Butchers Broom constrict Veins, Strengthening and Lessen Inflammation.

Butchers Broom: Butchers Broom is also known by the names Box Holly, Kneeholm, Kneeholy, Sweet Broom, Pettigree, and Jews Myrtle. Butchers Broom is so named because the mature branches were bundled and used as brooms by butchers to clean their cutting blocks. The young shoots were sometimes eaten as food. Ancient physicians used the roots as a diuretic in the treatment of urinary problems. Mediterranean healers had used the rhizome for the treatment of a variety of inflammatory disorders. Butchers Broom has been used for centuries to improve circulation and to relieve discomfort caused by constipation and water retention. Rich in flavonoids such as rutin, Butchers Broom strengthens the capillary walls and tightens veins supporting the circulatory system. It also promotes blood flow to the brain, hands and legs. Today, Butchers Broom is also used to alleviate inflammation brought on by carpal tunnel, arthritis, rheumatism, and varicose veins. Butchers Broom can also be taken to enhance the health of the kidney and bladder. Butchers Broom contains saponin glycosides called ruscogenins. Research has shown that these ruscogenins possess vasoconstrictive and anti-inflammatory properties. These active ingredients reduce the fragility and permeability of capillaries and constrict the veins. These plant saponin glycosides are the starter compounds for important steroid compounds in the human body. Butchers Broom has also been taken for weight loss because it contains glycolic acid, a constituent which produces diuretic action. What Is Butchers Broom? The stiff spines of butcher broom, an evergreen bush (Ruscus aculeatus) native to the Mediterranean region, were once popular for making brooms (hence the herb name). For centuries, people also consumed this herb, which is closely related to asparagus, as a vegetable. Long famed as a folk medicine, butcher broom was also used for years in Europe for treating constipation, kidney stones, urinary tract infections, and various gastrointestinal problems. Typically, the fleshy root of the plant was boiled and drunk as a tea. During the twentieth century the plant use as a folk remedy began to fade until reports from France in the 1950s changed the thinking about this ancient herb. Investigators there found that dogs and hamsters treated with an extract of the plant underground stem experienced a narrowing of their blood vessels. Because this kind of action in the body has important implications for treating vessel diseases, butcher broom is today used to treat such conditions as varicose veins and hemorrhoids. Also known as box holly, knee holly, and pettigree, Butchers Broom now grows in many parts of the world, including the southern United States. The dried root and rootstock are used in medicinal preparations. Health Benefits Butchers Broom: The narrowing of vessels observed in small animal studies of Butchers Broom was eventually attributed to steroidlike compounds called ruscogenins and neuroscogenins in the plant rootstock. These compounds not only constrict veins, strengthening and toning them, but also lessen inflammation. Today, over-the-counter Butchers Broom formulas for hemorrhoids and varicose veins sell quite well in Europe and are becoming better known in the United States. Specifically, Butchers Broom may help to: Treat varicose veins. The vein-narrowing qualities of Butchers Broom have been found to actually relieve the discomforts of varicose veins and other circulatory conditions (such as chronic venous insufficiency). Not only does leg pain resulting from insufficient circulation in lower limb veins often respond to treatment with Butchers Broom, but related symptoms (swelling, itching, numbness, cramping, and a sensation of heaviness) may subside as well. Sveral studies have demonstrated the herb ability to do this. One study looked at 40 patients with chronic venous insufficiency in their lower limbs (a condition closely related to varicose veins). Researchers reported that those who took Butchers 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.