Comfrey : Uses, medicine, Synonyms, Effects, and Side Effects

The plant is native to almost all of Europe and western Asia (Siberia), and comfrey has been naturalized in North America. Comfrey is also a popular garden plant and is now grown commercially. The drug material comes from cultures, primarily Bulgaria, Romania, Poland and Hungary.

Comfrey: Which part is used?

The medically usable material consists of the dried rootstock (rhizome) and the roots (Symphyti radix). The above-ground parts of the plant (Symphyti herba) are rarely used.

 

Comfrey and its characteristics

Comfrey is a perennial shrub up to 1.5 m high with bristly hairs. The leaves, which are also hairy, are long and tapering to a point, and the coarse, net-like leaf veins are visible. The bell-shaped flowers are reddish to blue-violet, pink, yellowish or white.

The root material includes the longitudinally wrinkled root pieces that are black-brown on the outside. In the cross-section, you can see the whitish interior of the root pieces.

What does the name comfrey mean

The Latin genus name Symphytum derives from the Greek “symphysis”, which means “to grow together”. This is because it used to be thought that bones could grow back together through the plant. This is also expressed in the German trivial name Beinheil or Beinwall (Wallen means “healing of bones together”).

 

taste and smell

Comfrey root does not give off a particular smell. The taste of the root is slimy, faintly sweet and slightly astringent.

Comfrey – application

 

Comfrey root preparations are now only used externally (!) in herbal medicine to treat sprains, bruises, and muscle and tendon strains. The root is also used externally for local inflammation.

Comfrey: Controversial uses

Some areas of application based on empirical medicine are also controversially discussed and sometimes not recognized. These include, for example, the use of comfrey in:

• poorly healing fractures and wounds
• Muscle cramp
• Tendon, tendon sheath and bursa inflammation
• nail bed inflammation
• bruises
• boils
• lymph node swelling 
• Fever 
• inflammatory rheumatic joint diseases such as arthritis

 

Comfrey in folk medicine

In folk medicine, comfrey is also used externally for bruises, strains and sprains. In addition, the roots and leaves are also used internally to treat rheumatism, bronchitis, lung problems, inflammation of the gastric mucosa, stomach ulcers and bleeding.

Finally, comfrey preparations are also used in folk medicine to remedy diarrhoea.

Not suitable for internal use

However, Commission E warns against the internal use of comfrey preparations due to the pyrrolizidine alkaloids they contain.

 

Homeopathic Uses of Comfrey

In homoeopathy, the fresh roots are collected before flowering and used to treat blunt injuries, broken bones and phlebitis. The fresh, flowering plant is considered an essence for external use.

Constituents of Comfrey

Comfrey root contains relatively large amounts of mucilage (fructans) and up to 1.5% allantoin. The roots also contain 4-6% tannins, triterpenes, choline and organic acids such as rosmarinic acid. Depending on the growing area and variety, the root also contains small amounts or traces of pyrrolizidine alkaloids.

Comfrey: For what indication?

Indications for which comfrey is used are:

• bruise
• sprain
• muscle strain
• tendon strain

Comfrey dosage

 

Comfrey root preparations are mainly offered in ointments, pastes, creams and rubs in the anti-inflammatory and anti-rheumatic drugs group. Comfrey is also commonly found in ointments for treating bruises, sprains and strains.

Since its mucilage is a good heat storer, the pastes are well suited for making packs and envelopes. There are no commercially available tea preparations.

Comfrey – the correct dose

Unless otherwise prescribed, ointments and pastes should contain 5-20% of the dried drug.

A maximum of 100 μg of pyrrolizidine alkaloids, including their N-oxides, may be applied daily.

 

Comfrey: preparation

A decoction of comfrey root (1 part of the drug, ten parts of water) can be prepared for purely external use. 1 teaspoon corresponds to about 4 g of the root.

Comfrey root should be stored dry and protected from light.

When and how not to use comfrey

Due to the small amounts of pyrrolizidine alkaloids, comfrey root preparations should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding or by children under the age of 2 years.

Commission E also recommends using comfrey root preparations only on intact skin. Due to the pyrrolizidine alkaloids, the duration of use should be at most 4-6 weeks per year.

Beinwell – Synonyme

 

German plant name: Beinwell

German synonyms of the plant: Common Comfrey, Comfrey, Common Comfrey, Comfrey, Beeweed, Comfrey, Common Comfrey, Greater Comfrey, Woodwort, Milkwort, Comfrey, Comfrey, Narrowwort, Soldier’s Wort, Baconroot, Hare Bread, Hare Leaves, Heaven’s Bread, Honeyflower, Cake Herb, Wild Comfrey, Wild Comfrey, Wottel, wound damage, wound healing

Latin plant name: Symphytum officinale L.

German drug name: Beinwellwurzel

German synonyms of the drug: Leg Root, Broken Leg Root, Healing Root, Noxious Healing Root, Rare Root, Milk Root, Snow Root, Butterwort, Glot Root, Soldier Root

Latin drug name: Symphyti radix

Latin synonyms of the drug: Consolida root, Consolida root

English name: Comfrey, Common Comfrey, Comfry, Ass Ear, Blackwort, Boneset, Bruisewort, Consolida, Consound, Gum Plant, Healing Herb, Knitback, Knitbone, Symphytum officinale, Valluc (Pflanze); Common Comfrey Root, Symphytum root, Slippery Root (Droge)

Plant family Latin: Boraginaceae

Plant family German: borage family

 

Comfrey – effect

Comfrey root preparations are mainly offered in ointments, pastes, creams and rubs in the anti-inflammatory and anti-rheumatic drugs group. Comfrey is also commonly found in ointments for treating bruises, sprains and strains.

effect of comfrey

Since its mucilage is a good heat storer, the pastes are well suited for making packs and envelopes. There are no commercially available tea preparations.

Comfrey: side effects and interactions

In animal experiments, pyrrolizidine alkaloids have been shown to have liver-damaging (hepatotoxic), mutagenic (mutagenic) and carcinogenic (cancerogenic) effects. In the liver, the substances are converted into highly reactive forms.

Because of these facts, comfrey root is considered potentially toxic to humans, and the applicable dose and duration of use have been regulated. However, no specific side effects have been observed in humans to date.

Interactions with other agents are currently not known.