Family Name: Liliaceae
Botanical Name(s): Ruscus aculeatus
Popular Name(s): Knee Holly, Kneeholm, Jew's Myrtle, Sweet
Broom, Pettigree
Parts Used: The herb and its root
Habitat: Butcher's broom is native to the Mediterranean region
and Europe.
Description: Butcher's Broom is a low, shrubby, evergreen plant
with an erect, striated stem and may attain a height up to 3 feet. The
plant is furnished with very rigid leaves which are a mere expansion of
its stem. Its small greenish-white flowers grow solitarily from the
centre of the leaves and blossom in early spring. The flowers are
succeeded by scarlet berries which ripe in September.
Uses: Butcher's broom is used as diaphoretic, diuretic,
deobstruent and aperient. It has vasoconstrictive and anti-inflammatory
properties. It is effective in the treatment of varicose veins and
hemorrhoids.
