What is Sweet broom?

Sweet broom is a small weedy plant used as a bush tea in the Caribbean. Its botanical name is Scoparia dulcis. Jamaicans call it licorice weed; in the Dominican Republic it is escobilla dulce.

The plant grows by roadsides and in yards across the tropics. People boil the leaves and stems in water. The tea tastes faintly sweet, which is how it got its name.

Here is the honest verdict. Human evidence is very thin, and no good trials in people were found. Nearly all the research is in rats, mice and cell dishes.

Long folk use tells you a plant is familiar. It does not prove that the plant works, and it does not prove the plant is safe. Both points are worth holding onto as you read on.

How does Sweet broom work?

No one has shown how sweet broom acts in the human body. What follows comes from lab and animal work only.

In rats and mice, extracts of the plant lowered blood sugar. Some animal studies suggest it helps the pancreas release more insulin. Others point to better uptake of sugar by muscle.

In cell studies, compounds from the plant appear to damp down signals that drive swelling and pain. In test tubes, some extracts slow the growth of certain bacteria and viruses. Whether any of this happens in a person who drinks the tea is unknown.

One compound, coixol, calmed and relaxed animals in lab tests. That may explain why some people report feeling sleepy. It has not been measured in people.

Treat every line above as a lead, not a finding. Animal results often fail to repeat in humans.

What forms does Sweet broom come in?

Sweet broom is most often used as a simple tea. The plant is also sold in these forms:

- Fresh or dried whole herb, loose in markets. - Tea bags of the cut, dried plant. - Capsules or tablets of powdered leaf.

Two more forms turn up less often:

- Liquid tinctures in alcohol or glycerine. - A part-ingredient in mixed Caribbean bush tea blends and bitters.

Labels rarely state how much active matter is present. Some blends do not list every herb. If a product does not name its contents clearly, that is a reason to skip it.

Where it comes from:

Caribbean folk healers have used sweet broom for well over a century. It appears in Jamaican and Dominican home remedy lists as a cooling tea.

It was given for fevers, colds and coughs. It was also taken for stomach upset, for "sugar" (diabetes), and for aches. Crushed leaves were laid on bites, sores and swollen skin.

The plant spread with trade and now grows in Asia and South America. Indian, Brazilian and Taiwanese folk medicine took it up for similar reasons. Historic use is recorded here as history, not as advice to try it.

What does Sweet broom help with?

• High blood sugar in type 2 diabetes: This is the best known use and the most studied. Rats and mice given the extract had lower blood sugar in many lab reports. No trial in people has tested whether the tea lowers blood sugar safely. So the human effect is unknown. Treating diabetes with an untested tea can cause real harm. If you have diabetes, keep taking your prescribed medicine. Talk to your doctor before adding any herb.
• Fever, colds and coughs: Caribbean households gave the tea for fever and chest colds. No human study backs this. Warm fluids do soothe a sore throat and help you feel better. That comfort may be most of what the tea offers. A fever that lasts more than three days needs a doctor, not a tea.
• Stomach upset and loose stools: The tea was taken for gripe, wind and loose stools. Animal studies report slower gut movement with some extracts. There is no human evidence here at all. Loose stools in a baby, an older adult or anyone who cannot keep fluids down is a medical matter.
• Aches, swelling and sore joints: In cell and animal tests, extracts cut markers of swelling. Mice also showed less pain behaviour in some tests. No one has measured this in people. Whether a cup of tea delivers enough of anything to matter is unknown.
• Minor skin sores and insect bites: Crushed leaves were pressed onto bites and sores as a poultice. In test tubes, some extracts slow certain bacteria. That is a lab result, not a skin result. A wound that spreads, weeps or reddens needs medical care.
• Toothache and sore gums: Chewing the plant was a home answer to toothache. There is no study in people on this. Tooth pain almost always has a cause that a dentist must fix. Masking it can let an infection grow.

What are the side effects of Sweet broom?

• Sleepiness or a dull, slow feeling
• Low blood sugar, with shaking, sweating or confusion
• Nausea or stomach cramps
• Loose stools
• Low blood pressure, with dizziness on standing
• Skin rash or itching from an allergy
• Rash where leaves touched the skin

Good to know:

Reported side effects are few, but that reflects a lack of study, not proof of safety. No one has tracked safety in a group of people over time.

The effect that worries doctors most is low blood sugar. That risk rises sharply if you already take diabetes medicine.

Stop using it and get advice if anything new or odd starts after you begin.

How much Sweet broom should you take?

• Recommended daily: There is no established dose for sweet broom, because no human trial has set one. What follows is only what labels and market custom tend to show. Tea products often list about 1 to 2 grams of dried herb per cup. Capsules often list 400 to 500 mg of powdered leaf. These are not instructions for you. Products vary widely in strength, and some blends hide other herbs. Ask a pharmacist or doctor before you use any of it, above all if you take diabetes medicine.
• Best time of day: Time of day has not been studied and likely does not matter much. Some people feel sleepy after the tea, so evening may suit better. Avoid it before driving until you know how it affects you.
• With or without food: Either works. Taking it with food may reduce stomach upset. If you have diabetes, food timing matters for your blood sugar, so keep your usual meal pattern and ask your doctor first.
• Time to effect: Nobody can give you an honest number here. No trial has tracked how fast it works in people. Any soothing effect from a warm drink is felt within minutes. Any real change in blood sugar or pain is unproven. It may do nothing at all for you. That is a fair outcome to expect.
• How long to take it: No safe length of use is known. Studies long enough to answer that question have not been done in people. Traditional use was short and occasional, for a passing fever or upset. Daily use for months has no track record behind it. If you feel no benefit within a week or two, there is little reason to keep going.