Description: Butcher's Broom, Ruscus aculeatus, root, cut, organic.
Ruscus aculeatus (butcher’s broom) is native to Mediterranean Europe and Africa. It has tough, green, erect, striated stems that send out numerous short branches and very rigid leaves that are actually extensions of the stem and terminate in a single sharp spine. The small greenish-white flowers grow from the center of the leaves and bloom in the early spring. The thick root, typically collected in autumn, is used medicinally. The root has no odor, but has an initially sweetish taste that then turns slightly acrid.
Constituents and Mechanisms of Action:
The primary active ingredients are the steroidal saponins ruscogenin and neoruscogenin, but other constituents have been isolated, including steroidal sapogenins and saponins, sterols, triterpenes,
flavonoids, coumarins, sparteine, tyramine, and glycolic acid.1-5 Although both the above- and belowground parts of the plant contain ruscogenins, the concentration is higher in the root,which is
the part traditionally used medicinally.
Clinical Indications:
The best-researched indications for butcher’s broom are venous insufficiency, edema, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and hemorrhoids. A single trial indicates butcher’s broom may be useful in
preventing diabetic retinopathy.
Venous Insufficiency/Varicosities:
Four double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, and five open trials demonstrated an improvement in venous insufficiency symptoms such as itching, ankle diameter, tension of the leg, cramping, and
malleolar edema.17-24 One open-label, randomized clinical trial showed butcher’s broom to be safe and more effective than rutoside in the treatment of patients with chronic venous insufficiency.25 Most of
these studies have insufficient sample sizes and other design flaws.
Edema
Butcher’s broom may be beneficial for patients with edema of various types. One double-blind, placebo-controlled and one open trial showed butcher’s broom to have a significant, positive effect
in patients with lymph edema.
Premenstrual Syndrome:
In a randomized, double-blind trial involving women with PMS, butcher’s broom rapidly reduced symptoms of mastalgia and mood disorders, and showed a trend toward improving ankle edema.11
Hemorrhoids:
Butcher’s broom has been shown to have a significant effect on patients with hemorrhoids in an open trial, with 75 percent of participating physicians rating butcher’s broom’s efficacy as good or
excellent.
Diabetic Retinopathy:
Butcher’s broom was shown to be as or more effective than troxerutin for microangiopathic complications, including retinopathy, in 60 patients with type 2 diabetes.
Dose: Dosage for the alcoholic extract of the whole plant is 0.5-1.5 mL three times daily.
Precautions: Most reviewers consider butcher’s broom to be safe and list no contraindications. However, seek medical advice before self-treating, particularly if you are taking prescription medicines or during pregnancy and lactation.
Reference: Alternative Medicine Review ◆ Volume 6, Number 6 ◆ 2001
