Ipsophyto

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) is a member of the Boraginaceae family together with the ‘forget-me-nots’, the ‘green alkanet’ and borage, obviously.

Comfrey is possibly the most effective and prized mucillaginous healing remedy in the materia medica. The plant is used for cuts and grazes, lesions and to help large wounds, bone fractures, torn cartilage, tendons and ligaments, with the tannins and astringency of the plant enabling it to draw wounds together.

The plant is distinguished by its large, braodly lanceloate leaves (upto 30cm long and more) arising from a ground level rosette of leaves as well as its pendulous array of bell shaped flowers.

Firstly, the leaves are set on long, relatively thick petioles, which once snapped, reveal the mucillaginous substances so prized by the medicl professions. The leaves are notably coarse and hairy with distinctive vein patterns on them similar to both borage and the green alkanet. Be careful to correctly i/d the comfrey plant  rather than another well known species with a similar looking leaf which belongs to the foxglove. (if only because the latter is substantially more toxic than the former should you fancy grazing on the foliage!)

One way of distinguishing from afar is to evaluate the habitat you are wandering through. If you are near streams or rivers  or on wet ground it is likely the plant may be comfrey, whereas the foxglove abounds in places such as roadsides, old and crumbling boundry walls of fields as well as within its classic habitat of woodland where it survives inside the heart of the woodland and not just as well as the woodland edge.

The flowering stem of the common comfrey rises on average about 1metre 30 cm although larger is not uncommon. Flowers are borne on cymes on forked stalks above the top leaves which appear in an almost  saggitate form as they arise on the flower stem. Each stem support one sided racemes of mauve, pink or white flowers curving downwards. Seeds are little nutlets which appear inside the flowers in groups of four.

The root when unearthed is thick, quite short and many branched from a sometimes large crown. It has a black root ’sheath’ being white within. It vegetatively propagates itself from this crown by means of underground stems(rhizomes) and the gardener is advised to be careful when placing or removing common comfrey, for  it will creep and take over patches of ground unless the suitable cultivar ‘bocking 14′ is purchased, (which is clump forming and does not spread) whilst any shards or mere splinters of root will readily re-emerge and grow on. I have comitted this great garden sin and am not sure if my friend truly has forgiven me for making a comfrey jungle in her home in kentish town!

Medicinal parts used.

The leaves and root.

Although much propaganda has been written about the dangers of liver damge by the powerful alkaloids present in the root, it needs to be said the animals in the experiments which gleaned such information had been fed a diet comprising solely of comfrey root. Now i dont know anyone who would be a)advocating such a diet for humans or b) silly enough to try it.

Suffice it to say that the dangers of toxic doses from comfrey root remain very very slim due to the minute amounts present per serving when used as medicine. That said, i would advise using with care and if not sure seek a professional herbalist for advice. The leaf is safe and is widely used throughout europe for a number of maladies.

Active constituents

Comfrey contains a number of useful medicinal compounds including: Allantoin, tannins, mucillage, gums, resins, pyrrolizidine alkaloids( reportedly toxic to liver and including symphitine, cynoglosine, consolidine) inulin.

Pharmacology

The allantoin is known to produce and promote constructive activity of fibroblasts in producing connective tissue, as well as chondroblasts (Cartilage) and osteoblasts (bone), even neural cells. It promotes keratin dispersal and has been used topically on psoriarsis. Allantoin is highly difusable and its presence means scarring is less likely. Ask Gary Lineker, the former England striker how good the plant is …for he used it to recover from a broken leg during his career and continued playing at the highest level.

The tannins and resins add with mucillage to comfrey’s ‘plaster action’. The aquaeous extract of the plant increases release of prostaglandins from the stomach wall…which suggests a direct action in protecting the gastric mucosa from damage.

The presence of hepatoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids is a concern for internal use of the root, although quantities relate to species and cultivar. The leaf has negligable amounts. Overall quantities are reduced by drying and metabolising.