chills at bay . Understanding the origins of a popular belief is always complicated, and there are often multiple theories. In this case, it’s useful to know that it’s true that this fruit is poisonous when eaten cooked or raw by humans (it also has a bitter taste), but not by horses : the very name of the tree has to do with steeds (deriving from the Greek hippos , horse, and castanon , chestnut), as the fruits were crushed and fed to horses to improve their general health. In particular, it’s said, to
The legend of the crazy chestnut that (doesn’t) protect against colds
