Alternative Treatments As would be expected for such a common condition there is a whole host of different alternative remedies proposed. These include Butchers broom (box holly, knee holly, pettigree, sweet broom) witch hazel, gotu kola, water therapy, flavanoids and a high fibre diet. A high fibre diet is likely to be generally helpful to your health and may prevent you straining through constipation but it has not been proven to help varicose vein symptoms. There is no good evidence that any of the other treatments work and some may cause harm through allergies and side effects.