BROOM WEED scientific name: Spartium Scoparius
Broom Weed should not be prescribed to pregnant women or patients with high blood pressure. Any treatment with this plant should only be carried out under expert supervision
Use this herb with caution since large doses are likely to upset the stomach. The composition of active ingredients in the plant is very changeable, this makes it rather unreliable medicinally and it is therefore rarely used
It is a bitter narcotic herb that depresses the respiration and regulates heart action. It acts upon the electrical conductivity of the heart, slowing and regulating the transmission of the impulses. The young herbaceous tips of flowering shoots are cardiotonic, cathartic, diuretic, emetic and vasoconstrictor. The seeds can also be used. The plant is used internally in the treatment of heart complaints, and is especially used in conjunction with Convallaria majalis. The plant is also strongly diuretic, stimulating urine production and thus countering fluid retention. Since broom causes the muscles of the uterus to contract, it has been used to prevent blood loss after childbirth.
The young herbaceous tips of flowering shoots are harvested in spring, generally in May. They can be used fresh or dried. They should not be stored for more than 12 months since the medicinally active ingredients break down.
Edible parts of Broom: The flower buds are pickled and used as a substitute for capers. They can also be added to salads. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity. The tender green tops of the plant have been used like hops to give a bitter flavour to beer and to render it more intoxicating. The roasted seed is a coffee substitute.
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