How to Take Butcher's Broom for Health

Butcher's broom (Ruscus aculeatus) is also known as box holly and Jew's myrtle. It is a small shrub with leaf-like stems and green flowers that bloom in late winter. Butcher's broom is native to Europe and the Mediterranean. The following steps will help you decide whether or not to take this herbal supplement.

Instructions

• 1

  Read about the historical uses of butcher's broom. This plant is related to asparagus and the young shoots can be eaten. The roots have been taken medicinally for at least 2,000 years, primarily as a diuretic and laxative. It was also given to treat broken bones, gout, jaundice and kidney stones.

• 2

  Look at the results from modern scientific testing of butcher's broom. The first animal trials were conducted in the 1950s and showed two compounds in the roots, ruscogenin and neurscogenin, to be vasoconstrictors.

• 3

  Examine the subsequent clinical trials which showed a similar result in humans. However, the side effects have not studied enough for butcher's broom to be approved as a drug by the Food and Drug Administration.

• 4

  Take no more than the recommended dosage of butcher's broom. The extract is typically taken in capsules of 1 g, three times per day for chronic venous insufficiency. The active ingredient for this effect is thought to be steroidal saponins.

• 5

  Study the side effects of butcher's broom. Side effects are rare at the proper dosage, but nausea is occasionally encountered. Drug interactions of butcher's broom have not been well-studied.