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Butcher’s Broom
Butcher’s Broom refers to the low, shrubby, evergreen plant that is also known
by its botanical name, Ruscus aculeatus. Native to the Mediterranean region
and Northwest Europe, Butcher’s Broom is also known as: Jew’s Myrtle, Knee Holly,
Kneeholm, Pettigree, and Sweet Broom. Used as an herbal medical treatment since
the times of Ancient Greece, Butcher’s Broom received its name due to the use
of its tough stems and rigid leaves as a broom by butchers to sweep their butcher
blocks clean.
Butcher’s Broom is a perennial evergreen that can usually grows between 25
to 100 cm in height, although there have been instances where it has grown up
to 3 feet in height. It is separated as either a male or female, but both have
smooth, touch, erect, round, dark-green stems which are destitute of bark. It
contains small greenish-white flowers that in female Butcher’s Broom have six
lobes with three inner flowers that are smaller than the three outer ones. In
male Butcher’s Broom have three stamens. Once it becomes fertile, the flowers
are succeeded by scarlet berries that range from 10 to 123 centimeters in diameter.
The berries become ripe in September and remain attached to the plant all winter.
Butcher’s Broom has been used since the time of Ancient Greece where it was
used as a laxative and a diuretic aimed to flush excess water from the body.
Mediterranean healers also used Butcher’s Broom as a treatment to circulatory
and inflammatory disorders. However, Butcher’s Broom quickly fell into disrepute
until a discovery by French scientists in the 1950s in which two chemicals found
within the plant’s underground stem were identified as a way to reduce inflammation.
The roots and young stem of Butcher’s Broom are used for medicinal purposes.
Butcher’s Broom contains steroidal molecules called ruscogenin and neoruscogenin.
Ruscogenin contains anti-inflammatory properties as it decreases vascular permeability.
Butcher’s Broom also contains saponins that constrict the veins while decreasing
the permeability of capillaries.
Currently Butcher’s Broom is used as an herbal medical treatment to: atherosclerosis,
chronic venous insufficiency, hemorrhoids, and varicose veins. Due to its vasoconstrictive
properties, Butcher’s Broom is an effective treatment to hemorrhoids and varicose
veins that pose no toxicity problems. It is effective in the treatment of hemorrhoid-related
discomfort, such as the itching and burning sensations, as its contained chemicals
cause blood vessels to narrow, while aiding the reduction of inflammation. Additionally,
Butcher’s Broom has recently been used in the treatment of lower leg discomfort
that includes cramps, pain, itching, and swelling.
Butcher’s Broom is usually taken orally with a recommended dosage of seven
to eleven milligrams. It can also be used as a tea in which two teaspoons of
powdered root should be used per 1.5 pints of boiling water. It is recommended
that the two to three tablespoons of the tea should be drunk six times per day.
There are currently no significant side effects associated with Butcher’s Broom.
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