as bees, and produce nectar for three days after blooming. Almost all flowers on the panicle are male, with some hermaphroditic flowers at the bottom of the panicle.
THE FRUIT
The fruit appears from September - October, appears pear-like in shape and coloration, and is about 5 centimeter wide. Unlike some other horse chestnut species, the Japanese horse chestnut fruits do not have spines.
Inside the fruit is a large seed, about 2.5 - 3 centimeter in width. The seed is notable because half of it is covered by its hilum - a light brown scar that denotes where the seed was attached to the inside of the fruit. The other half of the seed is dark brown, smooth, and shiny.
CULINARY USES
Some caution is advised on digesting the fruit and leaves of the Japanese chestnuts horse tree, since they are likely to contain toxic saponins.
The seed needs to be leached of toxins before it becomes safe to eat.
Thorough cooking, and changing the cooking water once, will also normally remove most of them. However, it is not advisable to eat large quantities of raw foods that contain saponins.
Seed - cooked. It can be dried, ground into a flour and used as a gruel. The starch is extracted and eaten. The seed is quite large, about 25 - 30mm in diameter, and is easily harvested.
Young leaves : cooked.
NUTRITION
Chestnuts are rich in vitamin C, which makes them unique among nuts. In fact, half a cup of raw chestnuts gives you 35 to 45 percent of your daily intake of vitamin C.
Chestnuts remain a good source of antioxidants, even after cooking. They’re rich in gallic acid and ellagic acid—two antioxidants that increase in concentration when cooked.
TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL USE
NOTE: please take advice from a doctor if you are planning to use herbal medicine.
Chestnuts have been used in traditional medicine and in a variety of commercial applications for centuries.
The crushed, unripe seeds of the tree were scattered into streams to stupefy fish, and leaves were steeped as tea to remedy congestion.
The horse chestnut has been used as a traditional remedy for arthritis and rheumatism, as well as for gynecological bleeding and as a tonic.
INTO THE WILD: a down to earth experience
For guests and visitors to Paksong we organize weekly tours "The Edible Forest" and Foraging weekends: Into the Wild. We work with local guides to take you in the jungle of Paksong. After foraging, we will cook a meal with the ingredients, using bamboo together with you!
Come and join and learn about the abundance of food that nature gives us!
INTO THE WILD!
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