27/01/2019
**** Comfrey ****
Comfrey is one of the best known a miracle and healing herbs of all times. Well known and widely used by early Greeks and Romans, its very name, symphytum, originates from the Greek "symphyo" means to "make grow together", referring to its traditional use of healing fractures.
Botanical name of Comfrey is Symphytum officinale L. It is a perennial herb of the family Boraginacea
e with a black, turnip like root and large, hairy broad leaves that bears small bell shaped flowers of various colors, typically blue or purplish, which may be striped. It is native to Europe, growing in damp, grassy places, and is ubiquitous throughout Ireland and Britain on river banks and ditches. More common is the hybrid between S. officinale and S. asperum, known as Russian Comfrey, which is common in the British Isles, and which interbreeds with S. officinale. Compared to S. officinale, S. × uplandicum is generally more bristly and has flowers which tend to be more blue or violet. Comfrey species are important herbs in organic gardening. It is used as a fertilizer and as an herbal medicine.
Available Symphytum Officinale (Comfrey) also known as Blackwort, Boneset, Bruisewort, Consolida, Consound, Gum Plant, Healing Herb, Knitback, Knitbone, Nipbone, Salsify, Slippery Root, Wallwort .
Constituents
contains allantoin, tannin, rosmarinic acid, steroidal saponins, mucilage, inulin, pyrrolizidine alkaloids, gum, carotene, glycosides, sugars, betasitosterol, triterpenoids. Comfrey also contains many vitamins and nutrients such as Vitamin B12, potassium, sulphur, calcium, iron, phosphorus, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B-complex, selenium, iron, germanium and mucilaginous fiber. It is also an excellent source of protein.
Properties
Comfrey relieves pain and inflammation caused by injuries, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Comfrey creams and oils can be used as pain relieving massage. In a recent study patients with painful osteoarthritis of the knee treated with comfrey root extract in an ointment showed a reduction in pain, mobility of the knee improved and quality of life increased.
Comfrey salves, ointments and decoctions are best known for the topical treatment of burns, skin ulcerations, abrasions, lacerations, flea and insect bites, and just about any skin irritation. Comfrey's astringent tannins form a protective surface over wounds that promotes healing. You may want to try comfrey or allantoin skin creams for diabetic sores. For weeping eczema, make a tea of comfrey and apply the liquid as a compress. Comfrey relieves pain and speeds healing of pus filled wounds, and accelerates tissue healing in cases of insect bites.
Fresh leaves can be applied to bruises, fractures, sprains, and other injuries. Many healing effects of comfrey are attributable to allantoin, a compound shown to speed cell production both inside and outside the body. Comfrey works so fast that many herbalists will add antibacterial herbs such as goldenseal or thyme to comfrey salves to prevent sealing bacteria inside a fast healing wound.
Comfrey also has a healing effect on ulcers, and a general soothing effect on the mucous membranes, making it very useful in soothing sore throats and coughs. Adele Dawson, a well regarded American herbalist, considered comfrey to be “Literally a one herb pharmacy” and a “wonder plant healing for any kind of respiratory disease”. (Dawson, Adele,"Herbs, Partners in Life") Grieve writes in her work "A Modern Herbal" that “The root is more effective than the leaves and is the part usually used in cases of coughs. It is highly valuable for all pulmonary complaints, cough and bleeding of the lungs.” (Grieve, Maud)
Broken Bone Healer
Traditionally comfrey helps heal broken bones and was used as a poultice - and as a tea taken three or more times. Take organic calcium with each cup of tea. Formula is as follows:
6 parts Horsetail grass
4 parts Comfrey roots
3 parts oats straw
1 parts lobelia
Cancer
Dr. Kirschner personally observed the powerful anticancer effects of comfrey on a patient of his who was dying from advanced, externalized cancer. He prescribed fresh, crushed-leaf comfrey poultices throughout the day. He writes that, “Much to the surprise of the patient and her family,” there was obvious healing within the first two days of treatment, with continued visible improvement over the next few weeks. “What is more,” he writes, “much of the dreadful pain that usually accompanies the advanced stages of cancer disappeared," and there was a dramatic decrease in swelling.
Most significant is a citation from Tournefort's 1719 Compleat Herbal, which tells of one who "cured a certain person of a malignant ulcer, declared to be a cancer by the surgeons, and left by them as incurable, by applying twice a day the root of comfrey bruised, but the cancer was not above eight or ten weeks standing."
Clinical Uses in brief:
Blood Conditions :
Anemia
Bleeding from the lungs
Hematuria (blood in the urine)
Internal hemorrhages
Spitting of blood
Cardiovascular Conditions :
defective circulation
Pulmonary complains
Female Conditions:
Excessive menstrual flow
Leucorrhea
Gastrointestinal Conditions:
Diarrhea
Digestive and stomach problems
Disorders of the digestive system
Dysentery
Intestinal difficulties
Ulcers of the stomach and duodenum
Inflammatory Conditions:
Calms inflammation
Rheumatism
Respiratory Tract Conditions:
Asthma
Bronchitis
Lung conditions
Persistent coughs
Tuberculosis
Whooping cough
Preparation Methods & Dosage
Comfrey leaf is taken as a tea, if you have access to fresh leaves, you can use them as a poultice or skin wash. Comfrey root is infused in oils and used in salves for healing skin. Comfrey salves, ointments and teas are best known for the topical treatment of burns, skin ulcerations, abrasions, lacerations, flea and insect bites, and just about any skin irritation. Fresh leaves can be applied to bruises, fractures, sprains, and other injuries. Compresses are an simple and fast way to use the healing power of comfrey on troubled skin. Soak a clean cloth in a strong decoction of the root or leaf. Apply directly to the affected skin area.
To use the leaves, one simply picks them, crushes them into a nice emerald green paste, and applies topically. Although comfrey leaf tea or dried leaves are available, but Dr. Kirschner recommends fresh cut leaves only.
Roots can be prepared as described in Poffer's Cyclopedia of Botanical Drugs (Fifth Edition) "by boiling one half to one ounce of crushed root in one quart water. Dose is a glassful." Boiling the root results in a decoction. This is different, and much more effective, than simply steeping in hot water. Fresh root is almost certainly best, but I expect that dried root retains some therapeutic value.
Thoroughly brush and wash the root under tap water before slicing it up. Then place the chunks in two or three cups of water in a stainless steel pan. Bring it to a boil, continue boiling for a few minutes, and let sit until it is cool enough to drink.
Warning
The evidence for the well established benefits of comfrey are such that you may wonder why are there so many cautions about taking comfrey. Many herbalists limit its use internally to short term applications while some go even further and warn against any internal use at all. In the late 1970s experimental data showed lab rats fed comfrey 3 to 4 times their body weight over a long period of time developed liver damage. It would take a human drinking 3 to 4 cups of comfrey tea for 140 years to achieve the same effect. (Duke, James, Ph.D.) Herbalists are divided on the use of this age old herb, on the one hand it has been used safely for centuries and on the other the pyrrolizidine alkaloids that are concentrated in the root and to a lesser extent the leaves have toxic effects. You will have to rely on your own common sense and judgement.
