Genus of flowering plants
Ruscus
, commonly known as butcher's broom, is a
genus
of six species of
flowering plants
, native to western and southern
Europe
,
Macaronesia
, northwestern
Africa
, and southwestern
Asia
east to the
Caucasus
.
[1]
In the
APG III classification system
, it is placed in the
family
Asparagaceae
, subfamily
Nolinoideae
(formerly the family Ruscaceae).
[2]
Like many
lilioid monocots
, it was formerly classified in the family
Liliaceae
.
The species are
evergreen
shrub-like
perennial plants
, growing to approximately 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) tall. They have branched stems that bear numerous
cladodes
(flattened, leaf-like stem tissue, also known as
phylloclades
) 2 to 18 centimetres (0.79 to 7.09 in) long and 1 to 8 centimetres (0.39 to 3.15 in) broad. The true
leaves
are minute, scale-like, and non-photosynthetic. The
flowers
are small, white with a dark-violet centre, and situated on the middle of the cladodes. The
fruit
is a red
berry
5 to 10 millimetres (0.20 to 0.39 in) in diameter. Some species are
monoecious
while others are
dioecious
.
Ruscus
is spread by seed and by means of underground
rhizomes
. It can colonise extensive patches of ground.
Utilitarian Significance
[
edit
]
History
[
edit
]
Various species of butcher's broom has been used for medicinal purposes since antiquity. The first mentions of the medicinal use of the butcher's broom come from ancient Greece. The rhizomes of this plant were used to treat inflammations, hemorrhoids, and urinary tract conditions, as well as a diuretic and laxative.
[3]
In the 1st century
De Materia Medica
by Dioscorides, the plants described are: ?π?γλοσσον (
ypoglosson
), probably
Ruscus hypoglossum
,
[4]
ιδαια ριζα (
idaia riza
), also probably
R. hypoglossum
[5]
and μυρσ?νη ?γρ?α (
myrsini agria
), probably
R. aculeatus
.
[4]
Dioscorides indicated the laxative and diuretic effects of these plants.
[6]
Pliny the Elder in his
Natural History
pointed out the use of these plants in treating varicose veins.
[7]
In the Herbal of
Simon Syre?ski
, first published in 1613, the butcher's broom is described as a plant with healing power, for use in urinary retention, kidney stones, and accelerating menstruation, mainly in the form of a wine tincture.
[8]
Also, in the 17th-century work
Janua linguarum reserata
by
Comenius
, the butcher's broom was described as a warm herb for kidney diseases.
[9]
In the 1852 work
Special Botany: Description of Monocotyledonous Medicinal and Industrial Plants
by
Ignacy Czerwiakowski
, the author reported that the root of butcher's broom (
radix Rusci v. Brusci
) was formerly used as "an opening and diuretic agent in dropsy and blockages of the viscera", part of the herbal mixture
radices quinque aperientes majores
(five major opening roots), and also used in treating jaundice and kidney stones, and to accelerate menstruation. The author also mentioned that the root of
R. hypophyllum
had medical applications, including in difficult births, retention of menstruation, and urinary system conditions. In the case of
R. hypoglossum
, Czerwiakowski mentioned the use of this plant's herb for throat and uterine conditions.
[10]
Indications
[
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]
Butcher's broom is used in traditional medicine in many countries around the Mediterranean Sea. In Europe, the underground parts are traditionally used in the treatment of urinary system conditions and as a laxative, while the aboveground parts are mainly used as diuretics.
[11]
In folk medicine in Turkey, a decoction of the roots of butcher's broom is widely used internally as a diuretic and for treating urinary system conditions, such as kidney inflammation and kidney stones, as well as for treating eczema. In Palestine, an extract from the rhizome is used externally for skin diseases, while in Italy it is used in treating warts and frostbite, with inflammatory bowel diseases and diarrhea, and topically in joint inflammation. The aboveground parts of the plant are traditionally used as diuretics, mainly in Mediterranean countries and the Middle East.
[12]
In Turkey, a decoction of the berries of
Ruscus hypoglossum
is used externally for boils and warts, and fresh leaves are used in cattle breeding against colds and mastitis. The leaves of
R. colchicus
are used by the local population for feeding farm animals to increase milk production and fat content.
[12]
Ruscus hyrcanus
is used in traditional Iranian medicine as a diuretic, hemostatic, vasoconstrictor, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory agent.
Current Use
[
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]
Presently, butcher's broom is not widely used in modern medicine due to a lack of comprehensive clinical studies proving its effectiveness. However, extracts of this plant are found in some pharmaceutical and cosmetic products, such as creams for varicose veins and hemorrhoids. Preparations of the plant are also used in homeopathy.
Some recent studies have indicated that the plant may have potential pharmacological effects, such as anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant activities.
[11]
[12]
These studies suggest the possibility of its future application in modern medicine, especially in diseases related to inflammation and oxidative stress.
Species
[
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]
- Ruscus aculeatus
(butcher's broom). Europe, Azores.
- Ruscus colchicus
Caucasus.
- Ruscus hypoglossum
Central and Southeast Europe, Turkey.
- Ruscus hypophyllum
(spineless butcher's broom). Iberia, northwest Africa. Used in the floral trade as foliage.
- Ruscus hyrcanus
Woronow
An endemic and relict bush in the
Talish Mountains
, Azerbaijan. Protected in the
Hirkan national Park
.
[
citation needed
]
- Ruscus x microglossus
Southern Europe.
- Ruscus streptophyllus
Madeira.
[13]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- ^
Chase, M.W.; Reveal, J.L. & Fay, M.F. (2009), "A subfamilial classification for the expanded asparagalean families Amaryllidaceae, Asparagaceae and Xanthorrhoeaceae",
Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society
,
161
(2): 132?136,
doi
:
10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00999.x
- ^
Matej Barbic.
"Isolation and identification of the constituents from Ruscus aculeatus L. and their in vitro activity"
. Retrieved
2021-09-24
.
- ^
a
b
Dioskurydes, Pedanios (2005).
De materia medica
. Lily Y. Beck (tłum.) (1 ed.).
ISBN
3487128810
.
- ^
Dioskurydes, Pedanios (2017).
De materia medica
. Lily Y. Beck (tłum.) (3 ed.).
ISBN
9783487155715
.
- ^
Bone, Kerry; Mills, Simon (2013).
Principles and practice of phytotherapy: modern herbal medicine
(2 ed.). Edinburgh: Elsevier Health Sciences. p. 467-472.
ISBN
9780702052972
.
- ^
Saad, Bashar (2011).
Greco-Arab and Islamic Herbal Medicine : Traditional System, Ethics, Safety, Efficacy, and Regulatory Issues
. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley.
ISBN
9781118002261
.
- ^
Syre?ski, Szymon
(1613).
Zielnik
. Krakow.
- ^
Komensky, Jan Amos
(1768).
Janua aurea reserata duarum linguarum
. Wilno: Scholarium Piarum.
- ^
Ignacy Rafał Czerwiakowski
(1852).
Botanika szczegolna
(in Polish). Vol. 2 Opisanie ro?lin jednolistniowych lekarskich i przemysłowych. Krakow: Uniwersytet Jagiello?ski. p. 613-615.
- ^
a
b
Rodrigues, Joana P. B. (2021-03-26).
"Phenolic Compounds and Bioactive Properties of Ruscus aculeatus L. (Asparagaceae): The Pharmacological Potential of an Underexploited Subshrub"
.
Molecules
.
26
(7 ed.): 1882.
doi
:
10.3390/molecules26071882
.
hdl
:
10198/24369
.
- ^
a
b
c
Masullo, Milena; Pizza, Cosimo; Piacente, Sonia (2016-11-08).
"Ruscus Genus: A Rich Source of Bioactive Steroidal Saponins"
.
Planta Medica
.
82
(18 ed.): 1513?1524.
doi
:
10.1055/s-0042-119728
.
- ^
P. F. Yeo (1966). "Two New Species of Ruscus (Liliaceae)".
Feddes Repertorium
.
73
(1): 17?20.
doi
:
10.1002/fedr.19660730103
.
External links
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]