Comfrey

Laura

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A collection of stuff I gathered about comfrey on the web:

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Comfrey: Tomorrow's food, today's medicine

by Ingri Cassel

The comfrey plant, Symphytum officinale, is a member of the borage family and has been called knitbone, bruise-wort, wound wort, healing herb and slippery root. Although comfrey is a medicinal plant, it is also grown to feed animals since it is considered the fastest builder of vegetable protein. In fact, the amount of vegetable protein obtained from every acre of comfrey can be nearly twenty times that obtained from soybeans.

Comfrey is an excellent source of vitamins A and C as well as being one of the few plants that can extract B-12 from the soil. It is also high in calcium, potassium, manganese, iron, zinc and magnesium. It contains 18 amino acids and is a good source of hysine, an amino acid usually lacking in vegan vegetarian diets. Due to comfrey's superior nutritional profile, some researchers have considered comfrey to be an answer in feeding starving nations.

Henry Doubleday

English farmer Henry Doubleday (1813-1902) originally became interested in comfrey after he read an article in the Royal Agricultural Society's 1871 Journal. He had read the word “mucilaginous” and thought comfrey could be used in the manufacture of glue, possibly replacing gum arabic. He obtained some comfrey roots from St. Petersburg in Russia and began propagating them. These roots happened to be a hybrid, symphytum peregrinum. It is assumed that this form of comfrey is a cross between the European comfrey, symphytum officinale, and comfrey from the Caucasus mountains, symphytum asperrium. This strain of comfrey is believed by many to be superior nutritionally and therapeutically to the traditional European variety.

After numerous successful applications of comfrey while raising livestock, both as food and medicine, Doubleday founded the Henry Doubleday Research Association in England. Lawrence D. Hills later became its director having worked extensively with comfrey since 1948. He is frequently credited as the impetus behind the research into comfrey being used for both food and medicine.

Politics of comfrey

Although comfrey root is highly esteemed as a vulnerary (healer of wounds), it has come under fire in recent years because it contains a group of alkaloids (pyrollizidine) that are considered hepatoxic (harmful to the liver.) We have yet to see a study proving a direct association between the limited medicinal ingestion of comfrey root and the development of liver disease. Despite the lack of independent studies proving that limited ingestion of comfrey root damages the liver, comfrey has been banned for sale in many countries including Canada, Australia and Japan. In the U.S., comfrey root and leaf is banned for use internally. The FDA and the American Herbal Products Association warns that comfrey is for external use only and should not be applied to an open wound.

Comfrey the healer

Historically, comfrey was mostly used externally until the early 1800s. During this time, herbalists began using an infusion of the root internally for bronchitis and rheumatism.

Since then, many people have successfully used both the leaf and root of comfrey internally for a variety of complaints; our family included.

Today we know that the use of comfrey assists in the development of strong bones and healthy skin. It also promotes the secretion of pepsin and is a general aid to digestion.

It is one of the finest healers of the respiratory system and can be used both internally and externally for the healing of fractures, wounds, sores and ulcers. It has been used with great success to check hemorrhage, whether from the stomach, lungs, bowels or uterus. It appears to have a beneficial effect on all parts of the body, and is frequently used as an overall tonic.

Testimonials

Following are some quotes from articles I have collected that testify to the remarkable and miraculous healing properties of comfrey.

“Comfrey root has incredible healing power. It has basically helped everything that was hurt or bleeding on my three small children, myself, husband, dog and assorted friends. It has a rare action of being a catalyst that stimulates all cells in the area to reproduce quickly. What really impressed me was how the pain subsided. And now I'm amazed to see that it heals messy scrapes under dirt, lifting debris off with the scab in a few days with no inflammation or infection!

The root is a power house of healing energy that, when applied to a wound, makes blood coagulate which stops bleeding.. I'll never forget when Joshua was two years old, he dropped a heavy toy on his toenail, splitting it right down the middle. I just kept sprinkling comfrey root powder over the mini-gusher of blood until only drips persisted within minutes of the accident. His sobs of pain subsided almost as quickly and one hour later, after a nap, he was proud of himself, hobbling around on his heel! The next day, at a pool party, the scab floated off exposing pink skin. His toenail grew in over the following two weeks.

Taken as a tea sweetened with honey it stopped my internal hemorrhaging after the home-birth of our third child. Our birthing assistant Betsy was concerned about my heavy bleeding, but it decreased to a normal flow after two cups of the tea.

Betsy's ulcers never bothered her again after swallowing several pills made of the root. Years of medication didn't measure up to the quickness of comfrey roots' healing powers.

Sinus problems and bad head colds respond quite favorably to several cups of hot comfrey root tea. Sore throats melt away after a few cups. It has even soothed my stomach and gas cramps that had been known to bend me over. Headaches and menstrual discomforts cease to be a bother after a cup or two.”

~Excerpted from the article, “Blood Make You Faint? Comfrey Root Powder Heals All of Life's Hard Knocks” by Judy Vallely, Health Freedom News, Vol. 6, #11, p. 40

“One interesting story is that of a registered nurse in Provo, Utah. Her 14-year-old boy broke his arm, so she rushed him to the Dugway Proving Grounds Hospital to be taken care of, as they are ex-army people. When the doctor x-rayed the arm, he told them the bone was clean broken, so clean that he would have to put the boy into a brace for a few days until knitting started, and then into a cast. He put on the brace and told them to come back in five days. The nurse told us she was anxious to get home and use the information she had learned in the lectures on comfrey. The arm was bare so on arriving home she put comfrey poultices and fomentations around the arm, and as she said, she gave him comfrey tea, comfrey green drink, comfrey tablets and capsules, and put comfrey into salads and steamed comfrey as a vegetable -- in fact, she got comfrey into him every way she could think of.

In five days she took him back to Dugway to get the cast on and when the doctor came out of the dark room with the new x-ray he said, 'What have you done to this boy?' the nurse said, 'What do you mean doctor' his answering retort was, 'Don't be coy with me. You're a registered nurse and this boy's arm is completely healed and the bone knit together without a hairline crack -- it is perfect in five days- what did you use?' So she told him. Here was a boy healed of a broken bone in five days, x-rays before and after for proof (the fastest bone healing we know of).”

~excerpted from the article “Comfrey -- Heaven's Gift to Man” by Dr. John R. Christopher, M.H., The Herbalist, Volume 1, Number 5, 1976.

Another story from the same article:

“A lady managing a china shop in Provo, Utah, came to us a few years ago, asking if a friend of hers could be helped. She said one-and-a-half vertebras had deteriorated completely in her back, and the vertebrae below and above were so weak that fusing could not be done.

She could not sit up or walk, but just lay there waiting for the spine to continue deteriorating until she died. We told the lady that her friend could be helped if she would follow our instructions. The back was to be kept with fomentations and/or poultices of comfrey on it, and she was put onto the mucusless diet and lots of fresh raw juice and many cups of comfrey tea each day, slippery elm gruel and a nerve palliative tea combination.

In six months, the one and one-half vertebrae grew back in the same form as before (the good Lord left plans and specifications) in the form of cartilage so the woman could sit and walk again. In another six months, the cartilage turned into bone and she had a perfect back from neck through tailbone with no more trouble. The physician took x-rays of the back with vertebrae gone and later again with them back in place, built like new by the body.”

There are so many fabulous comfrey stories they could literally fill a 500-page book. We hope this column has inspired you to make sure you have it growing in your backyard. If not, reserve a place in your yard for it and consult with your community master gardeners about obtaining a few fresh roots.

If you are inspired to learn more about comfrey and John Christopher's programs for healing, send $5 to The Idaho Observer and we will send you several reprinted articles on comfrey along with Dr. Christopher's Three-Day Cleansing Program, Mucusless Diet and Herbal Combinations. Our very first Back to Basics column covered the healing powers of this plant in August 1999. After a discussion with my sister last week, she inspired me to revisit comfrey once again in this column. She had gone over to her former residence, now a rental, to harvest some of the comfrey growing there. Her tenant had no idea that he had such a valuable plant growing in his backyard. He appeared stunned and amazed when she told him why she was gathering the leaves along with a few roots and how she was planning to using it.

It appears that we have lost much valuable history regarding the proven therapeutic value of this plant and countless others. This month's column is an attempt to recover some of that history.

"MDs are those who think we have an excess of organs and a deficiency of drugs." ~Donna Carillo
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* Contemporary herbalists view comfrey as an ambivalent and controversial herb that may offer therapeutic benefits but can cause liver toxicity.

One of the country names for comfrey was ‘knitbone’, a reminder of its traditional use in healing bone fractures. Modern science confirms that comfrey can influence the course of bone ailments.[1][2][3][4]

The herb contains allantoin, a cell proliferant that speeds up the natural replacement of body cells. Comfrey was used in an attempt to treat a wide variety of ailments ranging from bronchial problems, broken bones, sprains, arthritis, gastric and varicose ulcers, severe burns, acne and other skin conditions. It was reputed to have bone and teeth building properties in children, and have value in treating "many female disorders". Constituents of comfrey also include mucilage, steroidal saponins, tannins, pyrrolizidine alkaloids, inulin, and proteins.

Internal usage of comfrey should be avoided because it contains hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs). Use of comfrey can, because of these PAs, lead to veno-occlusive disease (VOD). VOD can in turn lead to liver failure, and comfrey, taken in extreme amounts, has been implicated in at least one death.[5] In 2001, the United States Food and Drug Administration issued a warning against internal usage of herbal products containing comfrey.[6] There are ways to remove the pyrrolizidine alkaloids from comfrey, and some herbal product manufacturers have begun doing so (although the products will still be labelled “for external use only”).

Most recently, in a placebo controlled study comfrey was found to decrease back pain when used topically. However, it is not clear if these results reached statistical significance.

* Symphytum officinale ointment is also useful in wounds that reach the periosteum and the bone surface, and in these two inflammation, periostitis and osteitis, as well as in contusions of the eyeball.

Uses the aqueous solution of 1 part T.M. to 5 parts water.
The leaves of Symphytum officinale contains allantoin, which is a stimulant to the growth of tissues.

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symphytum is one of the gems of remedies in medicne chest for fractures and ligament tear two of my patient who had suffered from ligament tear advised surgery recovered with symphytum 30 bd

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- Common Name - Comfrey, Healing Herb.
- Preparation - One part of the fresh root gathered just before blooming is macerated in two parts by weight of alcohol.

- The Homeopathic Examiner of August contains a paper entitled "Connection of Homeopathy with Surgery", by Croserio, translated by P.P. Wells, M.D.

- It is there stated that "injuries of the bones are healed most promptly by Symphytum offinale 30 internally once a day.

- The remedy accelerates the consolidation of fractures surprisingly".

- The translator adds a note as follows : "I have had repeated opportunities of verifying this declaration of Croserio.

- A boy, fourteen years old, broke the bones of the forearm at the junction of the lower and middle thirds, two years ago.
- He had twice repeated the fracture by slight falls.
- The ends of the fragments are now slightly movable on each other and the arm is weak and admits of little use.
- Three doses of Symphytum effected a perfect cure.
- The lad became more robust, and has since had better general health than ever before.
- A boy, eight years old, fractured the humerus near the junction of the condyles and shaft.
- Arnica 30 immediately arrested the spasmodic jerks of the muscles of the injured arm.
- This remedy was continued for the first three days, when the traumatic fever had entirely subsided.
- He then had Symphyt. 3, gtt. I., in half a tumbler of water, a teaspoonful every morning and evening.
- The splints were removed the ninth day and the bone was found consolidated.
- The cure was entirely without pain.
- How much earlier than this the fragments ceased to be movable is not known.
- Well may the author say it heals broken bones surprisingly.
- Let it be remembered that the discovery of this specific is but one of the many rich fruits of Hahnemannism.
- (The following appeared in the Homeopathic World , 1890 , under the signature F.H. B.)
- In none of the Homeopathic treatises that i possess do i find any mention of the above remedy.
- I am surprised at this, for i believe it to be a very valuable one in certain cases.
- Its common name of knitbone seems to point to popular experience of one of its uses; but i believe its knitting, or uniting powers extends to muscular and other tissues of the body, as well as to the bones.
Source: ANSHUTZ.E.P New old and forgotten remedies

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Symphytum is a homoeopathic medicine made from root and leaves of the plant called Comfrey or Symphytum Officinale and is usually used homeopathically in a highly diluted form. The impressive wound-healing properties of Symphytum are due to the presence of allantoin. Allantoin is known to stimulate cell proliferation and so augments wound-healing both inside and out. Allantoin is known to stimulate osteoblasts, the bone building cells.

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Osteoporosis and Symphytum

Osteoporosis literally means porous bones. It is a slow, progressive disease characterized by a gradual loss of calcium from bones until they become very porous and weak. Normally, bones are composed of a shell of compact or solid bone surrounding connecting plates and rods of bone (spongy bone) within which lie the bone marrow.

Two types of cell regulate the growth of bone: osteoclasts and osteoblasts. The osteoclasts function to dissolve older bone and leave tiny unfilled spaces behind. The osteoblasts then move into these spaces and produce new bone. After menopause or after middle age when the level of hormones go down ,the new bone forming cells also cease to function normally. Thus in osteoporosis, the amount of both compact and spongy bone is reduced. Thinning of the outer layer of compact bone greatly reduces its strength and increases the likelihood of fracture. Symphytum is of great help in osteoporosis as it increases the activity of osteoblasts which are ‘new bone’ forming cells. Thus helps in recovering from osteoporosis in the most natural way. It can also be of great help in fractures resulting due to osteoporosis. Other Homoeo-medicines such as Calcarea Carb, Calcarea phos are also of great help in treating osteoporosis by assimilating the various nutrients in the body.

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Fractures and Symphytum

When a bone fractures, osteoblasts need to go into an overdrive around the fracture site, to lay down more collagen fibers and minerals on top to strengthen them. Symphytum acts as a catalyst in this situation. It increases the activity of new bone forming cells (osteoblasts) in the area of fracture. Symphytum is to be used only once the broken bone has been brought to its original position. Symphytum is indicated in cases where the healing of fracture is delayed e.g. in old people, osteoporosis etc .It is also recommended for pain in old fractures.
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Abstract
The effectiveness and tolerability of the topicalSymphytum product Traumaplant® (Harras Pharma Curarina, München, Germany) (10% active ingredient of a 2.5:1 aqueous-ethanolic pressed concentrate of freshly harvested, cultivated comfrey herb [Symphytum uplandicum Nyman], corresponding to 25 g of fresh herb per 100 g of cream) in the treatment of patients with myalgia (n=104) were tested against a 1% reference product (corresponding to 2.5 g of fresh comfrey herb in 100 g of cream; n=111). The primary efficacy parameter in this double-blind, reference-controlled, randomized, multicenter study of 215 patients with pain in the lower and upper back was pain in motion, assessed with the aid of a visual analogue scale. Secondary efficacy parameters included pain at rest, pain on palpation, and functional impairment. With high concentrations of the treatment product, amelioration of pain on active motion (P > 5×10-9), pain at rest (P > .001), and pain on palpation (P=5×10-5) was significantly more pronounced than that attained with the reference product and was clinically highly relevant. A number needed to treat of 3.2 was calculated from the study results. Global efficacy was significantly better (P = 1 × 10-8) and onset of effects was faster (P = 4 × 10-7) with the high-concentration product. Tolerability of the highly concentrated study product was good to excellent in all patients. Study results confirm the known anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of topicalSymphytum cream. As a new finding, applicability in certain forms of back pain can be concluded.

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Abstract
In a controlled, double-blind, randomized multicentre study, the efficacy and safety of the topical comfrey product Traumaplant® (10% active ingredient of a 2.5:1 aqueous ethanolic pressed juice of freshly harvested, cultivated comfrey herb [Symphytum × uplandicum Nyman], corresponding to 25 g of fresh herb per 100 g of cream; n = 104) was tested against a 1% product (corresponding to 2.5 g of fresh comfrey herb in 100 g of cream; n = 99) in 203 patients with acute ankle distortion. With the high concentration, decrease of the scores for pain on active motion, pain at rest and functional impairment was highly significant and clinically relevant on days T3–4 as well as T7 (p < 0.001). Amelioration of swellings as compared to reference was also significant on day 3–4 (p < 0.01). Efficacy was judged good to excellent in 85.6% of cases with verum and in 65.7% of cases with reference on day 3–4. Overall tolerability was excellent.

[Therapeutic characteristance and tolerance of topical comfrey preparations. Results of an observational study of patients].

[Article in German]

Koll R, Klingenburg S.

Merck Selbstmedikation GmbH, Darmstadt.
Abstract

AIM: To analyze the anti-inflammatory and analgetic properties of the topical comfrey, preparations Kytta-Salbe f, Kytta-Plasma f and Kytta-Balsam f applied to bruises, sprains and distortions and painful conditions of the muscles and joints.

METHOD: A prospective open multicentric observational study complying with paragraph 67(6) of the AMG and involving 162 general practitioners. During the two-week period of observation, the patients received an average of one to three applications of the comfrey preparation per day. All 492 questionnaires were evaluated. Efficacy and tolerability were assessed by both physician and patient.

RESULTS: Pain at rest and on movement, as also tenderness, improved in the overall observation group by an average of 45-47%. The duration of morning joint stiffness decreased from 20 minutes initially to 3 minutes. During the course of treatment with comfrey, more than two-thirds of the patients were able to reduce or even discontinue their intake of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and other specific concomitant medication. In most of the cases, both effectiveness and tolerability were assessed to be excellent or good.

CONCLUSION: The results of the study confirm the effectiveness and tolerability of the topical comfrey preparation investigated in the treatment of bruises, sprains and distortions as well as painful conditions affecting muscles and joints.
Efficacy of a comfrey root (Symphyti offic. radix) extract ointment in the treatment of patients with painful osteoarthritis of the knee: results of a double-blind, randomised, bicenter, placebo-controlled trial.

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Grube B, Grünwald J, Krug L, Staiger C.

Merck Selbstmedikation GmbH, Rösslerstrasse 96, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany.
Abstract

This randomised, double-blind, bicenter, placebo-controlled clinical trial investigated the effect of a daily application of 6g Kytta-Salbe f (3 x 2 g) over a 3 week period with patients suffering from painful osteoarthritis of the knee. The two hundred and twenty patients examined consisted of 153 women and 67 men of an average age of 57.9 years. On average, the complaints relating to osteoarthritis of the knee had persisted for 6.5 years. Two hundred and twenty patients were included in the Full Analysis Set (FAS) and safety collective, 186 (84.5%) in the Valid Case Analysis Set (VCAS) collective. In the course of the trial, the visual analog scale (VAS) total score (primary target value) in the verum group dropped by 51.6 mm (54.7%) and in the placebo group by 10.1 mm (10.7%). The average difference between the groups of 41.5 mm (95% confidence interval=34.8 to 48.2 mm) or 44.0% is significant (p<0.001). The significance is confirmed through the evaluation of the diary, the VCAS evaluation and the separate assessment of the two centres. This also applies to the separate assessment of the VAS total score following pain at rest and on movement. The WOMAC (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities) total score (secondary target value) also improved similar to the VAS total score. At the end of the trial, a reduction by 60.4 mm (58.0%) was recorded for the verum group and a reduction of 14.7 mm (14.1%) for the placebo group. The average group difference of 45.7 mm (95% confidence interval=37.1 to 54.3 mm) or 43.9% is significant (p<0.001). The difference between the treatment groups increased systematically and significantly, in parallel with the duration of the treatment. Thus, the superiority of the treatment with Kytta-Salbe f over that with the placebo is proven, even by means of the multi-factorial multivariate analysis for repetitive measurements. In respect of the explorative secondary target values SF-36 (quality of life), angle measurement (mobility of the knee), CGI (clinical global impression) and global assessment of efficacy by the physician and the patient, a significant superiority (p<0.001 each) of the verum group over the placebo group was also proven. The results suggest that the comfrey root extract ointment is well suited for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee. Pain is reduced, mobility of the knee improved and quality of life increased.

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Efficacy and safety of comfrey root extract ointment in the treatment of acute upper or lower back pain: results of a double-blind, randomised, placebo controlled, multicentre trial.

Giannetti BM, Staiger C, Bulitta M, Predel HG.

CRM Pharmaberatung GmbH, Rheinbach, Germany.
Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to show the superiority of comfrey root extract ointment to placebo ointment in patients with acute upper or lower back pain.

DESIGN: The study was conducted as a double-blind, multicentre, randomised clinical trial with parallel group design over a period of 5 days (SD 1). The patients (n = 120, mean age 36.9 years) were treated with verum or placebo ointment three times a day, 4 g ointment per application. The trial included four visits.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary efficacy variable was the area under the curve (AUC) of the visual analogue scale (VAS) on active standardised movement values at visits 1 to 4. The secondary efficacy variables were back pain at rest using assessment by the patient on VAS, pressure algometry (pain-time curve; AUC over 5 days), global assessment of efficacy by the patient and the investigator, consumption of analgesic medication and functional impairment measured using the Oswestry disability index.

RESULTS: There was a significant treatment difference between comfrey extract and placebo regarding the primary variable. In the course of the trial the pain intensity on active standardised movement decreased on average (median) approximately 95.2% in the verum group and 37.8% in the placebo group.

CONCLUSIONS: The results of this clinical trial were clear-cut and consistent across all primary and secondary efficacy variables. Comfrey root extract showed a remarkably potent and clinically relevant effect in reducing acute back pain. For the first time a fast-acting effect of the ointment (1 h) was also witnessed.
[Therapeutic characteristance and tolerance of topical comfrey preparations. Results of an observational study of patients].

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Koll R, Klingenburg S.

Merck Selbstmedikation GmbH, Darmstadt.
Abstract

AIM: To analyze the anti-inflammatory and analgetic properties of the topical comfrey, preparations Kytta-Salbe f, Kytta-Plasma f and Kytta-Balsam f applied to bruises, sprains and distortions and painful conditions of the muscles and joints.

METHOD: A prospective open multicentric observational study complying with paragraph 67(6) of the AMG and involving 162 general practitioners. During the two-week period of observation, the patients received an average of one to three applications of the comfrey preparation per day. All 492 questionnaires were evaluated. Efficacy and tolerability were assessed by both physician and patient.

RESULTS: Pain at rest and on movement, as also tenderness, improved in the overall observation group by an average of 45-47%. The duration of morning joint stiffness decreased from 20 minutes initially to 3 minutes. During the course of treatment with comfrey, more than two-thirds of the patients were able to reduce or even discontinue their intake of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and other specific concomitant medication. In most of the cases, both effectiveness and tolerability were assessed to be excellent or good.

CONCLUSION: The results of the study confirm the effectiveness and tolerability of the topical comfrey preparation investigated in the treatment of bruises, sprains and distortions as well as painful conditions affecting muscles and joints.

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(NaturalNews) If you've got a cavity, maybe you want to try regrowing your own teeth before heading for a filling. Our bodies are constantly renewing themselves and although it isn't commonly known, we can regrow our teeth too. In fact, regrowing our teeth is highly preferable to having them filled because most fillings these days either contain mercury (a known toxin that damages the brain and nervous system) or are estrogenic (white fillings release estrogen and contribute to hormonal problems.)

Besides, regrowing your teeth is simple. You'll just need two things: comfrey root and organic eggshells. Eggshells are used because they contain 27 minerals and loads of calcium, so they contain the ideal building materials to regrow your teeth. In fact, the composition of eggshells is very similar to the composition of our teeth and bones. Comfrey root is used because it accelerates bone, teeth and tissue growth. In fact, another name for comfrey root is knitbone, primarily because of its ability to knit - or regrow - bone together so quickly.

When you're regrowing your teeth, aim to eat one organic eggshell each day. Blending your shells into fresh fruit smoothies is a great way to consume them because blending breaks them into tiny particles that are easily consumed. Smoothies with bananas are ideal because the banana will keep the shell particles suspended instead of allowing them to sink to the bottom of your glass. After cracking the egg, just boil your shells in water for five minutes to kill any pathogens before use.

While you're re-mineralizing and adding plenty of calcium to your body with eggshells, you'll also want to use comfrey root on your teeth and gums. Either fresh or dried comfrey root will do the trick, but if it's dried, boil the root lightly for ten minutes to rehydrate it. Then, blend a square inch of the root with a few tablespoons of water to make a liquid - and swish the liquid in your mouth and between your teeth for about 20 minutes. When you're finished, just spit it out.

Using comfrey in this manner is best done once a day, and you'll likely see progress within a few weeks. Many cavities can be completely regrown within a month or two with regular use. The best part is: you can heal your teeth without leaving toxic metals or hormone disruptors in your mouth for the rest of your life.

As a note, comfrey root can be a little hard on your liver so if you have liver problems, you'll want to avoid using comfrey. After your teeth have regrown, you'll also want to end the use of comfrey so as not to over do it.

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Comfrey Symphytum officinale (Borage Family)

This herb is a favorite first aid remedy. It contains a compound called allantoin, which when applied to the skin accelerates the healing of tissue and the closing of wounds.

When fresh leaves or roots are applied to a wound it causes it to contract and close quicker and inhibits the opportunity for infection while minimizing scarring.


Comfrey Leaf

Comfrey leaf has a long history of use to promote the healing of bones and wounds, as well as internal use to treat a wide variety of ailments from arthritis to ulcers. Its use in Chinese traditional medicine spans over 2000 years.

Recently, reports of the toxic effects of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in comfrey have led some herbalists to be wary of using it internally. PAs in extremely large doses or over long periods of time may cause potentially fatal damage to the liver. Many leading herbalists and traditional healers question the warnings, pointing to laboratory tests that show only minute levels of PAs in random samples of comfrey preparations.One of the most common uses of comfrey leaf is in an ointment or a poultice applied to sprains, broken bones and other wounds, where it promotes rapid healing of both skin lesions and bone breaks.

Comfrey leaf constituents include tannins, rosmarinic acid, allantoin, steroidal saponins, mucilage, inulin, pyrrolizidine alkaloids, Gum, Carotene, Glycosides, Sugars, Beta-sitosterol, Triterpenoids, Vitamin B-12, Protein, Zinc.

Comfrey leaf is used in herbal pastes, ointments, tinctures, decoctions, poultices and in cosmetics.

It is a popular addition to herbal salves and ointments, which can be used for bruises, sprains, eczema, swellings and burns.

Research seems to bear out the claims for the healing properties of comfrey leaf. In one major European study, an ointment based on comfrey root proved more effective at relieving both pain and swelling in 142 patients with sprained ankles. In another study with over 300 participants showed that comfrey leaf treatments of varying types (ointments, salves, compresses and other topical applications), were very effective in treating eczema, dermatitis, viral skin infections and ulcers of the lower leg. More recent research in the United States has shown that allantoin, one of comfreys main constituents, breaks down red blood cells, which could account for its ability to help heal bruises and contusions.With regards to the warnings that comfrey can cause cancer and liver disease, most herbal practitioners point out that those results were from studies that isolated the pyrrolizidine alkaloids and fed or injected them into animal subjects in doses far higher than any typical usage of comfrey leaf, and that comfrey leaf has been regularly ingested by thousands of people around the world without reported ill effects.

Comfrey root is used to relieve pain from blunt injuries, promote healing of broken bones, sprains and bruises, reduce swelling and edema, and encourage the rapid and healthy regrowth of skin and tissue cells. Because comfrey may contain PAs, which have caused cancer and liver damage in animal studies, and because the root contains it in higher concentration than the leaves, internal use is not suggested.

A strong infusion of the leaves and/or roots can be used as a skin wash to relieve irritation and promote healing.

CAUTION: There is some debate on the safety of internal consumption of this herb - mostly the root, due to the fact that it contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids which have been linked to liver cancer.

Many herbalists use the leaves internally, chopped fresh in salads or dried and added to herbal infusions, for the high mineral content.

Still, many herbalists recommend that comfrey preparations should not be taken internally because of the possibility of liver disease and damage. Comfrey should also not be used by pregnant or nursing women.

Use caution or avoid internal consumption if you have liver damage.

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Here's a super simple recipe for comfrey salve recipe
to utilize all that comfrey in your garden!

This salve also makes great gifts for friends and family.

I like to put up big batches in the summer and give them out at the holidays.

2 cups good quality olive oil

~ 1 ounce (about two tablespoons) fresh comfrey leaves (or 1/2 ounce dried)

~ 1 ounce (about two tablespoons) fresh lavender flowers (or 1/2 ounce dried)

~ 1 ounce (about two tablespoons) fresh calendula flowers (or 1/2 ounce dried)

~ 1/2 cup beeswax

~ Gently warm the olive oil and the herbs in the top of a double boiler for about 30 minutes. Stir frequently. It should bubble a bit at the edges, but not throughout the mixture.

~ Strain out the oil by pouring through a strainer.

~ Discard herbs and reserve oil.

~ Melt your beeswax in the top of the double boiler.

~ Add the strained oil and stir until completely blended.

~ Pour the mixture into jars or salve tins.

~ Once it is cool, label and date your creation.

Comfrey's Burning Secret

by Kimberly Gallagher of LearningHerbs.com

Meet Comfrey
, Symphytum officinale, one of my most favorite herbal allies. Comfrey's genus name, symphytum, means to bring together, and comfrey is an amazing wound healer, being high in allantoin, a constituent that encourages cell regeneration.

Wow! Cell regeneration, pause a moment and take that in. Does it sound like something worth having as part of your family's medicine chest?

Let's take a moment to meet comfrey. She has a thick stalk with a mucilaginous inside (much like aloe), with broad, lance-shaped leaves. The stalks grow to about three feet and produce bell-shaped flowers with a color range from creamy white to purple or red. The leaves and stalk are covered with coarse, prickly hairs.

The whole comfrey plant is good medicine, but right now I want to focus on her beautiful black, tuberous roots that form a deep, expansive system beneath her. This time of year, sinking our hands into the soil to uncover roots is medicine in itself, immersing us in the smell and feel of our deep rich mother earth. The green, leafy parts of many plants are dying back now, and their energy is returning to the roots. This vital plant energy infuses our herbal medicine with life, so this is the time to gather roots. Comfrey Herb Image Last year I tried to dig down with my hands to the very bottom of a comfrey root, but found that the roots kept breaking and the network was so expansive it was difficult to find an end. Luckily, there's no need to dig out a whole plant to gather the roots. Rather, simply dig down around the plant and take a section of root from the soil. Cover the roots again to allow the plant to return the following year. (Comfrey actually propagates through her roots, so each small piece left in the soil will become a new plant.)

In our family, we use comfrey root to make poultices, which means blending the plant with water to make a sort of herbal bandage that is used externally to promote healing. Comfrey is a cooling herb, and we've had great success using comfrey poultices for healing burns. It draws out the heat, and then that allantoin goes to work, regenerating damaged cells. (Please do read up on burn first aid to find out how to treat burns of differing degrees before applying your poultice. Just Googling "burns" leads to a wealth of information.)

I remember one night we were celebrating the winter solstice around a bonfire, and my friend's two-year-old picked up a hot ember. We took her into the house and pulled our comfrey poultice from the freezer, cut off a section and placed it directly on the burn, with some gauze over the top. Within ten minutes the frozen comfrey was hot and drying out, and our little friend had stopped crying. The comfrey was pulling the heat from the burn. We continued to change the poultice every ten to fifteen minutes while she stayed with us, and then bandaged the burn with a comfrey poultice and gauze before sending her home for the night. We sent some frozen poultice with her mother, but by morning the burn was healed.

To make your own comfrey burn medicine, clean your harvested root thoroughly with water, chop it coarsely and blend it in the blender with enough water for the blender to do its job (try water to cover half the root and add more as needed). Pour the blended mixture into an empty cardboard juice concentrate container, seal in a freezer bag and place it in the freezer. To use it, cut off a small portion and return the rest to the freezer.

Perhaps this season you will begin building your relationship with comfrey by adding this poultice to your medicine chest. Then you can continue to add to your knowledge, discovering even more uses for your root poultice and the powerful healing capacity of comfrey infused oil as a salve ingredient and of poultices made from comfrey's flowering tops (I have a free ebook on comfrey leaf poultices available with the purchase of the Herbal Medicine Making Kit from www.learningherbs.com). Truly, she is an amazing herbal ally and I wish you a full and rich relationship with her.

Kimberly Gallagher, M.Ed. and her husband John run LearningHerbs.com, a family business that helps people learn about herbs. They created the Herbal Medicine Making Kit to start people on the path of making herbal remedies, and have created "Wildcraft! An Herbal Adventure Game", a cooperative board game that teaches edible and medicinal plants. Both are available on their family website www.learningherbs.com. Kimberly is a priestess in the Wise Woman Goddess tradition, a homeschooling mom, and an herbal apprentice at RavenCroft Garden in Monroe, Washington. See www.familyherbalremedies.com for more of her herbal remedy articles.
 
Here is the Comfrey cream recipe:
500 ml aqueous cream, preferably a lightly fragranced version eg lavender
empty it into a larger container for the microwave, perhaps a 2 litre container
fill the empty 500 ml aqueous container with fresh comfrey leaves,
that you have chopped into fairly small bits about a teaspoon size each
roughly stir the chopped comfrey into the 2 litre container with the aqueous cream
microwave on medium-high for 7 to 10 minutes
strain through a sieve, applying force above with the back of a cup, to get plenty of it through
don't worry about little bits of comfrey being in the mixture, you want them there!
add one teaspoon vitamin E oil
one teaspoon eucolyptus oil
one teaspoon camphor oil
one teaspoon arnica oil

stir it all up a bit and store in an airtight container
(the 500ml aqueous cream container is ideal)
it stores well for months and does not need refrigeration,
unless you are experiencing extremely high temperatures
apply a teaspoon of it to the affected area, rubbing in for about 5 minutes, three times a day


Comfrey's skin-healing agents make it an invaluable cosmetic herb. You can add comfrey to your bath water to soften skin, using a muslin tea bag filled with dried or fresh leaves or root, hanging under the running spigot, and soaking it in the bath like a big teacup. You can make your own comfrey oil by putting 1 pint of oil, such as olive, almond, or coconut oils, into a glass bowl big enough to fit over a pan and not fall in. Then add 8 ounces of dried comfrey leaves. Simmer bowl over pan of boiling water for 3 hours, then strain, and bottle. It will keep about a year. You can use this oil on dried and rough skin. You can also make comfrey ointment by taking 3/4 cup of comfrey oil you made, and mixing it in the glass bowl with 1/2 ounce of grated beeswax. Melt the beeswax and oil together, stirring until they are combined. Pour into a jar while still hot and liquid. Will set and gel as it cools. This ointment is excellent for babies, apply after each cleaning, before putting on a new diaper, to help heal diaper rash. But do not use comfrey and comfrey oils and ointments on deep wounds or infected skin, as it may promote surface healing before a wound is healed underneath. Comfrey aids in speeding healing to such a point that this warning is warranted! And comfrey steeped in hot vinegar then cooled then applied to hair makes hair very soft.



menuSIMPLE OINTMENT
8 oz lard by weight
2 oz (4 tbsp) beeswax

Melt wax in top of double boiler and add lard gradually. Stir till cool.

Can be varied by using a cooking oil (ie. olive, safflower, sweet almond, or avocado).

Herbs can also be infused in the melted lard and beeswax added later. See Basics/How to.

menuBASIC OINTMENT
Crush fresh or dried herbs and simmer with fat of your choice (ie. lard, olive oil, safflower oil, etc). Simmer on top of stove in top of double boiler for several hours. Or, they may be baked in the oven for several hours in the fat using a low heat. Strain and place back on heat, then melt beeswax in it. Pour into jar.
menu4-C SKIN LOTION
Useful for skin inflammations and for those with possible bacterial complications.

Combine 1 tbsp each of Chamomile, Comfrey, Chickweed, and Calendula in a mason jar. Over this pour 2 cups boiling hot water; cover and let steep for 20 minutes. Strain and place in a spritzer bottle. Add 1 dropperful of echinacea extract and 1 dropperful of usnea extract. Spritz as needed.
menu3-C SKIN OINTMENT
An ointment which is general in purpose and can be used on almost all skin problems.

¾ oz dried chickweed
¾ oz dried comfrey leaf (or root)
½ oz dried calendula flowers
8 to 9 oz of sweet almond oil (or olive oil or combo of the two)
¼ oz (approx) of grated beeswax
800 IU vitamin E

Optional: Echinacea and usnea extracts can be added just before the beeswax for their antiseptic properties.

Powder herbs.
Combine herbs and oil in a pyrex bowl or the top of a double boiler.
Place ¾" water in an electric skillet and bring temp to a steady 95°F.
Place bowl in water in skillet and clip cooking thermometer to side of bowl with tip touching the oil.
When a steady temp of 95° to 98° degrees is attained, allow to simmer for 12 to 14 hours or till herbs look "used up".
Strain through fine muslin and into a measuring cup to remove all traces of the herbs.
See how much oil you have recovered; it should be about 4 oz. Add a bit of oil if it doesn't.
Return oil to cleaned bowl or pan and raise the temp in the skillet to 150°.
Keeping heat at 150°, return bowl or pan to skillet and add beeswax (melts at about 148°F).
Keep stirring well till beeswax is melted.
Test for desired consistency by dropping a drop or two into the bottom of a jar which will hold the ointment. When desired consistency is reached, remove from heat and add contents of vitamin E capsule(s). You can also add the tinctures at this time.
Allow to set up; cap tightly.

VARIATION
For Red Mange or other skin problems in dogs.
Makes a 2 oz batch.

¾ oz. chickweed and comfrey mixed equally
¼ oz calendula
1/8 oz elecampane
1/8 oz lemon peel
5 drops essential oil of lemon
½ dropper echinacea
800 IU vitamin E
5 oz sweet almond oil
1/8 oz beeswax

Follow procedure as above. Withhold oil of lemon, echinacea extract, vitamin E, then add after removing from heat the final time.
menuBALSAM PEAR SALVE
This was kept handy for pinpricks that occurred when doing stitchery such as quilting. It also served as an all-purpose salve.

½ cup mutton tallow
½ cup lard
½ cup white vasoline
2 tbsp beeswax
3 large balsams from pear balsam vine (Momordica charantia)
oil of wintergreen

Remove the seeds from the balsams. Cut them into small pieces and fry in lard till crisp. Strain through juice strainer or cloth. Add other ingredients and mix well. Add a few drops of oil of wintergreen. Pour in jars to let cool.
menuCALENDULA OINTMENT
7 oz petroleum jelly
2 oz (a handful) freshly picked calendula flowers

Melt petroleum jelly over low heat.
Add calendula.
Bring mixture to a boil and simmer very gently for about 10 min, stirring well.
Strain through fine gauze and press out all the liquid from the flowers.
Pour liquid into container and seal after it has cooled.
menuCHICKWEED SALVE
Good first aid for cuts, nicks, bites and scratches, itches and rashes.

12 oz fresh chickeweed
1 pint olive or sweet almond oil
½ oz beeswax

In ovenproof container combine Chickweed and oil.
Place in 150°F oven for 3 hours; strain and add ½ oz melted beeswax to oil (always melt waxes in top of double boiler to avoid fire); stir as mixture thickens.
menuCOCOA BUTTER SALVE
4 oz. herbs of choice
6 oz. cocoa butter (vegetable oil can be substituted)
1 oz. beeswax

Melt cocoa butter in top of double boiler with beeswax.
Add herbs and allow to heat through in double boiler over very low heat for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Strain out herbs.
menuCOMFREY-PLANTAIN OINTMENT
1 oz dried comfrey
1 oz dried plantain
8 oz sweet almond oil
1½ oz. beeswax

See Salve/Ointment for directions on making a salve/ointment.

menuCUCUMBER OINTMENT
Used as a healing and cleansing cream.

1 lb cucumber
3¼ oz pure lard
2¼ oz veal suet

Grate the washed cucumbers into a pulp or use a blender or food processer.
Strain the juice out and save.
Cut the suet into small pieces and heat over a water bath till the fat is melted out from the membrane.
Add the lard.
When melted, strain through the muslin into a crock or jar capable of holding upto 1 quart.
Stir until it begins to thicken.
Add 1/3 of the juice.
Beat with a spatula till the odor has been wholly extracted.
Put into jar and cover.
Heat in a water bath till the fatty matter separates from the juice.
Strain off the green coagulum floating on the surface.
Put jar in a cool place to solidify.
The crude ointment is then separated from the water liquid on which it floats, is melted and strained and then placed in glass jars which must be kept sealed.
Add a layer of rosewater on the surface to help preserve it. Rosewater may also be added to make this preparation creamy and white.
menuEMERGENCY OINTMENT
Combine some wheat germ oil and honey and apply to sore, bruise or wound.
Tinctures of Comfrey, Calendula, St. Johnswort or Mullein can be added (between 5 and 15 drops) to the oil and honey.
menuEUCALYPTUS OINTMENT
Contains antiseptic and healing properties. Produces good results in chapped hands, chafes, dandruff, tender feet, enlargements of the glands, spots on the chest, arms, back and legs and pains in the joints and muscles. Apply a piece of clean cotton or gauzy type material to wounds after all dirt is washed away. For aches and pains rub the affected part well and then cover with cloth; repeat 2 or 3 times.
12 oz elder oil
2 oz beeswax
2 tsps eucalyptus oil
20 drops wintergreen oil

Combine elder oil and wax in top of double boiler over low heat until wax melts; remove from heat and stir in remaining 2 oils. Pour into appropriate containers.
menuHEALING SALVE
Useful for skin rashes, swellings, wounds and eruptions.

1 part calendula flowers
½ part plantain leaves
½ part mugwort
½ part comfrey leaves
Simmer the herbs in lard (1 lb lard for each 4 oz of herbs) till leaves are crisp. Strain and store in appropriate jar. Can also be made with oil and beeswax (Basics/How To).
menuITCH OINTMENT
Use Burdock root or Chickweed or a combination of both.
Wash and grate the Burdock root or use fresh Chickweed; combine with safflower oil (or olive oil) and cocoa butter; cook in a covered heat resistant dish at 200°F for 2 to 3 hours (use an electric skillet with water in it to have controlled temp - see (Basics/How To).
Strain and return liquid to dish along with grated beeswax; figure ¼ oz beeswax for each 2 oz liquid.
menuJUNIPER BERRY OINTMENT
Useful for wounds, itching, scratches, scars from burns, hangnails and festering sores.

Collect the berries from the garden or the wild just as they are getting ripe.

2 cups juniper berries
2 cups oil (olive, peanut, safflower, sweet almond, or etc)
2 to 3 tbsp beeswax
Soak berries overnight.
Strain out the water.
Simmer the berries over very low heat in the oil in the top of a double boiler and take care not to burn.
Remove from heat and strain out berries.
Return to heat and add beeswax.
When melted pour into appropriate containers.
menuLAVENDER OINTMENT
RECIPE #1
25 drops essential oil of lavender
10 drops essential oil of lemon (or neroli)
5 drops essential oil of thyme
2 tbsp oil of lavender (which is prepared by infusing flowers in olive oil)
60 g beeswax

Melt beeswax in top of double boiler, then beat in oil of lavender.
As ointment begins to cool, add the essential oils and continue to beat till cool.
Store in covered jar in refrigerator.

RECIPE #2
Good for chapped lips, skin and cold sores.

4 tbsp olive or almond oil
3 to 4 tbsp beeswax
3 tsp cocoa butter
2 tsp lanolin
10 drops vitamin E oil
15 drops lavender oil
15 drops sandalwood oil
Combine olive or almond oil, beeswax, cocoa butter and lanolin and heat in top of double boiler.
Remove from heat and add vitamin E (a 400 IU capsule can be opened and contents squeezed out), lavender and sandalwood oils and beat well.
Pour into little jars and allow to cool before putting on lids.
Keeps 6 to 12 months.
menuLAVENDER-TEA TREE OINTMENT
Good antiseptic properties and soothing to skin problems.

2 oz oil
½ oz beeswax
5 drops lavender oil
3 drops tea tree oil
400 IU vitamin E

Combine oil and beeswax in top of double boiler over low heat till wax melts.
Remove from heat and add lavender and tea tree oils.
Snip vitamin E capsule open and squeeze contents into oils.
Place in ointment jar and allow to setup before capping.
menuPAINFUL SORES OINTMENT
Combine 8 oz vegetable glycerine and 2 oz white oak bark powder.
Heat together in top of double boiler for 30 min.
Cool, strain and bottle.
Be sure to label.
menuPLANTAIN OINTMENT
2½ cups fresh plantain leaves
1½ cups wheat germ oil
½ cup honey

Mix wheat germ oil and honey in a blender, making sure blades are covered with the oil.
Add fresh plantain leaves.
Scrape out the preparation with a spaula.
Place in a labeled bottle or jar.
To solidify add 2½ tbsp or more of warm, melted beeswax.
menuRED CLOVER OINTMENT
In a pyrex bowl, place a handful of red clover and cover with olive or sweet almond oil.
Place bowl in center of electric skillet which has some water in it to protect the finish.
See Basics/How To for procedure.

menuSORE LEG OINTMENT
1 handful chickweed
1 handful red rose leaves
1 pint olive oil (or other suitable oil)

In top of double boiler combine oil, chickweed and rose leaves.
Simmer over very low heat for 1 to 3 hours.
Strain out herbs.
Use as a liquid ointment on sore legs.

menuSAGE and SWEET VIOLET OINTMENT
Good for chapped lips, cold sores and chapped skin.

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage leaves
2 tbsp sweet violets
4 tbsp sweet almond oil

Combine ingredients in a small stoppered bottle.
Leave in a warm place for 1 month, shaking daily.
Strain into a bowl and add 4 tbsp each of almond oil and melted beeswax which have been melted together in the top of a double boiler.
Beat until cold.
Store in an airtight jar in a cool place.
menuSKIN SALVE
1 part comfrey
1 part chickweed
1 part calendula
1 part lavender
1 part rose petals
½ part elderflowers
½ part violet leaves or flowers
enough sweet almond or olive oil (or other oil) to cover herbs in pan

See Basics/How to (ointments/salves) for procedure.

menuVIOLET OINTMENT
Has been used for boils, impetigo, ulcers, skin eruptions.

Melt 1 oz lanolin and 3 oz cocoa butter in small oven pan (use 150° oven).
Add as many fresh violet leaves as liquid will cover and continue to heat for 3 hours.
Strain and store.

©1998 by Ernestina Parziale, CH

Comfrey
Symphytum officinale

Herbs gallery - Comfrey




















COMMON NAMES

* Ass-ear
* Blackwort
* Bruisewort
* Comfrey
* Consormol
* Knitback
* Knitbone

Comfrey (scientific name Symphytum officinale L.) is also known as knitbone or common comfrey and belongs to the Boraginaceae family. It is a perennial herb having black roots resembling turnips and bears broad leaves with bristles. The herb is indigenous to Europe and grows in soggy and lush green areas, especially along the river banks and ditches. The flowers of the plant are bell-shaped and vary in hue from white to pink or purple. It is widely used for treating a number of conditions.

In traditional herbal medicine, the plant is used externally as a poultice to heal lesions and injuries. In addition, the herb is also used internally and consumed as a tea or a combined plant infusion, often referred to as a ‘green drink’, to cure ulcers in the stomach as well as to function as a ‘blood purifier’. Emotional advocators of comfrey, usually talk highly regarding the usefulness of the herb in healing cuts and injuries, burns, respiratory disorders pertaining to the lungs and the bronchial airways. In addition, they also claim that the herb is extremely effective in healing ulcers of the stomach, bowels, gallbladder as well as the liver. Many of them also claim that the herb is very useful in healing fractured or broken bones, but this perception is utterly erroneous as it originates from another name of comfrey - knitbone. It is possible that at some point of time the herb was used to heal the swelling and tenderness in the region of a broken bone, but certainly not used to mend the bone.

It is believed that any and all the remedial characteristics of comfrey perhaps owe to allantoin - an active element of the herb. Allantoin is basically a mediator that endorses propagation of cell. The herb also encloses some amounts of tannin and mucilage. The parts of the plant under the ground, especially the root, encloses around 0.6 to 0.7 per cent of allantoin and approximately 4.0 to 6.5 per cent tannin. On the other hand, comfrey leaves contain lesser amount of allantoin (approximately 0.3 per cent), but more of tannin (anything between 8.0 to 9.0 per cent). However, the roots as well as the leaves of the plant contain considerable quantities of mucilage or binding substances. Although, the advocators of the therapeutic use of this herb speak highly about the content of vitamin B12 in the herb, the fact remains that in comparison to the more traditional sources of vitamin B12, such as the liver, the presence of this substance is not really high in comfrey.

Comfrey and therapeutic preparations containing this herb are among the most common products that are being marketed among the Americans for over three decades now, but there are enough reasons to consider that using this herb or preparations containing it has a perilous effect on the overall health of the individual using it. In fact, various species of comfrey that have been examined by scientists so far have shown to contain hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), but literature on this subject is confusing owing to an obvious absence of focus on adequate botanical recognition of the different Symphytum species researched till now.

Generally, comfrey encloses mainly 7-acetylintermedine and 7-acetylly-copsamine. This is in addition to the unacetylated forerunners as well as symphytine. However, this herb does not have a rich content of echimidine, perhaps the most venomous comfrey pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA). Along with symphytine presence of six other pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), especially found in Russian comfrey, have been identified in this herb. During the back-to-the-land movement, many people endorsed the use of Russian comfrey and, ironically enough, majority of the comfrey grown in the home gardens are hybrids of the Russian comfrey. In fact, the roots of this herb enclose around ten-fold more of the pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) intensity compared to what is present in the leaves.

Normally, echimidine, probably the most toxic comfrey pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA) is used as an indicator to find out if the samples of common comfrey are labeled appropriately. A research undertaken by Canadian scientists of 13 different commercial samples that were tagged as ‘comfrey’ or ‘comfrey/ Symphytum officinale’ exposed that as many as six of these samples actually enclosed echimidine and were, thus, in all probability not drawn from common comfrey (Symphytum officinale), but instead obtained from the prickly comfrey (Symphytum asperurn) or Russian comfrey (Symphytum x uplandicum). It may be mentioned here that the sale of all products containing echimidine are prohibited in Canada for therapeutic uses. However, owing to the absence of chemical analysis, it is always not possible to correctly verify whether any remedial herbal product actually contains this toxic element. In fact, the commercial labeling system in the country is very undependable. It needs to be emphasized here that simply because the sale of products enclosing echimidine is banned in Canada, people should not underrate the possible perils of using common comfrey, which encloses other different hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs). In general, sale of any product containing the comfrey roots are now not allowed in Canada.

In fact, comfrey is often considered to be a major first aid medication. When comfrey is applied topically over a fractured bone, its prime element allantoin simply disseminates into the tissues below and helps in speeding up the healing and closing processes. Allantoin is known to encourage cell growth and, thereby, mend damaged cells. When fresh comfrey leaves or roots are topically administered to sores, injuries or ulcers, the mucilage or adhesive agents present in the herb trickles out onto the damages skin. It first dries on the wound and then coagulates and contracts bringing the sides of the damaged skin closer and also slows down contagion at the place. In places where the injury is somewhat shallow, comfrey is effective in healing the skin leaving behind a small blemish.

A poultice or balm prepared with comfrey roots may be used to heal an assortment of conditions, including blemishes, twists and strains, gout, arthritis, varicose veins, ulcers, swellings, burns and phlebitis (inflammation of veins characterized by pain, swelling and change of skin color). Again, a decoction prepared with comfrey root or an infusion prepared with the leaves of the herb serves as an effective eyewash for tender, inflamed eyes as well as a cleanser for skin conditions like eczema, acne, psoriasis and boils.

Comfrey leaves possess substantial therapeutic properties and are especially effective in healing digestive, respiratory and urinary problems. The leaves of the herb act as a comforting expectorant for dry coughs, bronchitis and pleurisy and are also used to cure tender throats and laryngitis. Comfrey is also useful for treating various conditions of the alimentary canal. The herb provides comfort as well as cures gastric and duodenal ulcers, gastritis and may also be used to lessen the inflammation responsible for dysentery, diarrhea and ulcerative colitis. As mentioned earlier, the herb is also effective for treating a number of conditions in the urinary system. It loosens up the spasm, comforts cystitis and, at the same time, helps get rid of inflammation and contagions. Herbal medicine practitioners also recommend comfrey for treating gout and arthritis. It is also used to cure other excruciating or irritated conditions like sprains, tendinitis and fractures.
PARTS USED

Aerial parts, root.
USES

Comfrey has several therapeutic uses. Traditionally, the herb has been prescribed for treating ulcers in stomach, an assortment of respiratory conditions, inclusive of pleurisy and bronchitis, as well as irritable bowel syndrome. For thousands of years, effectiveness of comfrey has been recognized in healing injuries, fractures as well as sprains. It has been established that the herb helps in firmly binding the ligaments to bones. When a compress prepared with comfrey is applied to a strained ankle instantly, it helps appreciably to lessen the acuteness of the damage. The presence of tannins and mucilage in the herb is effective for alleviating injuries and scratches on the body.

The oil extracted from comfrey, or lotions prepared with it, are recommended to cure acne and boils as well as alleviate the skin condition called psoriasis. In addition, the herb is also effective in healing scars.
HABITAT AND CULTIVATION

Comfrey is native to Europe and thrives well in all temperate climatic regions across the globe - and this includes North America, Australia as well as the western regions of Asia. The herb grows best in soggy and marshy areas. The herb can be propagated from its seeds during spring or by root division during autumn. The leaves and the flowering acmes are usually collected during the summer months. The root of comfrey is harvested during autumn.
RESEARCH

Several scientific researches have established that comfrey encloses an element called allantoin. Allantoin encourages cell growth and, thereby, aids in mending spoiled tissues. In addition, the herb encloses rosmarinic acid and additional phenolic acids that enable comfrey to function as an anti-inflammatory agent.

During studies undertaken to ascertain the elements present in comfrey, scientists have noticed that when pyrrolizidine alkaloids are present as solitary substances, they are extremely poisonous for the liver. However, the scientists are yet to ascertain whether pyrrolizidine alkaloids are also toxic in the perspective of the entire plant. In any case, they are present in tiny quantities in comfrey and sometimes they are totally lacking in samples of the dehydrated aerial parts of the plant. It has been found that the greatest intensity of pyrrolizidine alkaloids is in the roots of the plant. Hence, till the time the scientists are able to validate or deny the safety of using the comfrey roots, it is not recommended to use the roots or herbal products enclosing them for internal use. However, it has been established that internal use of the aerial parts of the comfrey plant is harmless. Many herbalists are of the view that the legal question raised over the safety of using comfrey as a medication requires to be secured by undertaking a more profound perception of the herb’s remedial aspects.
CONSTITUENTS

* Allantoin (up to 4.7%)
* Mucilage (about 29%)
* Triterpenoids
* Phenolic acids (rosmarinic acid)
* Asparagine
* Pyrrolizidine alkaloids(0.02-0.07%)
* Tannins

USUAL DOSAGE

A tincture may be prepared with comfrey leaves and used to treat stomach ulcers and other conditions. This tincture may also be used to treat problems in the respiratory tract, such as bronchitis. However, it is essential to note that the tincture should be used internally with great caution and only under the supervision of a qualified herbal medical practitioner or healthcare professional. The leaves of the comfrey plant may also be utilized in preparing poultice or compress and applied externally to treat sprains or injuries. In addition, infusion oil may also be prepared with the leaves of this herb and applied topically on the skin in areas where there is a bone fracture or the bone has broken. It may also be applied on scar tissues to remove the blemishes. The infused oil prepared with comfrey leaves may also be used as a massage oil to alleviate inflexible and sore joints in people enduring arthritis conditions. As an alternative, you may also use comfrey lotion instead of the infused oil in all the conditions discussed above.
HOW IT WORKS IN THE BODY

Allantoin, the main element present in comfrey, promotes cell proliferation and, thus, is effective in healing the issues in our body. Allantoin is balanced by the presence of rosmarinic acid that functions as an anti-inflammatory agent. The mucilage or the substance that binds these two elements is analgesic by nature and facilitates in calming down the exasperating conditions, both on the external as well as internal parts of our body. Tannins present in comfrey function as an astringent, while the pyrrolizidine alkaloids enclosed by the herb, especially in the roots, are believed to be toxic for the liver. As the intensity of pyrrolizidine alkaloids is the maximum in the roots of the plant, associations of herbal medicine practitioners worldwide have taken a concerted decision not to recommend the comfrey roots or any remedial products prepared with the roots or containing the roots for internal use. Nevertheless, since it has been established that the comfrey leaves contain minute amounts or none of the pyrrolizidine alkaloids, they do not cause any harm to the body when taken internally. However, any medication prepared with the comfrey leaves should be used internally only under the direct supervision of a competent herbal medicine practitioner or qualified healthcare professional. Apart from these precautions, medications prepared with comfrey leaves as well as the roots may be safely used externally.
APPLICATIONS

Aerial parts:
POULTICE - Pound the comfrey leaves to prepare a puree and apply it externally on areas where there is any minor fracture, which would usually not be possible to mend by using plaster. In fact, the best places to apply this puree are broken ribs, toes or hairline cracks in any larger bone.
CREAM - Cream prepared with comfrey leaves may be applied on the damaged bones and muscles. It is especially effective in osteoarthritis conditions.
INFUSED OIL - Comfrey leaves may be used to prepare infused oil by adopting the hot infusion procedure. The infused oil may be used on wounds, arthritic joints, sprains as well as other distressing injuries. It may also be applied to get relief from inflamed bunions.
Root:
POULTICE - Take some amount of powdered comfrey root and prepare a paste by adding water to it. This paste should only be applied externally, as any internal use of the comfrey root is believed to have a toxic effect. This paste may be applied topically on varicose ulcers, to stop bleeding hemorrhoids as well as to heal other obstinate injuries.

RECONSTITUTING OINTMENT

As the name suggests, the reconstituting ointment prepared with comfrey roots and other elements is effective in rejuvenating the different injured body parts. This ointment is basically a multi-purpose balm used to heal cuts, injuries, bruises, tendonitis (inflammation of a tendon), and fractures as well as to wipe out wrinkles when applied externally.

In order to make this reconstituting balm, you need to macerate around three ounce or 100 gm of cut and dehydrated comfrey root and add 3 T or 50 ml of superior variety olive oil to it. Leave the substance as it is for around two weeks. You also need the following items to prepare the reconstituting ointment with comfrey roots:

* Twenty drops of lavender essential oil
* One cupful (250 ml) of castor oil
* One and a quarter ounce (40 gm) of beeswax

After two weeks, filter the liquid extract from comfrey roots and olive oil in a separate pot. Next, thaw the beeswax in a saucepan and add the two types of vegetable oils. Keep stirring the mixture on the oven and when they are properly blended, add 20 drops of the lavender essential oil. Decant the blend in a small dark green colored jar and allow it to cool. Store the balm in a cool dry place for use when necessary.
 
Makes me think that all you have provided here was
completely destroyed after the '20 by big pharma?
Was this the case?

I wonder if any of the "home remedies" prior to the
big pharma take over, still exists somewhere?

In any case, what you have provided here is fascinating!

Keep up the good work!
Dan
 
Thanks for putting this into one place Laura!

Fwiw, I use comfrey at home when I have burns, cuts, scrapes, etc... It has worked for me very well. I also have a friend who actually re-grew part of his finger that was cut off (about a quarter inch) by using comfrey poultices...
 
Thank you Laura for all the info on the comfrey plant. It reminded me of when I lived with my Grandmother and she would have me eat the comfrey leaves every day when we were out in the garden. Hairy little fellas, but I ate them. When I had my own home I had two beautiful comfrey plants that the bees absolutely loved. I never did use the roots for anything at the time. Glad comfrey is being brought into the spotlight for the wonderful healing plant that it is.
 
I received the comfrey today. We will read and see how to utilize this.
Thank You.
 
Al Today said:
I received the comfrey today. We will read and see how to utilize this.
Thank You.

I made a compress for my face today. Just heated some distilled water - maybe 2 ounces - added about half a teaspoon of the comfrey root powder, stirred a lot (it comes to life in water!) - let it sit, and then saturated a gauze pad with it, put on the affected area, covered with a plastic surgical tape to seal it in, and left it on for several hours. I'll be doing it again tomorrow.

I also mix a bit with warmed water, not too thick, and swish in my mouth for 20 minutes and then spit it out.
 
Add to this internal use of Symphitum in homeopathic form in case of bone fractures.
I prescribed it many times and it does objectively shorten the bone healing time.

I first used it in the case of canary whose leg was completely broken basically hanging on skin and tendons. I was very doubtful but after only 10 days the leg was completely healed. That was one of my first homeopathic 'miracles', since then I use symphitum regularly.
 
As do I, Herr Eisenheim. I have painful degenerative knees, so I used Symphytum in the homeopathic form for five days. Actually, after the second day there was no pain. What a great feeling to walk without pain. I am continuing my self-treatment with comfrey leaf tea. Does anyone know how strong I should make the tea and how much I should use on a daily basis?
 
I want to report on my comfrey experiments.

In addition to using it in my mouth to try to deal with degnerative bone loss from RA, I've made an ointment from coconut oil and comfrey root and leaf. I just put a few tablespoons of each in a couple cups of oil in the top of the double boiler and let it do its thing for an hour. Then, I let it soak overnight. Strained it into a jar the next day.

I also decided to put some of the mouthwash I had made on my dog's leg. He suffers from debilitating arthritis and his leg is constantly brown from the effects of his own digestive enzymes because he worries it and licks it all the time. So you can tell how bad his pain is by how big the brown area is on his white leg.

So, I put some comfrey on it and he licked it off. He seemed to be a tad perkier the next day, so I got bolder and put about half a cup of comfrey tea in his water dish. That was three days ago. Today, the brown area on his leg is reduced by more than half.

Meanwhile, I decided to be brave and drink some of the stuff since I found a book where the naturopath says he's never seen any bad side effects from comfrey. So, one cup per day for the past three days. I swear that I feel like my joints are better somehow. And the bones in my face feel more "stable" for lack of a better word.

Anyway, I thought it was remarkable what it did for Sebastian, so I'm looking forward to more experimenting.
 
Alright.!.!.! :cool2: :cool2: :cool2:

I'm starting an experiment.
Beginning today, I'm going to enjoy (hopefully it's not nasty) a daily cup of tea from the comfrey leaf.
I have a hip replacement consultation with the surgeon involved. If the pain does decrease, I'll get a spanking brand new x-ray and ask if there is any difference.
Learning can be fun.
 
Al Today said:
Alright.!.!.! :cool2: :cool2: :cool2:

I'm starting an experiment.
Beginning today, I'm going to enjoy (hopefully it's not nasty) a daily cup of tea from the comfrey leaf.
I have a hip replacement consultation with the surgeon involved. If the pain does decrease, I'll get a spanking brand new x-ray and ask if there is any difference.
Learning can be fun.

No, it's not nasty. I have a little xylitol in it and sometimes even mix it half and half with my regular black tea. I just use a teaspoon of the leaf in a tea ball and let it steep for 10 minutes. That's the same thing I put in the dog's water bowl. A cup of tea made with one tsp. of leaf.
 
Discovered my local health food shops sells comfrey tea, so thought I'd give it a go.
Its only been three days so it's probably too early to say if there has been any changes related tot his, but I am sleeping more deeply/through the night (I don't have to get up to use the bathroom, despite having a full bladder) and am absolutely ravenous! Haven't had an appetite like this for years.

Given I'm drinking it as a tea, I've looked into the whole 'toxic to the liver' thing. Here is what I've found.
Firstly, the FDA (and everyone else on the web?) says its toxic and shouldn't be consumed.....that it'll lead to liver failure/cancer. Apparently australia even had it classified as a deadly poison.
This peaked my curiosity....so I've been digging.

_http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/herbal/msg080635098259.html
Comfrey - The Facts

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale or Symphytum x uplandicum), has a long history of medicinal use. Yet Comfrey is a herb surrounded by controversy. To some it is virtually a panacea, to others it is a dangerous and poisonous weed. The world of herbalism abounds with anecdotal accounts of its virtues, but there have been few serious studies of ts medicinal use. What has instead appeared in the scientific literature are studies which claim to emonstrate harmful effects and this has led to the use of Comfrey being restricted by its classification as a poison. Australia was the first country to do this but others have followed. The reason is that Comfrey contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids - these are toxic substances.

The pyrrxolizidine alkaloids (PA's) found in Comfrey are not responsible for its therapeutic effects. Alkaloids are plant substances which contain nitrogen, and can have high phamacological activities - morphine, quinine and nicotine are examples. Comfrey leaves contain about 0.06% alkaloids, and roots about 0.2 to 0.4%. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids contain two fused five-membered rings with a nitrogen atom common to both rings. They form a highly diverse group of chemicals and are widespread in the plant kingdom. Some, but not all, are quite toxic, particularly to the liver. There are many well-documented cases of livestock poisonings. Human poisoning occurs largely in the third world from contaminated food or herbal teas and a liver disorder known as veno-occlusive disease often follows.

A number of important issues are embodied in the Comfrey dilemma, issues which have much broader implications for herbal medicine. Should a medicinal plant which has a long history of safe use be regarded as dangerous because it contains low levels of toxic chemicals? Should a medicinal plant be regarded as carcinogenic because it produces a few malignant tumours in inbred, susceptible laboratory animals when fed to them at unrealistically high levels over a whole lifetime? To address these issues requires rationality and good science, but above all common sense. So far these have been lacking from the Comfrey debate. It has been a debate argued from extremes.

On the one hand a group of well-meaning scientists actively lobbied the Australian government to have Comfrey restricted. The basis for their concern was just two toxicological studies, both of which have doubtful relevance to normal human use. The arguments generally used were related to pyrrolizidine alkaloids, not Comfrey itself, and their theme was that pyrrolizidine alkaloids should be entirely eliminated from human diet and human medicine.

Their zeal saw Comfrey in some states of Australia receive a higher poisons classification than arsenic, hemlock,belladonna and strychnine. In Victoria Comfrey
was restricted from external use when there is no evidence
that this is harmful. The hysteria generated by their crusade saw a coroner file a report in Australia attributing a human death to just a few meals containing
Comfrey leaves.

On the other hand the defence for Comfrey has been at times emotional and irrational. It is not enough for herbalists and naturopaths to say, "I have used it and
never seen any harm," or for a consumer to say, 'I've taken
50g every day for 10 years and I'm normal."Valid as these
observations may be, similar arguments have been used
to defend, for example, cigarette smoking. It does not
impress the scientific community to argue emotionally
or from personal experience.What does impress are new,
objective facts, or a critical interpretation of the existing facts.

So what are the facts? The relevant issues can be embodied in the form of six questions. By dealing with these questions, the facts can emerge. How do the toxicological studies on Comfrey compare with those for commonly used plant substances?

The first study by Culvenor and associates was concerned
with the acute and sub-acute toxicity of the PA's
extracted from Russian Comfrey (Symphytum x uplandicum) leaves.4 These PA' s were administered by injection, so it is difficult to relate this to the oral use of the Comfrey leaf, but ignoring this we can still arrive at some pertinent facts.

We can convert the injected dose of alkaloids in rats
to the equivalent oral human dose of leaves based on the
fact that a leaf consistently contains 0.33mg of alkaloids
whether it is old (large) or young (small).5 These projections are given in Table 1. Clearly from this information, normal human consumption of a few leaves per day does not pose an immediate threat to health, a fact acknowledged by Culvenor.

The dose needed for death is impossibly high. How could anyone possibly consume 66,300 Comfrey leaves at one sitting - more than the person’s body weight in Comfrey? How could one even consume this amount over 10 days? Yet a coroner has reported, on the basis of medical opinion, that someone died of acute Comfrey poisoning.6 This is a travesty of common sense. Clearly it is impossible to die from acute Comfrey toxicity. Other factors must have been at play.7

Even to show some mild impairment of liver function one would need to consume 4.5kg of leaves per day for 3 weeks (assuming 5g per leaf). Yet there are 2 medical papers associating, by hearsay only, acute PA toxicity in the form of veno-occlusive disease with Comfrey medications.8,9 In neither case was it verified scientifically that herbal preparations used by the subjects contained Comfrey. Also it was not ascertained
that this was their only source of PA intake. This is a
travesty of scientific method and a poor reflection on the
journals which accepted these articles for publication.
Doubly so, because once something is in print in a journal it is often quoted in a superficial way as fact, with no analysis of the validity of the original information (as is the case in some internet forums).

Is Comfrey carcinogenic?
Here we refer to the second toxicological study on Comfrey by Japanese workers entitled, "Carcinogenic Activity of Symphytum officinale".10 A foregone conclusion, isn't it? The title says it all. But is it a fact? Although this is a relatively recent study, it does not satisfy many of How carcinogenic are pyrrolizidine alkaloids? The question of the carcinogenicity of PA's is a controversial area. In laboratory animals only a handful of the large number of PA's have been studied and while malignant tumours have been induced in many organs, usually it has only been in a small percentage of the test population. Most studies have reported the induction of liver tumours, but there is controversy as to whether these are malignant. Chronic PA poisoning gives rise to liver nodules, and the tumours found in these are probably benign not malignant.1 One scientist in the field concluded, "As far as pyrrolizidine alkaloid carcinogenesis is concerned then, an important part of the argument rests on the disputed identity of the lesions reported as hepatoma".1 The study of PA toxicity is not a crowded field, so there has not been exhaustive examination of carcinogenicity - often preliminary studies are not followed up. This can result in things being taken for proven facts which are far from properly studied. No-one, for example, has repeated the original arcinogenicity study on Comfrey, despite all the controversy. Given the controversy over the carcinogenicity of PA's as observed in the laboratory, it is noteworthy that there has never been a link with PA intake and cancer in human or in veterinary studies, despite the many recorded cases of livestock poisoning.1 PA poisoning (venoocclusive disease), is high in Jamaica-due to indigenous herbal teas - yet the incidence of primary liver cancer is lower than in western countries. Also primary liver cancer is not more common in people with livers damaged by PA's than in people with cirrhotic livers due to alcoholism.2

Is it valid to generalise about PA's in terms of
their toxicity and carcinogenicity?
In one study rats were fed green leaves of Senecio jacobea
(Oxford Ragwort) and Comfrey in their diet.3 At 5% Comfrey leaves there was no sign of toxicity, but at 1% Ragwort leaves in the diet there were many signs of toxicity, including changes in liver enzyme activity.3 Even 20% Comfrey leaf in the diet did not cause the liver enzyme changes from 1% Ragwort.3 Comfrey PA's are therefore much less toxic to the liver than those of Ragwort. This would explain why Ragwort causes livestock poisoning whereas Comfrey is used as a livestock feed, with excellent results. In fact there are no recorded cases of livestock poisoning due to Comfrey.

What do the toxicological studies on Comfrey
really show?
Despite all the rhetoric there are in fact only two full-scale toxicological studies on Comfrey. To quote other publications which merely interpret the findings of these two studies does not constitute additional evidence. 2 Professional Review
Alkaloid Dose Effect Equivalent Human
for Rat Dose of Leaves
284mg/kg Deaths 66,300 Jeaves
71 mg/kg No effect 16,600 leaves
8.9mg/kg Reduced liver 890 leaves/day
(9 doses over 3 weeks) function
Toxicity Studies of Symphytum x uplandicum Leaf alkaloids.4 the criteria demanded for a rigorous assessment of carcinogenicity. Rats were fed Comfrey leaf from 8 to 33% of their diet, thus all test levels exceeded the 5% maximum recommended by the EC. Test levels for the
root were 0.5 to 4%. Liver tumours were observed in all
test groups, but the vast majority were probably benign tumours (hepatomas), indicating hepatotoxicity at the
levels tested. For the rats fed 8% Comfrey leaf only one
benign tumour occurred late in the study, indicating low
toxicity and absence of carcinogenicity. Only 3 definite
liver cancers (haemangioendothelial sarcomas) occurred
randomly throughout the 7 test groups, a level which has
neither statistical nor biological significance.
In order to prove biological significance for a carcinogen
the following criteria must be demonstrated:11
A dose-response relationship
A decreased latency period for the tumours
A more anaplastic tumour type than controls
Early or pre-neoplastic lesions
Capability to produce a reliable and consistent
increase in tumour incidence
None of these criteria was satisfied for the liver
sarcomas. The fact that rats could be fed 33% Comfrey
leaves in their diet and still survive to old age is testimony to its relatively low toxicity.How many drugs could survive such scrutiny?

Let us take everyday tea as an example. Tea is the dried fermented leaves of Thea sinensis, a herb indigenous to the Indian sub-continent. Tea contains caffeine and tannins, including tannic acid, as its main constituents.(12) A superficial examination of the literature reveals the following: Caffeine is a known teratogen,(13) a suspected carcinogen,(14) and in animal feeding studies causes severe weight loss and thymic and testicular atrophy.15 Tannins have demonstrated carcinogenic effects, they inhibit digestive enzymes, inhibit mineral absorption and are highly toxic to the liver and kidneys.16 Human deaths have resulted
from the administration of tannic acid.17 The carcinogenic
activity18 and toxicity19 of the tannins from tea have
been demonstrated in animal experiments. In human
studies tea can cause thiamine deficiency,20 constipation21
and epidemiological studies have linked black tea with
rectal22 and oesophageal cancers.18 Of course, common
sense tells us normal use of tea is safe, but the scientific information taken out of context is quite damning, in fact more alarming than that for Comfrey.
It is worthwhile to examine why this considerable
scientific evidence for the toxic nature of tea has not made headlines and has not resulted in tea being restricted or entirely banned in the public interest. Just as a series of promising pharmacological studies does not imply the birth of a new wonder drug, the findings of toxicological studies can be of only minor relevance to the common experience. Differences such as species studied, dose, form a dose, interaction with nutrients, and duration of dose all combine to explain why the results for tea and its components should have little bearing on the moderate consumption of the beverage. Qualified herbalists can therefore be forgiven for taking a similar stance about Comfrey. The main difference is that toxicologists and legislators are familiar with tea, but to them Comfrey is alien and unnecessary so they are prepared to believe the worst.

Assuming Comfrey was a proven carcinogen,
what is the relative risk of drinking Comfrey tea?

Life is carcinogenic - so it has been said. Here we are
undertaking an assessment of relative risk. Dr Bruce
Ames, a respected scientist in the fields of carcinogenicity and mutagenicity has published an article in the journal Science entitled "Ranking Possible Carcinogenic Hazards".23 The review discusses reasons why animal cancer tests cannot be conclusively used to predict human risks but such tests may be used to indicate that some chemicals might be of greater concern than others. An
index was developed called HERP - Human exposure dose/Rodent potency dose. In this study it was found that inhaling air in the home absopbs 598mcg of Formaldahyde, and that cooking bacon causes the inhalation of .4 mcgs of nitrosamines which puts the 750mcgs of PA's you'd ingest from a cup of comfrey tea in perspective.

So now we have the facts:
1. There is some doubt that pyrrolizidine alkaloids
cause cancer outside of laboratory experiments.
2. The pyrrolizidine alkaloids in Comfrey are qualitatively
and quantitatively less toxic than pyrrolizidine
alkaloids found in known poisonous plants, e.g.
Ragwort.
3. Atoxicological study has shown that normal human
use of Comfrey cannot cause death or toxicity.
4. The incidence of malignant tumours induced by
long-term experimental feeding of high levels ofComfrey to rats is neither statistically nor biologically
significant.
5. Toxicological studies of tea are far more extensive
and alarming than those on Comfrey, yet tea is widely
used without apparent harm or restriction to its use.
6. Even assuming that Comfrey was carcinogenic, the
relative risk from its normal use is insignificant when
compared to normal exposure to other carcinogens.
A recent study of long-term Comfrey users tends to
confirm the premise that normal use of Comfrey is not
hepatotoxic.24 Biochemical tests revealed no evidence of
liver damage in 29 users, even for those who had been
regularly taking up to 25g/day for more than 20 years.24
Comfrey was never regarded as a poisonous plant.
Despite the findings of two laboratory studies, it should
maintain this status. However, in the interests of the public and the herbal profession, a rigorous study of its longterm toxicity should be undertaken. Otherwise the
Comfrey issue will continue to damage the credibility of
herbal medicine in many countries.

John

References:
1. McLean, E.A: Pharmacol Rev 22, 429 (1970); 2. Bras, G. et al: J Patho Bacteriol
82, 503 (1961); 3. Garrett, B.J. et al: Toxicol Lett 10, 183 (1982); 4. Culvenor, C. C.
J et al: Experientia 36, 377 (1980); 5. Mattocks, A.R: Lancet 2, 1136 (1980); 6. NZ
Dept of Justice, Coroner’s report on the death of Paul Edward Neutz, March 12,
1986; 7. Beckham, N: Wellbeing, April (1988); 8. Weston, C.F.M. et al: BMJ 295,
183; 9. Ridker, P.M. et al: Gastroenterology 88, 1050 (1985); 10. Hirono, I. et al:
JNCI 61, 865 (1978) 11. Borzelleca, J.F. et al: Fd Chem Toxic 23, 551 (1985); 12,
Trease, G.E. and Evans,W.C: Pharmacognosy, 12th ed., Balliere Tindall, London, P
622 (1983); 13. Collins, T.F.X. et al: Fd Chem Toxic 25, 647 (1987); 14. Rozenkranz,
H.S. and Ennerver, F.K: ibid 25, 247 (1987); 15. Gans, J.H: ibid 22, 365 (1984); 16.
Deshpande, S.S. et al: Adv in Exptal Med and Biol 177, 457 (1984); 17. Kreanoski,
J.Z: Radiology 87, 655 (1966); 18. Morton, J.F: Science 204, 909 (1979); 19. Panda,
N.C. et al: Ind J Nutr and Diet, p97 (1981 ); 20. Ruenwongsa, P. and Patannavibag,
S: Experientia 38, 787 (1982); 21. Hojyaard, L. et al: BMJ 282, 864 (1981); 22.
Heilbrun, L. K. et al: Br J Cancer 54, 677 (1986); 23. Ames, B.N. et al: Science 236,
271 (1987); 24. Anderson, P.C. and McLean, A.E.M.: Human Toxicology 8 (1)
55 (1989).

So what does the (minuscule amount of) PA's in comfrey do exactly to the liver?

_http://www.medherb.com/Materia_Medica/Symphytum_-_Hepatotoxicity_of_pyrrolizidine_alkaloids_.htm
Symphytum: Hepatotoxicity of pyrrolizidine alkaloids

by Paul Bergner

Medical Herbalism 04-30-94 6(1): 10

The question of hepatotoxicity of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA) in herbal medicines has come to be a matter of clamorous debate in herbal circles. A number of national and international regulatory agencies have banned the sale of comfrey for internal use (WHO) after several cases of acute hepatotoxicity appeared after ingestion of comfrey products (Awang; Bergner 1993; Bergner 1989). A newborn infant also died in Switzerland after the mother had taken an herbal tea containing pyrrolizidine alkaloids during her pregnancy (Roulet et al.). Although the US Food and Drug Administration has not taken action here, the American Herbal Products Association has recommended against selling comfrey products for internal use. Some traditional herbalists have responded with disbelief that traditional plants were the cause of disease in these cases. In the interest of injecting some objective information into the debate, we provide here the biochemical mechanism of hepatotoxicity of PAs.

There is really nothing to debate about whether PAs as a class of compounds can cause the destruction of liver tissue in a condition known as hepatic veno-occlusive disease (HVOD). In HVOD, the cells lining the veins in the liver proliferate and choke off the veins. PAs in many plants are known to be cause HVOD. The first cases were observed in animals that were poisoned after foraging on PA-containing plants (Mattocks 1986). Epidemics have also been observed in human populations who consumed grain contaminated with PA-containing plants. Hepatic veno-occlusive disease has been reproduced experimentally in animals by giving them PA-containing plants (Mattocks). PAs themselves can vary widely in their toxicity; one alkaloid can be six or more times more toxic than another, and some are not toxic at all (Mattocks 1968). Furthermore, plants can vary widely in their PA content, from species to species, from one plant part to another, and from one season to another.

PAs themselves are usually of only low reactivity. The presumed basis for their toxicity is that a portion of ingested PAs are converted to toxic pyrroles by the liver enzymes, and immediately begin to destroy liver tissue. Thus the liver's attempt to alter the compound to make it excretable in fact turns it into a highly reactive toxic substance. In rats, the process begins within five minutes of ingestion. Because the toxic pyrroles are formed in the liver, they tend to concentrate there, but have also been found in the lungs, heart, spleen, and kidney. Some of the pyrroles are excreted in the urine, but others are bound strongly to the tissue where they continue to damage adjacent tissue that they come in contact with. There is a direct correlation between the amount of PAs consumed and the amount of liver damage.

Thus PA poisoning is insidious: the toxic pyrrole substances are created by the liver's natural attempt to eliminate the non-toxic PAs.

Copyright 2001 Paul Bergner 275


Medical Herbalism: Materia Medica and Pharmacy

Clinical question:

Will milk thistle seed protect from PA poisoning?


Milk Thistle seed is a well-known hepatoprotectant. It is assumed to work through several mechanisms, including strengthening the cell walls of liver cells, promoting regeneration of liver cells, and protection through antioxidant effects. It is unlikely to be of much clinical use in poisoning by pyrrolizidine alkaloids, however, because PAs themselves are not toxic. It is only after they have entered the liver cells that they are transformed into toxic pyrroles, which destroy the cell from within. Furthermore, by an unknown mechanism, the pyrroles cause a proliferation of cells lining the veins of the liver, choking them off. Milk Thistle seed has no know protective effect on these liver veins. Finally, even if the pyrroles were prevented from damaging the liver, they would damage some other tissue. They are high reactive, and could injure the lungs, heart, spleen, or kidney before they were excreted.

References

Awang D. "Comfrey update." HerbalGram 1991;(25):20-23

Bergner P. Letter. Medical Herbalism 1993;5(4):3

Bergner P. "Comfrey, coltsfoot, and pyrrolizidine alkaloids," Medical Herbalism 1989 1(1):1-5

Mattocks AR, Chemistry and Toxicology of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids. Academic Press. London. 1986.

-. "Toxicity of pyrrolizidine alkaloids." Nature 1968;217:723-729

Roulet M, Laurini R, Rivier L, Calame A. "Hepatic veno-occlusive disease in newborn infant of a woman drinking herbal tea.: J Pediatr 1988; 112(3):433-436

WHO International program on chemical safety. 1988. Environmental Health criteria 80: Pyrrolizidine alkaloids. World Health Organization. Geneva

Ok....so maybe psyche can confirm the following (not being a doctor)....it seems that the liver problems caused by PA's are related to glutathione....more so a depletion of glutathione

_http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6TCR-477Y2K3-21R&_user=10&_coverDate=11%2F30%2F1990&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_origin=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1653052960&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=d4e7cb0347671da432a5c26291099720&searchtype=a
N-Acetylcysteine-conjugated pyrrole identified in rat urine following administration of two pyrrolizidine alkaloids, monocrotaline and senecionine

James E. Estep1, Michael W. Lamé1, A.Daniel Jones2 and H.J. SegallCorresponding Author Contact Information, 1

1Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of California, Davis, CAU.S.A.

2The Facility for Advanced Instrumentation, University of California, Davis, CAU.S.A.
Received 28 March 1990;
accepted 5 June 1990.
Available online 19 November 2002.

Abstract

This report demonstrates that an Ehrlich-reagent-positive metabolite of monocrotaline and senecionine is excreted in the urine of male rats as an N-acetylcysteine conjugate of (±)-6,7-dihydro-7-hydroxy-1-hydroxymethyl-5H-pyrrolizine (NAC-DHP). Isolation of the metabolite employed an initial organic extraction followed by HPLC separation of remaining urinary components using a reverse-phase, polymer-based, PRP-1 column. Fast-atom-bombardment tandem mass spectrometry was used to identify the metabolite. This finding suggests that reactive metabolites of pyrrolizidine alkaloids generated in the liver can survive the aqueous environment of the circulatory system as glutathione conjugates or mercapturic acids.

So it appears that PA's get bound to glutathione. Which (if my logic is correct) may explain eventual PA damage to the liver via hepatic veno-occlusive disease (HVOD).

_http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=1260184
Résumé / Abstract
Depletion of sinusoidal endothelial cell glutathione (GSH) has been proposed as a common mechanism leading to hepatic veno-occlusive disease (HVOD). This study examines whether intraportal infusion of GSH can prevent HVOD in the monocrotaline rat model. HVOD was induced in rats with monocrotaline 160 mg/kg i.g. on day 0. GSH was infused intraportally by mini-osmotic pump. Monocrotaline decreased GSH in sinusoidal endothelial cells, but not in liver homogenate. Infusion of GSH, 2 μmol/hr starting day - 1, prevented the decrease in sinusoidal endothelial cell GSH and protected against histological and clinical evidence of HVOD. Protection by GSH was dose-dependent (0.5-2 μmol/hr). In rats receiving continuous GSH infusion, treatment with buthionine sulfoximine starting day - 2 decreased sinusoidal endothelial cell GSH and attenuated the protective effect of GSH against monocrotaline. GSH infusion starting 24 hours after monocrotaline (glutathione rescue) offered substantial protection to most rats. N-acetyl-L-cysteine conferred protection, but N-acetyl-D-cysteine (an antioxidant that is not a precursor for GSH) had little or no protective effect, and 4-hydroxy TEMPO, a free radical scavenger, was not protective. Discontinuation of the GSH infusion 5 days after monocrotaline administration led to severe hepatic veno-occlusive disease on day 6. In conclusion, monocrotaline selectively depletes sinusoidal endothelial cell GSH. Intraportal infusion of GSH protects against monocrotaline toxicity, at least partially by maintaining sinusoidal endothelial cell GSH levels. Glutathione infusion started after monocrotaline is partially protective. Monocrotaline induces prolonged changes in the liver that remain suppressed as long as GSH is infused.

_http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T6D-4WKK1MC-1&_user=10&_coverDate=11%2F30%2F2009&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_origin=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1653065913&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=9c1deec5e10348e470f80095f0b0a231&searchtype=a
Intracellular glutathione plays important roles in pyrrolizidine alkaloids-induced growth inhibition on hepatocytes

Ying Chena, b, Lili Jib, c, Corresponding Author Contact Information, E-mail The Corresponding Author, Haitao Wangb and Zhengtao Wanga, b, c, Corresponding Author Contact Information, E-mail The Corresponding Author

aDepartment of Pharmacognosy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210038, PR China

bKey Laboratory of Standardization of Chinese Medicines of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Complex Prescription, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, PR China

cShanghai R&D Centre for Standardization of Chinese Medicines, Shanghai, 201203, PR China
Received 18 February 2009;
revised 31 May 2009;
accepted 13 June 2009.
Available online 23 June 2009.

Abstract

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are well-known natural hepatotoxins distributed widely in thousands of plants in the world. Adonifoline (Adon), senecionine (Sene) and monocrotaline (Mono) are retronecine-type PAs, and the present study is designed to observe the effects of intracellular glutathione on toxicity of these three PAs in human normal liver L-02 cells. The ratio of cellular reduced glutathione (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) was assayed after L-02 cells were incubated with these three PAs for various times. Results showed that Adon, Sene and Mono all significantly decreased the ratio of GSH/GSSG in L-02 cells in the time- and concentration-dependent manner. The results of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl) 2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and trypan blue staining assay showed that these three PAs all significantly decreased cell viability in L-02 cells when pretreated with 10 μM BSO (L-Buthionine-S-R-Sulfoximine) for 24 h to deplete intracellular GSH. Further results showed that anti-oxidant compounds such as NAC (N-Acetyl-Cysteine) and GSH could rescue the cytotoxicity caused by these three PAs with BSO pretreatment. Taken together, those results suggest that intracellular GSH plays important roles in regulating the cytotoxicity induced by PAs.


So in conclusion (if I've got this right?).....if considering taking oral comfrey, it's probably important to make sure you're liver is working well (and you don't have liver disease). Its also important to make sure you're glutathione levels are good (i.e. not reduced due to heavy metal toxcicity etc).....and in general probably a good idea to take NAC and l-glutathione if drinking the tea just to make sure. Also make sure its the less toxic variate of comfrey.

Basically, comfrey is toxic (orally) if you are already in a toxic state. But probably less toxic than breathing in household formaldehyde (or consuming sip of aspartame - which will form formaldehyde in the blood).....which will damage the liver by the same mechanism (PA's).
 
Hmmm... that the big pharma controlled science wanted to ban it suggests to me that it is really GOOD!
 
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