Holistic Health Articles and Research Related to Herbal Medicines, Foods and Phytochemicals : Popular Herbs

Sunday 27 October 2013

Popular Herbs - Butcher's broom

Butcher's broom is a low evergreen shrub, a species of Ruscus aculeatus, belonging to the family Asparagaceae, native to Eurasia.It has been used in herbal medicine to treat reduce inflammation, Peripheral vascular disease, Hemorrhoids Bronchial asthma, Varicose veins, Hypotension, Jaundice, functional disorders of the heart, kidney disorder, venotonic and anti-oedematous properties, etc..

Health benefits
1. Orthostatic hypotension (OH)
Ruscus aculeatus has exerted a great promise for ameliorating the symptoms of OH and improving the quality of life for large groups in the population, according to the study of "Ruscus aculeatus (butcher's broom) as a potential treatment for orthostatic hypotension, with a case report" by Redman DA.(1)

2. Chronic venous insufficiency
Extracts from Butcher's broom rhizome (Ruscus aculeatus) is a safe and effective treatment for patients suffering from chronic venous insufficiency, according to the study of "Efficacy and safety of a Butcher's broom preparation (Ruscus aculeatus L. extract) compared to placebo in patients suffering from chronic venous insufficiency" by Vanscheidt W, Jost V, Wolna P, Lücker PW, Müller A, Theurer C, Patz B, Grützner KI.(2)

3. Inflammatory and vascular disorders
Ruscogenin (RUS), first isolated from Ruscus aculeatus has demonstrated the inhibition of endothelial responses to cytokines during inflammatory and vascular disorders, according to the study of "Possible mechanism of the anti-inflammatory activity of ruscogenin: role of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and nuclear factor-kappaB" by Huang YL, Kou JP, Ma L, Song JX, Yu BY.(3)

4. Natural colorants
Extracted from the skins of the berries of Butcher's broom may be a a new and promising source of natural colorants to replace the harmful artificial coloring, according to the study of "Determination of anthocyanins in Ruscus aculeatus L. berries" by Longo L, Vasapollo G.(4).

5. Chronic venous lymphatic insufficiency
Combination of Ruscus aculeatus, hesperidin methyl chalcone, and ascorbic acid (Cyclo 3 Fort) has shown more rapid and complete regression of symptoms, as a result of its unique mechanism of action, according to the study of "An open-label, randomized multicenter study comparing the efficacy and safety of Cyclo 3 Fort versus hydroxyethyl rutoside in chronic venous lymphatic insufficiency" by Beltramino R, Penenory A, Buceta AM.(5).

6. Antifungal activity
Extracts od Ruscus aculeatus has exerted 90-100% inhibition against T. violaceum, a species of fungus in the Tricholomataceae family, according to the study of "Antifungal activity of plant extracts against dermatophytes" by Ali-Shtayeh MS, Abu Ghdeib SI.(6)

7. Human promyelocytic leukemia cells
Steroidal saponins extracted from Ruscus aculeatus has shown cytostatic activity aguanst leukemia HL-60 cells, according to the study of "Steroidal saponins from the underground parts of Ruscus aculeatus and their cytostatic activity on HL-60 cells" by Mimaki Y, Kuroda M, Kameyama A, Yokosuka A, Sashida Y.(7)

8. Antipermeability effects
Oral Cyclo 3 Fort inhibited histamine-induced plasma exudation in hamsters with mild diabetes without affecting the glycaemia, according to the study of "Antipermeability effects of Cyclo 3 Fort in hamsters with moderate diabetes" Svensjö E, Bouskela E, Cyrino FZ, Bougaret S.(8)

9. Hemorrhoid
Butcher's broom has showed statistically significant positive results in some studies in treating hemorrhoid, according to the article of "Botanical Treatments for Hemorrhoids" by Kathy Abascal, B.S., J.D., R.H. (A.H.G.) and Eric Yarnell, N.D., R.H. (A.H.G.)(9)

10. Anti-elastase activitiesButcher's broom has shown to exert the property of activity, by exhibiting remarkably in anti-elastase, according to the study of "Anti-elastase and anti-hyaluronidase activities of saponins and sapogenins from Hedera helix, Aesculus hippocastanum, and Ruscus aculeatus: factors contributing to their efficacy in the treatment of venous insufficiency" by Facino RM, Carini M, Stefani R, Aldini G, Saibene L.(10)

11. Etc.