A decoction of the root was used to alleviate excessive flow during menstruation.Ĭonsidered refreshing, the soft broom is used internally against inflammation and externally on rashes. Nursing women made a decoction of the aerial parts of the leaves to promote milk production. In the 18th century, the sweet broom was one of the most widely used plants in the West Indies as an appetizer, wound remedy and cough suppressant. Indeed, Caribbean women used it as a purgative herbal tea after childbirth and as a bath to wash children. Licorice weed is a plant whose medicinal properties have been recognized for several centuries and is therefore widely used in folk medicine in tropical countries. The fruit is a spherical capsule containing numerous small seeds. The small axillary flowers are usually white. It has ribbed, glabrous branches (without hairs or thorns), with opposite or whorled leaves and crenate at the top. It is an erect herbaceous plant lignified at the base that can reach 1 meter in height. Licorice weed is planted mainly for medicinal purposes in Creole gardens. In the Spanish islands it is escoba dulce, escobilla or escobilla amarga. In the Caribbean English-speaking islands, it is called wild broomweed or sweet broom. Licorice weed is also balai savane, herbe balai, petit balai, thé savane in French or even balé dou, balyé dou, balyé savann, ti balé or zèb balé in Creole. It is native to tropical America and is found today in all tropical countries. Licorice weed from its scientific name Scoparia dulcis is a herbaceous plant of the scrofulariaceae family.
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