Butcher’s Broom, Ruscus aculeatus

Ruscus aculeatus and chronic venous insufficiency:

A meta-analysis on Ruscus aculeatus: In a meta-analysis of 25 studies (n=10,246) of patients with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), a condition in which the veins do not return blood from the legs to the heart well and is associated with leg swelling, leg pain, and itching. Cyclo 3 Fort (each capsule containes 150 mg Ruscus aculeatus, 150 mg hesperidin methyl chalcone, and 100 mg ascorbic acid), taken twice per day was found to be superior to placebo. Compared to placebo, Cyclo 3 Fort significantly reduced severity of pain (0.44 points on 4 point scale), cramps (0.26 points), heaviness (0.53 points), paraesthesia or tingling/burning/numbness of a person’s skin (0.29 points), and venous capacity (0.70 ml/100 ml). Edema was also significantly better among patients receiving Cyclo 3 Fort versus placebo. (1)