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Chronic Venous Insufficiency Treatment with Butcher’s Broom
Butcher’s Broom (Ruscus Aculeatus) is an evergreen herb native to the Mediterranean region and northwest Europe. Commonly known by a plethora of names like Knee Holly, Box Holly, Sweet Broom, Thorny Fagon, and Pettigree, the plant has exceptional therapeutic properties for relieving chronic venous insufficiency symptoms. Usually growing up to the knee height and having thorny leaves like a true Holly, probably from which it derives its name – Knee Holly, the plant had, in the long past, found use in bundles, as brooms by the butchers to clean their meat-chopping blocks. The peculiar name of the herb might have originated from this bizarre use.
Butcher’s Broom contains steroidal saponins, flavonoids, glycolic acid, coumarins, and sparteine as the main active ingredients. All these ingredients have marked venous constriction and anti-inflammatory properties, which make the Butcher’s Broom herb a very helpful remedy in relieving vein related problems including varicose veins, leg cramps, and lymphedema. Moreover, Butcher’s Broom significantly alleviates circulatory disorders, constipation, hemorrhoids, inflammation and urinary problems. It is used in cosmetic formulations to treat weary leg syndrome, legs with varicose veins, cellulites, and soothe the soft and sensitive skin around the eyes and provide relief from irritation.
The steroidal saponins in Butcher’s Broom may be responsible for stimulating the adrenergic receptors located in the smooth muscle cells of the vascular wall and cause constriction of veins. They may also be responsible for improving the lymphatic flow, thus giving the herb properties to expel excess fluid accumulating in the body, characteristic of conditions like dropsy, gout, and stones in the urinary bladder.
Many of the therapeutic properties of Butcher’s Broom are proven by research. In a multi-location, double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 148 women with chronic venous insufficiency were given capsules containing 36.0-37.5 mg of dry Butcher's Broom extract twice daily for 12 weeks. Various parameters like changes in leg volume, lower leg and ankle circumference and quality of life indicators were carefully monitored. Almost in all the parameters, significant improvements were noted in the control group at 8 and 12 weeks as compared to the placebo. There were very few adverse effects.
In another multi-center and open clinical study, 124 chronic venous insufficiency patients including 109 females, in the mean age of 52.5 years, received 2 capsules of Butcher’s Broom per day along with some other formulations for 8 weeks. The patients were intensely monitored over the study period for changes in their physical symptoms, perceived discomforts, and quality of life indicators. The study revealed all the main symptoms like pain, heaviness, cramps, and edema to progressively decline over the study period and get completely phased out by the end of the 8 week-period.
Clinical trials and studies are still on with larger sample sizes, and to observe the efficacy of the herb on a long-term basis.
The extract is taken mainly from the root of the herb, Butcher’s Broom, though the entire plant and its little shoots can be consumed for medicinal benefits. It can either be taken orally or applied locally, and is conveniently available in a number of ready-to-use formulations. Excepting some minor incidences of diarrhea and abdominal discomfort, Butcher’s Broom is relatively safe and side-effect free. However, hypertension patients and those on anticoagulants must take medical advice before beginning to take the herb internally.
Reference:
Aquilar Peralta GR, et al. Clinical and capillaroscopic evaluation in the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency with Ruscus aculeatus, hesperidin methylchalcone and ascorbic acid in venous insufficiency treatment of ambulatory patients (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18091707?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum)
Vanscheidt W, et al. Efficacy and Safety of a Butcher's Broom preparation (Ruscus Aculeatus L. extract) compared to placebo in patients suffering from chronic venous insufficiency. Arzneimittelforschung 2002;52:243-50
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12040966?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVAbstractPlusDrugs1
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