Butcher's Broom is so named because the mature branches were bundled and used as brooms by butchers to clean their cutting blocks.

Administrations and Suggestions:Ruscus aculeatus.

Butcher's Broom Extract INCI Name Ruscus Aculeatus Extract CAS 84012-38-4 EINECS ELINCS No 281-682-9 VEGF Booster Butchers Broom Root Extract preparation photo picture image Precautions:When should I be careful taking it?

In one very small study of pregnant women who used a topical cream containing butcher's broom, no side effects were seen for either the mother or the baby. However, very little information is available on how oral butcher's broom might affect a developing fetus, an infant, or a small child. Therefore, its use is not recommended during pregnancy, while breast-feeding, or during early childhood.

Because it tightens blood vessels, butcher's broom may worsen high blood pressure or benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). Individuals with either of these conditions should not use any form of butcher's broom without first consulting a healthcare professional.

Not much is known about the safety of butcher's broom, which is one reason why the FDA did not approve its use as a drug. However, no health problems are known to result when this herb is used as directed, and it has been used for centuries. People with high blood pressure should not take butcher's broom. Conditions for which butcher's broom is used can be serious. This herb is intended as supportive therapy for these conditions. People with chronic venous insufficiency should be under the care of a trained doctor.

Risks: Due to its tightening effect on blood vessels, butcher's broom may worsen high blood pressure or BPH. Not enough is known about it to recommend its oral use for children or for pregnant and breast-feeding women.

Contraindications: None known. Most reviewers consider butcher's broom to be safe and list no contraindications. Butcher's broom has traditionally been recommended for women during pregnancy, however, clinical research to support its safety is lacking. One uncontrolled trial of 20 pregnant women taking butcher's broom daily for venous insufficiency followed both fetal and post-birth indices and found no embryotoxic or other adverse effects.
Butcher's Broom Extract INCI Name Ruscus Aculeatus Extract CAS 84012-38-4 EINECS ELINCS No 281-682-9 VEGF Booster Butchers Broom Root Extract preparation photo picture image

Possible side effects:

Taking butcher's broom by mouth has been associated with infrequent and mild stomach upset or nausea. No side effects have been reported from topical use. Since few reliable studies of its use have been conducted in humans, however, butcher's broom may have side effects that are not yet known. If you experience unexplained side effects while taking butcher's broom, you should stop taking it and tell your doctor or pharmacist about the side effects.

Occasionally, the oral use of butcher's broom has caused mild nausea.In rare cases, butcher's broom may cause nausea and stomach upset. No other side effects have been reported.

Reported Side Effects: No significant side effects have been found for butcher's broom. However, nausea and queasiness may result in rare cases. Butcher's broom is not recommended for those with high blood pressure.

When taken orally in recommended dosages, researchers have noted no serious adverse effects from butcher's broom. Occasional allergy-induced nausea or gastritis has been reported. Contact dermatitis has occasionally been reported in patients topically exposed to butcher's broom. In one study using a combination product containing butcher's broom (Cyclo 3 Fort - 3 capsules three times daily), several patients experienced edema, nausea, and abdominal pain significant enough to discontinue Cyclo 3 Fort in 3.5 percent of the patients.

Possible Interactions of butcher's broom:

Even though no interactions have been reported between butcher's broom and prescription drugs, non-prescription drugs, other herbal supplements, or foods, butcher's broom may interfere with medications for high blood pressure due to its constricting effect on blood vessels.

Because few reliable studies of butcher's broom have been conducted, its other possible interactions are not understood completely. Be sure that your doctor and pharmacist are aware of all the prescription and non-prescription medicines you take before you begin to use butcher's broom or any other herbal supplement.

Some interactions between herbal products and medications can be more severe than others. The best way for you to avoid harmful interactions is to tell your doctor and/or pharmacist what medications you are currently taking, including any over-the-counter products, vitamins, and herbals. For specific information on how butcher's broom interacts with drugs, other herbals, and foods and the severity of those interactions, please use our Drug Interactions Checker to check for possible interactions.

While no interactions have been associated with the use of butcher's broom, it may possibly interfere with medications for high blood pressure.

However, according to a monograph on Butcher's broom, there may be reason to avoid combining butcher's broom with alpha-adrenergic antagonist antihypertensive/spasmolytic drugs such as prazosin and terazosin. It is thought that tyramine from butcher's broom could theoretically precipitate a hypertensive crisis when combined with these drugs. Similarly, tyramine-containing herbs should not be combined with monoamine oxidase inhibitors to avoid hypertensive crises. Preclinical information on butcher's broom also suggests the possibility for interference with alpha-blockers.
Butcher's Broom Extract INCI Name Ruscus Aculeatus Extract CAS 84012-38-4 EINECS ELINCS No 281-682-9 VEGF Booster Butchers Broom Root Extract preparation photo picture image

Dosage and Administration:

Although butcher's broom products are available in the United States, they are used much more commonly in Europe and South America. Oral Butcher's broom is most often sold as capsules,usually containing other ingredients, such as vitamin C, that may also strengthen blood vessels. Frequently, commercial products are made from butcher's broom crude root, which is composed of a number of active chemicals belonging to the group known as saponins. Several of the saponins in butcher's broom are collectively called "ruscogenin" and some oral commercial butcher's broom preparations are standardized to contain set amounts of ruscogenin,generally between 5 mg and 15 mg. Standardization by the manufacturer should assure the same amount of active ingredient in every batch of the commercial preparation. Standardization of herbal products is not required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), so not every product will contain the same amounts of active ingredients.

The number of capsules to take and the number of times per day to take them varies greatly according to the butcher's broom product being used and the condition being treated. If you choose to take an oral product that contains butcher's broom, follow the directions on the package that you buy.

Both oral and topical butcher's broom are used to treat hemorrhoids, sprains, varicose veins, and other conditions. Like the oral forms of butcher's broom, often other ingredients are added for topical use. Topical forms include ointments and suppositories, which potentially may be used as often as needed. However, the directions on the product that is bought should be followed.

Typical Dosage: Ointments and suppositories including butcher's broom are typically used for hemorrhoids. Encapsulated butcher's broom extracts, often combined with vitamin C or flavonoids, can be used for systemic venous insufficiency in the amount of 1,000 mg three times daily. Additionally, standardized extracts providing 50 - 100 mg of ruscogenins per day can be taken.

Suggested Amount: The recommended dosage of butcher's broom root extracts containing 10% saponins for internal is 150mg daily. The dosage for capsules standardized for ruscogenins (neoruscogenin and ruscogenin) corresponds to 7-11 mg of saponins, although some experts recommend 16.5-33 mg of total rucogenins three times daily. The dosage for the alcoholic extract of the whole plant is 0.5-1.5 mL three times daily. The butcher's broom products including Cyclo 3 Fort? Phlebodril?or Fabroven?that are used in many clinical trials, contain between 30-150 mg of butcher's broom per capsule, and a typical dose is 2 to 3 capsules three times daily. Dr. James Duke in The Green Pharmacy recommends using 5 rounded teaspoons of root in a cup of boiling water for internal use, sweetened with honey. He also recommends a tincture with alcohol for topical applications. Other sources note that if the dried raw herb is used, it is recommended to use 2 teaspoons of powdered root per 1.5 pints (852ml) of boiling water. Boil in a covered container for about half an hour, at a slow boil. Allow the liquid to cool slowly in the closed container. Drink cold, 2 to 3 tablespoons 6 times daily. Culpeper recommends a decoction of the dried root for jaundice, urinary stones and suppression of menstruation ?1 ounce (28 g) of the root to 1.5 pint (852ml) of water is used. The water is boiled down to 1 pint (568 ml) and strained. The dose is two teaspoonfuls three times daily. Alternatively, a tea can be made from a half an ounce (14 g) of the fresh root or 1 ounce of the twigs to 1 pint of boiling water. The dose is 2 fluid ounces (56 ml) and this acts as a diuretic and diaphoretic. Butcher's broom can also be used externally in poultices, skin creams, ointments and suppositories. Ointments and suppositories containing butcher's broom typically used for hemorrhoids are often applied or inserted at night before going to bed. Culpeper notes that a poultice made of the berries and leaves of butcher's broom is "effectual in knitting and consolidating broken bones or parts out of joint".

Preparations: Fluid extract, 1/2 to 1 drachm. Juice, B.P., 1 to 2 drachms. Infusion, B.P., 1 to 2 oz.

The root of butcher's broom is harvested in the fall and dried before use. It is available in commercial capsules, tablets, and tinctures for internal use, and in ointments and suppositories for external use. Tablets often contain about 300 mg of the dried extract. However, patients should follow package directions or directions from their healthcare provider in using this herb.

Dried Root: 0.5-1.0 g

Extract: using 70% alcohol; 1 part root, 4 parts water, 2 parts alcohol; 0.5-1 ml 3x/day

Ointments and suppositories including butcher's broom are typically used for hemorrhoids: These are often applied or inserted at night before going to bed. Encapsulated butcher's broom extracts, often combined with vitamin C or flavonoids, can be used for systemic venous insufficiency in the amount of 1,000 mg three times per day. Alternatively, standardized extracts providing 50-100 mg of ruscogenins per day can be taken.

Should I take it?

Butcher's broom grows as a small shrub with flat, evergreen leaves that have sharp barbs on the ends. A member of the lily family of plants, butcher's broom plants look somewhat like holly bushes. In earlier times, the young stems were cooked and eaten as a vegetable similar to asparagus. The plants produce small white or light yellow-green blooms in the late spring and then develop bright red berries in the fall. Native to the area around the Mediterranean Sea, butcher's broom has spread to most of Europe, South America, and the southern United States. Its common name refers to the historical use of the shrub's foliage as a scrubber to clean the cutting boards of European butchers.

For use in medicine, the roots and rhizomes of butcher's broom are collected in the fall of the year and dried. Rhizomes are fleshy extensions of plant stems that run along or under the ground and often produce shoots and roots for new plants. Occasionally, the leaves and stems were dried for use as a tea, which essentially has gone out of use. The underground parts of butcher's broom are said to have a slightly sweet taste, but no smell.

Reference:

1.Butcher's Broom is so named because the mature branches were bundled and used as brooms by butchers to clean their cutting blocks.

last edit date:10th,Mar.2010.

Available Product

Name:Butcher's Broom Extract
Serie No:P087
Specifications:10:1.TLC
INCI Name:RUSCUS ACULEATUS EXTRACT
EINECS/ELINCS No.:281-682-9
CAS:84012-38-4
Chem/IUPAC Name:Ruscus Aculeatus Extract is an extract of the rhizomes of the butcherbroom, Ruscus aculeatus, Liliaceae

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