Dyer’s broom is one of the medicinal plants that should be used with pronounced caution. For this reason, the yellow flowering plant is very rarely used today, although its effect is considered proven in various types of diseases. Therefore, depending on the area of application, it is often replaced by dandelion, birch leaves and similar other medicinal herbs.
Occurrence and cultivation of dyer broom.
Dyer’s broom was already known to the Romans: They dyed wool and linen with the yellow luteolin and genistein. Dyer’s broom (Genista tinctoria) belongs to the legume family (Fabaceae) and the butterfly family (Faboideae) subfamily. Other names of the winter-green bushy half-shrub are dyer’s weed, wild broom and gilweed. The plant has a taproot that grows up to one meter into the ground and reaches about 60 cm in height. Its branches are furrowed. The green bark is covered with small flat hairs in some places. The whole-edged dark green leaves of the dyer’s weed have a lancet-like shape. In addition, the medicinal plant still forms short awl-shaped stipules. From May to August it is in full bloom: its hermaphroditic yellow panicles grow up to 6 cm long. Each individual flower measures about 1.5 centimeters. After flowering, tiny seeds ripen in the black pods and are released when the pods burst open. Dyer’s broom was already known to the Romans: They dyed wool and linen with the yellow luteolin and genistein. The versatile half-shrub grows in many parts of Europe up to 1800 meters above sea level and prefers the loamy lime-poor soils of dry meadows, dry forests and heaths. However, it is not found at all in the Alps, Spain, Greece, Ireland and Scandinavia.
Effect and application
As a natural medicinal plant, dyer’s broom is controversial. It contains very small amounts of alkaloids such as cytisine, anagyrine, lupanine, N-methylcitisine, sparteine, isospartein, flavonoids, isoflavones (genistein), and small traces of tannins and essential oils. Wild broom officially belongs to the poisonous plants, as most of its parts are weakly poisonous. Only the herb harvested during the flowering period can be used safely. It is recommended to seek the advice of a knowledgeable phytotherapist for proper dosage. If the user accidentally consumes toxic components of the plant, vomiting usually occurs. Through this, the toxins are quickly excreted, so that worse consequences are avoided. If the user is then unable to vomit, it is imperative that he or she contact the poison control center as soon as possible. Wild broom is only used internally: It is drunk as a tea or used with other medicinal herbs as an herbal tea mixture to cure, alleviate, and prevent disease. If it is to be consumed as a tea, the user must use only the branches cut off at flowering time in dried form. To make dyer’s broom tea, he pours 1/4 liter of cold water over 1 teaspoon of dried herb, brings the whole to a boil and then strains it. The quart of tea is then drunk in sips throughout the day. As a component of a herb-tea mixture, gypsophila is used as a bladder and kidney tea or together with lady’s mantle and red clover to treat health disorders that occur during menopause. To lower blood pressure, the user drinks it together with horehound, peppermint, mistletoe, arnica, barberry and honeysuckle. Homeopathy uses only the fresh shoots, flowers and leaves in extremely dilute concentrations as mother tincture. If an accidental overdose occurs during the preparation of the tea, diarrhea and mild paralysis symptoms are the result. Interactions with other remedies are not known with the dyer’s broom. However, during pregnancy and lactation, the medicinal herb should not be consumed, as it could possibly have a harmful effect on the embryo or infant.
Significance for health, treatment and prevention.
Dyer’s broom has a wide spectrum of effects. Secured by centuries of use, are its dehydrating and digestive effects. Used as a diuretic, it helps to cure diseases such as kidney and bladder gout, urinary stones, bladder stones, urinary tract infections, edema, rheumatism and gout. Wild broom is also used preventively for these health disorders. Used as a remedy for constipation, it has a blood purifying, detoxifying and purifying effect.Long known to naturopathy and confirmed by recent studies is that the dried herb of dyer’s broom protects against osteoporosis and other bone diseases. The phytoestrogen genistein contained in it reduces estrogen dominance and at the same time the associated breakdown of bone tissue. To prevent the breakdown of bone density that begins at the onset of menopause, the ancient plant remedy is usually combined with lady’s mantle, which has a similar effect to progesterone. Recent research suggests that genistein also has a preventive effect on breast cancer, as it docks onto the estrogen receptors of breast cancer cells. In addition, the isoflavones contained in wild broom regulate the level of thyroxine in the blood. In this way, it helps prevent and cure thyroid diseases. Since genistein has an estrogen-like effect in human blood, it compensates for estrogen deficiency: It helps with irregular menstruation and amenorrhea (total absence of menstruation). Dyer’s broom is also used for mild heart complaints: the sparteine it contains has a heart-strengthening effect, especially after prolonged illness. It also regulates low blood pressure and stimulates the circulation. In homeopathy, dyer’s broom is used for headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea and itchy skin rashes. It reduces the excess of stomach acid that causes heartburn and stomach pain.
