Herb library · Herb · Ruscus aculeatus
Butcher's broom
A small, stiff evergreen shrub whose underground stem is sold for heavy, tired legs from poor vein circulation and for hemorrhoid itching. One placebo-controlled trial suggests it may ease leg symptoms and swelling; European regulators call that evidence low and rely on long use.
Traditional use
A European shrub whose English name comes from butchers using its stiff stems to clean their cutting boards. The rhizome has been used in several European countries, and documented since at least 1976, for chronic venous insufficiency, varicose veins and hemorrhoids. Culpeper wrote that it provokes urine and helps "break the stone."
Traditional energetics
Galenic (hot or cold, dry or moist)
Hot and dry. Culpeper's Complete Herbal (1814), p. 225 (opens in a new tab)
What studies show
- Limited
Heavy, tired legs from chronic venous insufficiency: a 2002 placebo-controlled trial in 166 women found that 12 weeks of butcher's broom extract reduced leg volume and ankle and leg circumference, and eased heaviness and tension. EMA judged the level of evidence from this single trial low: it was not tested in men and needs confirming.
- Limited
Combination products: a 2003 meta-analysis of a product combining butcher's broom with hesperidin methyl chalcone and vitamin C (about 10,000 people across many trials) found it reduced pain, heaviness, cramps and tingling compared with placebo. Because it is a mixture, it cannot show what butcher's broom does on its own, and study quality varied.
- Insufficient
Hemorrhoids: there are no clinical data on butcher's broom alone. EMA also found insufficient data for low blood pressure on standing and for diabetic eye disease.
Be careful of
Cautions
- AllergyDo not use it if you are allergic to butcher's broom. Creams containing it or its ruscogenins have caused contact eczema, in one case spreading over the whole skin.
- NoteEMA lists no known side effects for the rhizome taken alone. Oral combination products containing it may cause diarrhea and a form of colitis (lymphocytic colitis).
- ConditionOne case of diabetic ketoacidosis was reported in a woman with poorly controlled diabetes five days after starting a butcher's broom product; EMA says too few details were given to draw conclusions.
- ConditionSee a doctor for skin inflammation or hardening, leg ulcers, sudden swelling of one or both legs, heart or kidney failure, rectal bleeding, or symptoms lasting over 2 weeks. Not recommended under 18.
- PregnancySafety in pregnancy and breastfeeding has not been established, and EMA does not recommend it then.
- Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.
From the old books
What herbals and dispensaries of the past printed. History, in their words.
“It is called Ruscus, and Bruscus, Knee-holm, Kneeholly, Kneehulver, and Pettigree.”
Sources
- European Union herbal monograph on Ruscus aculeatus L., rhizoma (revision 1) (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026
- Assessment report on Ruscus aculeatus L., rhizoma (revision 1) (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026
- Efficacy and safety of a Butcher's broom preparation (Ruscus aculeatus L. extract) compared to placebo in patients suffering from chronic venous insufficiency (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- Meta-analysis of clinical trials of Cyclo 3 Fort in the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
Reviewed September 25, 2026.