Comfrey
Parts Usually Used
Leaves and root
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Comfrey is a perennial plant 1-3 feet tall; the large rootstock is black outside, fleshy and whitish inside, and contains a glutinous juice. The angular, hairy stem bears bristly, oblong lanceolate leaves, some petioled, some sessile. There are also tongue-shaped, fuzzy, basal leaves that generally lie on the ground. The whitish, pink, or pale purple bell-like flowers have a tubular corolla resembling the finger of a glove and grow in forked racemes from May to August.
Full sun or partial shade. Zones 5-9.
Where Found
Moist meadows, ditches, and other moist places in the United States and Europe.
Medicinal Properties
Anodyne, astringent, demulcent, emollient, expectorant, hemostatic, refrigerant, tonic, vulnerary
Biochemical Information
Allantoin (mainly flowering tops), consolidine, inulin, mucilage, alkaloids (mainly root), steroidal saponins, phosphorus, potassium, pyrroliziidine, starch, tannins, and vitamins A, B12, C, and E.
Legends, Myths and Stories
There are 25 species of comfrey used in most herb books, a number of the 25 species are cultivated in American gardens. Comfrey is native to Europe, Asia Minor, Siberia and Iran. The country name for comfrey was knitbone, a reminder of its traditional use in healing fractures. The herb contains allantoin, which encourages bone, cartilage, and muscle cells to grow. When the crushed herb is applied to an injured limb, the allantoin is absorbed through the skin and speeds up healing.
” Comfrey was extremely popular in the 1970’s and early 1980’s, but studies showing toxic pyrroliziidine alkaloids, especially in the root, have tempered the enthusiasm for comfrey. Recent studies show that leaves harvested during the blooming period (May to September) are very low in alkaloid content. Suspected carcinogen. Comfrey contains allantoin, a substance that helps stimulate the growth of new cells and is now used in many cosmetic products.
Commercially prepared comfrey creams and ointments are useful for all kinds of skin irritations, including chafing and bug bites. Today, we are more cautious about taking comfrey internally, because it contains pyrroliziidine alkaloids, compounds known to cause liver disease if taken over a long period of time. The FDA is investigating pyrroliziidine alkaloid levels in domestic comfrey.
There are other safer herbs that can be used in its place, such as peppermint, balm, and ginger. Comfrey was known to the Crusaders as a wound herb, since it is unrivaled in repairing broken bones and battered bodies. The book Old Ways Discovered states, “The mucilaginous root is employed by colormakers; it is also employed to correct the brittleness of flax and the roughness of wool in spinning.
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Uses
Historically, herbalists regarded this plant as an alterative or blood cleanser, recommending it for conditions such as asthma, coughs, catarrh, ulcers, swelling, varicose veins, cramps, pain, and burns. Traditional practitioners also associated it with supporting the stomach, kidneys, bowels, and lungs. A decoction of the rootstock was traditionally utilized as a gargle and mouthwash for throat inflammation, hoarseness, and bleeding gums.
Historical accounts describe it being taken internally for various digestive and gastrointestinal complaints, anemia, pimples, excessive menstrual flow, and broken bones. The powdered rootstock was similarly administered for hematuria, leukorrhea, diarrhea, gastrointestinal ulcers, gout, and persistent coughs. Externally, folk traditions applied the powder as a hemostatic agent, while poultices made from the plant were applied to wounds, bruises, sores, broken bones, sprains, and insect bites.
A hot pulp made from the rootstock was historically applied as a topical compress for respiratory complaints such as bronchitis, pleurisy, and coughs, as well as for the discomfort and inflammation associated with pulled tendons. Additionally, the rootstock was sometimes added to bathwater with the intention of revitalizing the skin, and the leaves were traditionally decomposed in water to create liquid plant fertilizer or incorporated into compost piles.
How Sold
Extract Creams and ointments
Warning
Avoid use on dirty wounds, because rapid healing can trap dirt or pus. Some comfrey salves on the market specifically recommend use by nursing mothers with chafed nipples. Since comfrey should not be ingested by infants, consult the doctor before use of these products. Root use discouraged due to high levels of liver-toxic (or cancer-causing) pyrroliziidine alkaloids. Leaf tea (at least some types), although less carcinogenic than beer, has been banned in Canada.
There is also a danger that the leaves of Comfrey may be confused with the first-year rosettes of Foxglove (Digitalis), with fatal results. Consult an expert on identification first. Use is restricted in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Germany. Avoid use of comfrey with edema, obesity, or malabsorption. Use only under careful medical supervision. Do not use for longer than 3 months at a time.
May cause liver damage. Comfrey should not be given to small children, infants, or pregnant women.
Bibliography
The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Simon & Schuster/Fireside, Rockefeller Center 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 The Herbalist Almanac , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, copyright 1988, fifth printing, 1994 Culpeper’s Complete Herbal & English Physician: Updated With 117 Modern Herbs , by Nicholas Culpeper, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1990, (reprint of 1814) The Nature Doctor: A Manual of Traditional and Complementary Medicine , by Dr.
A. , 27 Pine Street (Box 876) New Canaan, CT. 06840-0876. Copyright Verlag A. , Pantheon Books, Knopf Publishing Group, New York, 1994, first edition The Magic of Herbs , by David Conway, published by Jonathan Cape, Thirty Bedford Square, London, England. (Out of print) Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Fifth Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements , by James F.
D. and Phyllis A. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 The Magic of Herbs in Daily Living , by Richard Lucas, Parker Publishing Co. (1988). The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H.
Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974 The Healing Plants , by Mannfried Pahlow, Barron’s Educational Series, Inc. , Hauppauge, NY 11788, 1992 Country Home Book of Herbs , Meredith Books, Editorial Dept. RW240, 1716 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309-3023, copyright 1994