Medicinally, comfrey leaves and especially the root have been used as expectorants, emollients, astringents, demulcents, and hemostatics. Knit-bone is one common name. A poultice of the leaves or root is placed over a sp...
* Please Note: Traditional Use information is provided as a courtesy only. Although we have done our best to review the validity of these uses and we continue to revise this information as new data emerges, the traditional uses indicated on this page for this product may be wrong. This information is based on Traditional and Folklore Medicine which uses natural materials to support health. This information has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA and is not necessarily based on scientific evidence from any source. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor.
Medicinally, comfrey leaves and especially the root have been used as expectorants, emollients, astringents, demulcents, and hemostatics. Knit-bone is one common name. A poultice of the leaves or root is placed over a sprain or broken limb to aid the "knitting" of the tissue. The root has been used to allay diarrhea, pharyrigitis, tonsillitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, and whooping cough. Over the past decade, comfrey has become a very popular remedy.
The root contains allantoin-a cell proliferant. The root and, to a lesser extent, the leaves contain alkaloids in the pyrrolizidine group - symphytine and echimidine. Recently (1978), this alkaloid group has been found to be hepatoxic, causing massive liver tissue destruction and cancer. Continuous internal use of comfrey may, therefore, cause damage. On the other hand, comfrey has a long history of safe use.
A 1979 press release entitled: "Comfrey as Medicine" issued by England's National Institute of Medical Herbalists opens with the following paragraph:
"The strange saga of comfrey indicates the folly and illogicality of the approach which runs as follows. If a trace of a chemical can be isolated from a large quantity of a plant and be fed or injected into laboratory animals, the lethal results may be extrapolated to man who is then told not to take any of the original plant because it contains poison. The plant may have been eaten or made into a tea for centuries during which no single instance of ill-effect has followed its use. Today there is no single man, woman, or child in any country who has been recorded as suffering toxic effects from taking comfrey leaf or root as medicine. Comfrey has a clean sheet and has no cause for concern. The onus probandi lies upon those who denigrate a safe herbal remedy by making assumptions in the absence of any evidence to justify what has tended to become an emotive rather than a scientific issue."
As the old saying goes, "Everything in moderation?"
General Herb Information
There are about twenty-five species in this genus, mostly native to Europe and western Asia. S. x uplandicum and S. officinale are commonly grown in North America. S. officinale grows to a height of three feet. The erect stems often branch at the top. The eight-to-twelve-inch-long leaves are entire, oval or lance-shaped. The leaves become progressively smaller toward the top of the plant. Both the leaves and stems are covered with rough bristly hairs. From the axils of the small upper leaves emerge curving clusters of rose, purple, mauve, or sometimes white bell-shaped flowers about one-half inch long. In some regions flowering begins as early as April and lasts through September. The deep tap root has a fleshy cream-colored interior. 'Variegatum' is a cultivar with white-margined leaves. Russian comfrey S. x uplandicum, a native of Caucasus, may reach six feet in height. The leaves are rounded or heart-shaped at the base and the flowers change from pink to purple and are about three-fourths inch long.
Comfrey can be started from seed but is best propagated by dividing the roots in spring or fall. A little piece of root will produce a plant. Typically, inch-long roots are used. Generally, one can dig a mature plant and split the root into ten equal pieces with a sharp shovel. Once planted in a spot, comfrey will be there forever. The tap root may stretch six feet into the soil. If you leave a small bit of root after transplanting, another plant will soon emerge. As a consequence, plant comfrey in a permanent location and space at three feet.
Comfrey will grow in almost any soil. A well-drained moderately rich, moist loam will produce lush growth. A slightly acid to neutral pH is best. Full sun or partial shade are acceptable.
Harvest of the leaves begins as the flowers bud up. Leaves must be spread in thin layers to dry to insure even air circulation. Roots can be harvested in the spring or fall.
The young leaves can be boiled as a spring-time pot herb. They contain calcium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin B12, and up to 22 percent protein.
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Directions
Take 1 capsule, 3 times daily, with meals.
Cautions
Comfrey is controversial. That much we know.
Some health authorities feel that this herb contains potent cancer-causing and liver-damaging agents and strongly recommend that it should not be taken for internal use. Others feel that the warnings are unsubstantiated and nothing more than scare-mongering.
The reason for its bad reputation is based on the assertion that specific pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) within the herb have been shown to be hepatoxic and carcinogenic to rats when fed extremely high doses of the chemical over a period of 480 to 600 days. However, specific quantities and hard scientific data where human consumption is concerned is lacking. The defenders of the herb insist that a ridiculous quantity of comfrey would have to be ingested over an extended period of time to reach the harmful levels of PAs in the body.
For external use, the German Commission E instructs pregnant women to consult a physician before using comfrey. It finds no known side effects or drug interactions. Comfrey use should be no longer than four to six weeks per year. The Commission recommends that only extremely small dosages within preparations (1 microgram/day internally; 100 micrograms/day externally) of comfrey be taken.
It should be noted that, while the debate concerning the safety of comfrey root continues, there have been only 4 toxic reactions in human beings; these individuals took excessively large doses (either juiced or capsule form) of the leaf. It is, however, the roots that have a higher concentration of PAs (about 10 times) as compared to the leaf.
Additional Information
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor. The essence of the current American rule on Traditional Uses is, as stated by FTC, "Claims based on historical or traditional use should be substantiated by confirming scientific evidence, or should be presented in such a way that consumers understand that the sole basis for the claim is a history of use of the product for a particular purpose."
