Dictionary:
com·frey (kŭm'frē)  |
[Middle English comferi, from Old French cumfirie, from Vulgar Latin *cōnfervia, from Latin cōnferva, from cōnfervēre, to boil together : com-, com- + fervēre, to boil; see fervent.]
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Wild member of the borage family, Symphytum officinale. Leaves may be cooked like spinach or fried in batter, but they contain alkaloids that cause liver damage.
| Alternative Medicine Encyclopedia: Comfrey |
Description
Comfrey (Symphytum officinale), or common comfrey, has been known by many names, including boneset, knitbone, bruisewort, black wort, salsify, ass ear, wall wort, slippery root, gum plant, healing herb, consound, or knit back. This distinctive herb, considered by the English herbalist Culpeper to be "under the dominion of the moon," is a member of the Boraginaceae family. The genus name Symphytum is from the Greek word sympho meaning to unite. The common name comfrey is from the Latin confirmare meaning to join together. The herb is named after its traditional folk use in compress and poultice preparations to speed the healing of fractures, broken bones, bruises, and burns. comfrey is a perennial native of Europe and Asia and has been naturalized throughout North America. There are about 25 species of the herb, including prickly comfrey (S. asperum) and Russian comfrey (S. X uplandicum, known as okopnik). In Russian medicine, the herb is considered poisonous when used excessively.
Comfrey grows well in rich, moist, low meadows, or along ponds and river banks, where it may reach a height of 4 ft (1.2 m). Comfrey root is large, branching, and black on the outside with a creamy white interior containing a slimy mucilage. Hollow, erect stems, also containing mucilage, are covered with bristly hairs that cause itching when in contact with the skin. The thick, somewhat succulent, veined leaves are covered with rough hairs. They are alternate and lance shaped, with lower leaves as large as 10 in (25 cm) in length, and dark green on top and light green on the underside. Small, bell-shaped flowers grow from the axils of the smaller, upper leaves on red stalks. Flowers are mauve to violet and form in dense, hanging clusters, blooming in summer. The cup-like fruits each contain four small, black seeds.
General Use
Comfrey root and other parts of the herb have been valued medicinally for more than 2,000 years. The specific name officinale designates its inclusion in early lists of official medicinal herbs. Comfrey has been prepared as a poultice or compress with healing properties for blunt injuries, fractures, swollen bruises, boils, carbuncles, varicose ulcers, and burns. The external application of comfrey preparations may minimize the formation of scar tissue. Poultices were also applied to ease breast pain in breast-feeding women. Comfrey, taken internally as a tea or expressed juice, has been used to soothe ulcers, hernias, colitis, and to stop internal bleeding. As a gargle it has been used to treat mouth sores and bleeding gums. The herbal tea has also been used to treat nasal congestion and inflammation, diarrhea, and to quiet coughing. The hot, pulped root, applied externally, was used to treat bronchitis, pleurisy, and to reduce pain and inflammation of sprains.
The herb is thought to loosen congestion, soothe irritated membranes and skin, reduce bleeding, tighten tissues, and heal wounds. The allantoin in comfrey, found most abundantly in the flowering tops, has been identified as the source of much of the herb's healing actions. Comfrey, applied externally to superficial wounds, promotes the healing of connective tissue, bones, and cartilage. Other constituents found in comfrey include tannins, resin, essential oil, gum, carotene, rosmarinic acid, choline, glycosides, sugars, betea-sitosterol, and steroidal saponins.
Comfrey contains vitamins A and B12, and is high in calcium, potassium, and phosphorus. The herb has long been used as a cooked green vegetable in early spring, and the fresh, young leaves have been added to salads. The widespread suffering caused by the Irish potato famine of the 1840s motivated Henry Doubleday, an Englishman, to fund research into comfrey's potential as a nutritional food crop. Farmers have valued comfrey as a nutritious fodder for cattle. When the leaves are soaked in rainwater for a few weeks, they will produce a valuable fertilizer for the garden, especially beneficial to tomatoes and potatoes.
Modern herbalists, however, disagree strongly about comfrey's safety, particularly when herbal preparations are taken internally. A Japanese study in 1968 implicated comfrey constituents (known as pyrrolizidine alkaloids) as being toxic to the liver even when taken in small amounts. The study involved large amounts of comfrey extract rather than the whole herb. The most toxic of these pyrrolizidine alkaloids, according to Varro Tyler of the Purdue University School of Pharmacy, is echimidine. This alkaloid is found primarily in Russian comfrey and prickly comfrey rather than the common comfrey. However, Tyler cautions that other alkaloids toxic to the liver are present in common comfrey, and commercial preparations may not distinguish between the types of comfrey contained in the products offered for sale. Herbal products containing echimidine are prohibited for sale in Canada as medicines. In fact, all comfrey products made from the root, which contains a higher concentration of pyrrolizidine alkaloids, are restricted in Canada.
A 1978 Australian study reported that rats fed a large diet of comfrey leaf developed liver cancer. The research literature has reported some cases of liver toxicity attributed to long-term, internal use of comfrey. However, some Japanese doctors still continue to recommend a vinegar extract of comfrey to treat cases of cirrhosis of the liver, despite these previous research findings of the hazards associated with internal use. The research on the safety and effectiveness of comfrey as a medicine continues with some conflicting research results. In Germany, where standardized comfrey remedies are commercially available, the allowed dosage and duration of treatment is regulated. In the United States, however, commercial preparations may not be standardized to meet these dosage restrictions.
Preparations
Ointments, salves, and oil extracts of comfrey are available for external treatment. The crushed or powdered root and extracted juice of the herb are used to make poultices for external applications. Comfrey extract is an ingredient in commercially prepared medicines for chest congestion, coughs, and pain relief.
Precautions
Comfrey should not be used, either externally or internally, by pregnant or breast-feeding women. Many herbalists caution against internal use of comfrey. This caution is due to the dangers of the pyrrolizidine alkaloids that are toxic to the liver and may have cancer-causing effects, even in small amounts. Consumers should avoid external use of comfrey on deep wounds because the herb may promote premature healing of surface tissue before the deeper damage has been healed. Wounds must be thoroughly cleaned before application of comfrey remedies to avoid tissue forming over dirt particles. Comfrey preparations should not be used for more than four weeks. Gathering comfrey in the wild may be dangerous for the novice herbalist because the early spring leaves somewhat resemble the deadly ones of nightshade and, in some reported cases, ingesting comfrey in preparations contaminated with deadly night-shade has led to poisoning.
Side Effects
No side effects are known with proper preparation and administration of Symphytum officinale in external, therapeutic applications. Internal use of herbal preparations should be avoided pending further research.
Interactions
None reported.
Resources
Books
Hutchens, Alma R. A Handbook of Native American Herbs.
Boston: Shambhala Publications, Inc., 1992.
McIntyre, Anne. The Medicinal Garden. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1997.
Ody, Penelope. The Complete Medicinal Herbal. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 1993.
PDR for Herbal Medicines. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, 1998.
Polunin, Miriam, and Christopher Robbins. The Natural Pharmacy. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1992.
Tyler, Varro E., Ph.D. The Honest Herbal. New York: Pharmaceutical Products Press, 1993.
[Article by: Clare Hanrahan]
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 Russian comfrey (Symphytum x uplandicum)
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For the place, see Comfrey, Minnesota
Comfrey (also comphrey) is an important herb in organic gardening, having many medicinal and fertilizer[1] uses.
Contents |
Comfrey (Symphytum officinale L.) is a perennial herb of the family Boraginaceae with a black, turnip-like root and large, hairy broad leaves that bears small bell-shaped white, cream, light purple or pink flowers. It is native to Europe, growing in damp, grassy places, and is widespread throughout the British Isles on river banks and ditches. Comfrey has long been recognised by both organic gardeners and herbalists for its great usefulness and versatility; of particular interest is the “Bocking 14” cultivar of Russian Comfrey (Symphytum x uplandicum). This strain was developed during the 1950s by Lawrence D Hills, the founder of the Henry Doubleday Research Association (the organic gardening organisation itself named after the Quaker pioneer who first introduced Russian Comfrey into Britain in the 1910s) following trials at Bocking, near Braintree, the original home of the organization.
Other species include:
(all of these comfreys are poisonous)
Bocking 14 is sterile, and therefore will not set seed (one of its advantages over other cultivars as it will not spread out of control), thus is propagated from root cuttings. The gardener can produce their own ‘offsets’ from mature, strongly growing plants by driving a spade horizontally through the leaf clumps about 3 inches below the soil surface. This removes the crown which can then be split into pieces. The original plant will quickly recover, and each piece can be replanted with the growing points just below the soil surface, and will quickly grow into new plants. When choosing plants to divide ensure that they are strong healthy specimens with no signs of rust or mildew. When dividing comfrey plants take care not to spread root fragments around, or dispose of on the compost heap as each can re-root, and comfrey can be a very difficult plant to get rid of. Offsets can also be purchased by mail order from specialist nurseries in order to initially build up a stock of plants.
The comfrey bed should be well prepared by weeding thoroughly, and dressing with manure if available. Offsets should be planted 2-3 feet apart with the growing points just below the surface, whilst root segments should be buried about 2 inches deep. Keep the bed well watered until the young plants are established. Comfrey should not be harvested in its first season as it needs to become established. Any flowering stems should be removed as these will weaken the plants in its first year. Comfrey should also be regularly watered until well established.
Comfrey is a fast growing plant, producing huge amounts of leaf during the growing season, hence is very nitrogen hungry. Although it will continue to grow no matter what, it will benefit from the addition of animal manure applied as a mulch, and can also be mulched with other nitrogen rich materials such as lawn mowings, and is one of the few plants that will tolerate the application of fresh urine diluted 50:50 with water, although this should not be regularly added as it may increase salt levels in the soil and have adverse effects on soil life such as worms. Mature comfrey plants can be harvested up to four or five times a year. They are ready for cutting when about 2 feet high, and, depending on seasonal conditions, this is usually in mid-Spring. Comfrey will rapidly regrow, and will be ready for further cutting about 5 weeks later. It is said that the best time to cut comfrey is shortly before flowering, for this is when it is at its most potent in terms of the nutrients that it offers. Comfrey can continue growing into mid-Autumn, but it is not advisable to continue taking cuttings after early Autumn in order to allow the plants to build up winter reserves. As the leaves die back and break down in winter, nutrients and minerals are transported back to the roots for use the following spring.
Comfrey should be harvested by using either shears a sickle or a scythe to cut the plant about 2 inches above the ground, taking care handling it because the leaves and stems are covered in hairs that can irritate the skin. It is advisable to wear gloves when handling comfrey. Despite being sterile, Bocking 14 Russian Comfrey will steadily increase in size. It is therefore advisable to split it up every few years (and at the same time propagate more plants that can be shared with fellow gardeners!). It is however difficult to remove comfrey once established as it is very deep rooting, and any fragments left in the soil will regrow. Rotovation can be successful, but may take several seasons. The best way to eradicate comfrey is to very carefully dig it out, removing as much of the root as possible. This is best done in hot, dry summer weather, wherein the dry conditions will help to kill off any remaining root stumps. Comfrey is generally trouble free once established, although weaker or stressed plants can suffer from comfrey rust or mildew. Both are fungal diseases, although they rarely seriously reduce plant growth and thus do not generally require control. However infected plants should not be used for propagation purposes.
Contemporary herbalists view comfrey as an ambivalent and controversial herb that may offer therapeutic benefits but can cause liver toxicity.
One of the country names for comfrey was ‘knitbone’, a reminder of its traditional use in healing. Modern science confirms that comfrey can influence the course of bone ailments.[2][3][4][5]
The herb contains allantoin, a cell proliferant that speeds up the natural replacement of body cells. Comfrey was used to treat a wide variety of ailments ranging from bronchial problems, broken bones, sprains, arthritis, gastric and varicose ulcers, severe burns, acne and other skin conditions. It was reputed to have bone and teeth building properties in children, and have value in treating "many female disorders". In past times comfrey baths were popular to repair the hymen and thus "restore virginity"[citation needed]. Constituents of comfrey also include mucilage, steroidal saponins, tannins, pyrrolizidine alkaloids, inulin, vitamin B12 and proteins.
Internal usage of comfrey should be avoided because it contains hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs). (Note: there are also non-hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids.) Use of comfrey can, because of these PAs, lead to veno-occlusive disease (VOD). VOD can in turn lead to liver failure, and comfrey, taken in extreme amounts, has been implicated in at least one death.[6] In 2001, the United States Food and Drug Administration issued a warning against internal usage of herbal products containing comfrey.[7] There are ways to remove the pyrrolizidine alkaloids from comfrey, and some herbal product manufacturers have begun doing so (although the products will still be labelled “for external use only”). Merck produces a commercially available product called Kytta-Salbe from which >99% of the pyrrolizidine alkaloids have been removed (see Grube et al. 2007. Phytomedicine 14: 2-10).
Excessive doses of Symphytine, one of the PAs in comfrey, may cause cancer in rats.[8] This was shown by injection of the pure alkaloid. The whole plant has also been shown to induce precancerous changes in transgenic rats.[9]
This flower was used back in the middle ages to help relieve lung problems caused by black death.
Most recently, in a placebo controlled study published by Giannetti et al, Comfrey was found to decrease back pain when used topically. It is not clear if these results reached statistical significance.[10]
Comfrey is a particularly valuable source of fertility to the organic gardener. It is very deep rooted and acts as a dynamic accumulator, mining a host of nutrients from the soil. These are then made available through its fast growing leaves (up to 4-5 pounds per plant per cut) which, lacking fibre, quickly break down to a thick black liquid. There is also no risk of nitrogen robbery when comfrey is dug into the soil as the C:N ratio of the leaves is lower than that of well-rotted compost. Comfrey is an excellent source of potassium, an essential plant nutrient needed for flower, seed and fruit production. Its leaves contain 2-3 times more potassium than farmyard manure, mined from deep in the subsoil, tapping into reserves that would not normally be available to plants.
There are various ways in which comfrey can be utilised as a fertiliser, these include:
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
 | cumfrey |
| Symphytum |
| bruisewort |
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Food and Nutrition. A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. Copyright © 1995, 2003, 2005 by A. E. Bender and D. A. Bender. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Alternative Medicine Encyclopedia. Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine. Copyright © 2005 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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