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Herb library · Herb · Scoparia dulcis

Sweet broom

A small, bushy weed of the tropics with a faintly sweet taste, long used as a bush tea in the Caribbean and across South America. It has been studied in the lab and in animals, not in people.

Traditional use

Browne, writing of Jamaica in 1756, records that it was very common in the sugar colonies and that the whole plant, especially the tender tops, was much used in "diluting" drinks and in infusions for the chest, and that it was valued on wounds. In Paraguay it is one of the traditional medicines of the Tupi-Guarani sold at the herbal market of Asunción, where a 2011 study interviewed sellers and users. Its modern research has centered on blood sugar.

What studies show

No studies in people of this herb on its own yet. What is known of it comes from the traditions that use it.

  • Insufficient

    Coughs, blood sugar, stomach complaints: no study of sweet broom in people was found. Extracts and their compounds lower blood sugar and inflammation in animals and act on cells in the lab.

Be careful of

Cautions

  • InteractionIts extracts lower blood sugar in animals. If you use diabetes medicine, it could add to its effect; tell your clinician.
  • NoteThere is no safety information from studies in people. Lab and animal toxicity studies are not enough to show it is safe to drink regularly.
  • PregnancyNo safety information for pregnancy or breastfeeding was found; avoid 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.

“The whole plant, especially the tender shoots at the top are frequently used in diluting and pectoral infusions, and may deservedly be considered as an excellent vulnerary.”
Patrick Browne, The Civil and Natural History of Jamaica (1756), p. 145. See the page of The Civil and Natural History of Jamaica, p. 145 (opens in a new tab) · Read the full passage from The Civil and Natural History of Jamaica, p. 145

Sources

  1. A review on the phytochemistry and pharmacology of the herb Scoparia dulcis L. for the potential treatment of metabolic syndrome (RSC Adv, 2021) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  2. Investigation on traditional medicines of Guarany Indio and studies on diterpenes from Scoparia dulcis (Yakugaku Zasshi, 2011) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  3. Antisickling and toxicological evaluation of the leaves of Scoparia dulcis Linn (BMC Complement Altern Med, 2015) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026

Reviewed September 25, 2026.