2001.Butcher’s Broom gets this name because butchers would tie the twigs together and clean their chopping boards with it. liquid extract twice a dayįor product recommendations and orders from the Natural Apothecary click here or call 77, ext. Consult your doctor before using this herb for anything other than hemorrhoids. The kinds of circulation problems popularly treated with butcher’s broom can be serious. Given its apparent ability to constrict vessels, people with high blood pressure or prostate problems should use the herb with caution. While no reports of toxic reactions have been reported, the safety of butcher’s broom has not been carefully examined. Consult your doctor for guidance.Ĭombining MAO inhibitors with butcher’s broom poses a potential risk of increased blood pressure. The same is true for various medications used in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). In theory, however, butcher’s broom could interfere with the effectiveness of certain high blood pressure medications, such as doxazosin and prazosin. No reports of adverse interactions have been noted. Try taking butcher’s broom along with vitamin C to boost its effectiveness several studies have shown that the combination increases the herb’s potency. You can also apply the liquid extract to a cotton ball and gently dab the affected area three times a day until the hemorrhoid recedes.įor varicose veins: Take 150 mg three times a day. Formsįor hemorrhoids: Take 300 mg twice a day or 1 teaspoon liquid extract twice a day. The burning sensation often associated with hemorrhoids–actually vessels that have bulged out–may subside as well. Rectal suppositories and topical ointments made from butcher’s broom are useful when dabbed onto itchy and painful hemorrhoids. However, German health authorities consider it valuable for lessening the itching, swelling, pain, and heaviness that can result from poor circulation in the lower body. The FDA has not approved of butcher’s broom for circulation problems. Researchers reported that those who took butcher’s broom for two months (along with vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid, as well as hesperidin, a flavonoid) had an improvement in their symptoms those who took a placebo (dummy pill) reported no improvement at all. One study looked at 40 patients with chronic venous insufficiency in their lower limbs (a condition closely related to varicose veins). Several studies have demonstrated the herb’s ability to do this. Not only does leg pain resulting from insufficient circulation in lower limb veins often respond to treatment with butcher’s broom, but related symptoms (swelling, itching, numbness, cramping, and a sensation of heaviness) may subside as well. The vein-narrowing qualities of butcher’s broom have been found to actually relieve the discomforts of varicose veins and other circulatory conditions (such as chronic venous insufficiency). Specifically, butcher’s broom may help to: Today, over-the-counter butcher’s broom formulas for hemorrhoids and varicose veins sell quite well in Europe and are becoming better known in the United States. These compounds not only constrict veins, strengthening and toning them, but also lessen inflammation. The narrowing of vessels observed in small animal studies of butcher’s broom was eventually attributed to steroidlike compounds called ruscogenins and neuroscogenins in the plant’s rootstock. The dried root and rootstock are used in medicinal preparations. Because this kind of action in the body has important implications for treating vessel diseases, butcher’s broom is today used to treat such conditions as varicose veins and hemorrhoids.Īlso known as box holly, knee holly, and pettigree, butcher’s broom now grows in many parts of the world, including the southern United States. Investigators there found that dogs and hamsters treated with an extract of the plant’s underground stem experienced a narrowing of their blood vessels. Typically, the fleshy root of the plant was boiled and drunk as a tea.ĭuring the twentieth century the plant’s use as a folk remedy began to fade until reports from France in the 1950s changed the thinking about this ancient herb. Long famed as a folk medicine, butcher’s broom was also used for years in Europe for treating constipation, kidney stones, urinary tract infections, and various gastrointestinal problems. For centuries, people also consumed this herb, which is closely related to asparagus, as a vegetable. The stiff spines of butcher’s broom, an evergreen bush (Ruscus aculeatus) native to the Mediterranean region, were once popular for making brooms (hence the herb’s name).
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