Symphytum officinale L., (Boraginaceae), commonly called Symphytum root, comfrey root, knitbone, gumplant, healing herb, slippery root, and Consolidae radix. Related plants, often sold as S. Officinale L., are ...
* 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.
Symphytum officinale L., (Boraginaceae), commonly called Symphytum root, comfrey root, knitbone, gumplant, healing herb, slippery root, and Consolidae radix. Related plants, often sold as S. Officinale L., are S. Aspereum, known as prickly comfrey, and S. X uplandicum, commonly called Russian comfrey. In French, it is Grande consoude; in German, Schwarzwurz or Beinwell.
Source
Comfrey products are made from the rhizomes and roots of plants closely related to borage. Comfrey is native to Europe and Western Asia, but it can be grown in the United States. There are several distinct species, and it is very important to distinguish between them. Comfrey has the potential to produce extremely dangerous side effects, and some kinds of comfrey are much more toxic than others. The problem for consumers is finding out just which comfrey it is they are buying.
The comfrey that grows in the United States is S. Officinale. Russian comfrey, which has become increasingly popular in the United States and Europe, is called S. X uplandicum (but used to be known as S. Pergrinum). All species of comfrey contain chemicals called pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) (see the discussion above on Coltsfoot, and Chapter 4). All pyrrolizidines are potentially toxic to the liver, but not all pyrrolizidines are equally dangerous, and the concentration of the pyrrolizidines is different in different parts of the herb. In general, the roots and rhizomes of the plants contain at least 10 times the amount of pyrrolizidines as the leaves.
The most toxic of the PAs is called echimidine. Only minute amounts are found in the leaves of S. Officinale, but very large amounts can be found in the leaves of Russian comfrey, and also in the leaves of prickly comfrey (S. aspereum). Echimidine-containing products are banned in Canada, but they are legal in the United States. The difficulty faced by American consumers is that much of the comfrey sold here is simply labeled "comfrey." The type of comfrey is often not specified, nor is mention made of which parts of the plants have been used.
History
The name derives from the Latin word confirma, which means "joined together". Both the Greeks and Romans believed that use of the herb would help bones to heal more quickly, which is why in the Middle Ages, comfrey came to be called "knitbone."
Traditional Claims
Comfrey is used as an emollient, sedative, astringent, demulcent, vulnerary (wound healing), and expectorant.
Commission E Recommendations
Comfrey is used externally to treat bruises, contusions, and sprains.
Proven Effects
Comfrey is mostly composed of inert mucilage, but it also has active ingredients. Allantoin was the first to be discovered, and its presence is thought to explain comfrey's ability to promote skin healing. Comfrey is not the only source for allantoin. In fact, humans convert uric acid, a breakdown product of cell metabolism, to allantoin. The conversion occurs when uric acid traps free radicals. High levels of allantoin in the body therefore equate to high levels of oxidative stress. Comfrey also contains phytosterols such as beta-sitosterol and an assortment of amino acids. Human poisoning from these compounds was first described in South Africa in the early 1900s, but cases continue to be reported in underdeveloped countries. "Bush tea" poisoning is endemic in Jamaica and Barbados, where dozens of poisoning deaths are reported each year. In Afghanistan, in the late 1970s, thousands were poisoned, and many died, when the wheat crop became contaminated with a pyrrolizidine-containing plant called Heliotropium popovii. The main PAs found in comfrey are 7-acetylintermedine and 7-acetyllycopsamine. The main traditional use has been to treat skin diseases and to promote bone healing. More recently, a host of other, almost entirely unsupported claims, have been advanced.
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Directions
Hot tea brewing method: Bring freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1 tea bag for each cup into the teapot. Pour the boiling water into the pot, cover and let steep for 2-4 minutes. Pour into your cup; add milk and sugar to taste.
Iced tea brewing method: (to make 1 liter/quart): Place 5 tea bags into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Pour 1 1/4 cups of freshly boiled water over the tea itself. Steep for 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into the serving pitcher straining the tea bags. Add ice and top-up with cold water. Garnish and sweeten to taste.
Dosage
Tea can be made by soaking one teaspoon of leaves in one cup of boiling water. Commission E monographs recommend that ointments for external use contain less than 20 percent of the dried drug, and that ointment only be applied to intact skin (cuts or abrasions will allow entrance into the bloodstream). Capsules containing 250 mg of comfrey leaf, or 250 mg of comfrey root, or mixtures of both, are sold with a recommended dose of one capsule twice a day. At that dosage, two capsules of root would supply nearly 2 mg per day of PA. In one of the few case reports where dosage can be estimated, veno-occlusive disease occurred in a woman who ingested a total of 85 mg of PA over a four-month period.
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.
Concerns
Compared to the roots, the PA concentration in the leaves is quite low, but PAs are still present. PAs do not dissolve well in water, but tea brewed from comfrey leaves will contain small amounts of PA. Tea brewed from roots will contain even more. No one knows whether the low PA concentration found in comfrey leaf tea is sufficient to cause liver damage, but the possibility certainly exists.
Warnings
Users should only consider products made from the leaves of S. Officinale, and even then it would be best if the first growth leaves were discarded. The amount of echimidine contained in the leaves of S. Officinale is negligible. The governments of England, France, and Germany prohibit the internal use of comfrey and recommend that external application be limited to four to six weeks per year. Nursing mothers should avoid comfrey. Liver damage has been reported in infants exposed to comfrey in mother's milk.
Drug Testing
None of the compounds in comfrey should cause any interference with routine workplace urine drug screening tests.
Additional Information
TerraVita is an exclusive line of premium-quality, natural source products that use only the finest, purest and most potent ingredients found around the world. TerraVita is hallmarked by the highest possible standards of purity, potency, stability and freshness. All of our products are prepared with the highest elements of quality control, from raw materials through the entire manufacturing process, up to and including the moment that the bottles or bags are sealed for freshness and shipped out to you. Our highest possible standards are certified by independent laboratories and backed by our personal guarantee.
TerraVita exists to meet and ensure your family's health and wellness without the harmful effects or chemicals and prescription medications. We strive to make all of our products affordable and reliable and are constantly searching the market to maintain our affordability and to look for new ways to serve you and the ones you love. TerraVita has become a trusted household name for many families and can bring you and yours the very best herbal supplements, blends, teas and spices that are on the market today.
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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."
