Botanical atlas

Butcher's Broom

Ruscus aculeatus

Butcher's broom takes its curious name from an old kitchen habit, butchers once bundled its stiff, spiny stems into brooms to scrub their chopping blocks clean and to keep mice away from hanging meat. Long before that practical use, ancient Greek and Roman physicians, including Dioscorides, recorded the root as a remedy for swelling, kidney complaints, and sluggish circulation. By the medieval period it had become a staple of European herbalism for tired, heavy legs, and that reputation carried it into modern herbal medicine, where the root is still one of the most studied traditional plants for venous and hemorrhoidal support. Its rise from a rough-and-ready cleaning tool to a respected circulatory herb is one of the more charming stories in the apothecary garden.

Safety.

Butcher's broom may raise blood pressure and can interact with MAOI antidepressants and blood pressure medications. Only the root is used traditionally, since the bright red berries are mildly toxic, and it is best avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding.