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.

I couldnt beleive it yesterday when i read in the broadsheets and heard on radio 4 that ‘eminent’ scientists had discredited all detox products as rubbish.

Fair enough, a brush sold as a detox brush (to stimulate the lymphatic system apparantly, although why massage cant work just as well I dont know!?!) is a bit of a rip off…fool and his money and all that… But discrediting the power of herbs such as the Globe artichoke and Dandelion is going a bit off the rails. Both these herbs are proven in their action on the liver in a number of ways to be explored and discussed in my series of male herbs. So when the scientists are telling us the best detox agent is the one we are born with ie the liver…they are talking out of their overinflated, in need of serious detoxifying arses.

Once again, mainstream propaganda disguised as science news attempts to discredit remeides and discourage people from seeking and utilising FREE available medicine. I bet we will see a glut of expensive adds for flu and cold remedies though in the near future, forgetting that these common viruses can only get hold when our body’s own immune system is under stress. part of that stress…? toxins! Solution…supplement diet with holistic herbal medicines to alow your body to more readily deal with built in excesses.

Its not rocket science, in fact simple preventative and curative medicinal practice could and should be taught to kids at school.

So, the simple advice for those wishing to detox is still… get out in your garden, get some dandelion root and leaves and make decoctions and infusions for you and yours.

Blessed be all who use the herbs, and may the pharmaceutical companies share price plummet

This will be a series of posts designed for the post-saturday night needs of menfolk in the Uk although many of the plants discussed here are to be found across Europe and in America also.

As a qualified medicinal horticulturalist I have obviously noticed the vast array of books and information concerning herbal medicine for women. This is unsurprising, given their monthly cycle as well as the tri-phasic nature of woman during the course of her life… But the other 50% of the population have specific needs which seem to be, if not ignored, then only given a passing mention in many esteemed herbal books.

It was because of this imbalance that I decided to do a bit more research and get on the computer. In this series I hope to examine the various herbal remedies available  for the  male physiology and throw some light upon various, often unspoken ills that men for some reason prefer to hide or remain quiet about. This last course of action is all the more surprising given the reputation for man-flu- suffering and the pain threshold we dont have, compared to the other species we share our lives with.

I will list 24 herbs, native or naturalised within the Uk that are abundent in the hedges and/or easy to cultivate, whilst aiming to arm the boys with the where-with-all to deal with their own health issues rather than moan and go to the overloaded NHS.

First up….

Mentha species….Mints inc: Peppermint, Watermint, Applemint and Gypsywort (although this latter is not a mint it acts in much the same way)

These  herbs are relatives of Lavender, Thyme and Sage as well as many other well known culinary herbs and diagnostic features are therefore similar. The mints have square stems with opposite leaves. They typically grow to around 3 foot tall when flowering stems arise during the summer months. These stems have the flowers arranged in various styles of ‘whorls’ around the stem.

Whereas the watermint (Mentha aquatica) has distinct lower and upper levels of oink/purple flowering whorls, the spearmint (Mentha spicata) tends to produce all at the top of the spike and of a slightly duller pink colour similar to the arrangement of Peppermint(Mentha x piperita) and Applemint (Mentha suaveolens). A characteristic of many mints are the pernicious spreading underground stems which enable the plants to colonise and take over some habitats.(In New Zealand and Australia, the mints are classed as virulent weeds!) They generally love moist, yet free draining soil although it doesnt take a rocket scientist to assume from its monica that Watermint happily growas in rivers where you may find it nestling with watercress as on the Isis in Oxford. However, they are found in a wide array of habitats,  still very common in the UK. 

Mints  have the scientifically acknowledged ability to soothe the digestive system of anyone who has consumed too much curry or just been overdoing it with food or alcohol in their recent past. For those with flatulence, this is the herb par excellance as it is what herbalists call a carminative herb.

This means it helps settle your stomach via its minty essential oils. It is  known to relax the gastro-esophagael sphincter alowing for less gaseous eruptions, both north and south if you catch my drift. It also acts as a pre-digestive stimulant, so your food and drink will pass through your system more easily. Mint’s bitter principles stimulate the processes of your  digestive organs, such as the pancreas and liver, kick-starting the production of various digestive juices which are needed for proper digestion and assimilation of nutrients. It also specifically releives colonic spasm and bowel irritability and the combination of effects gives it an important action in releiving biliary collic.

It is used principally to reduce griping, collic,flatulence and to check the spasm of diarrhoea and spastic constipation as well as to inhibit vomiting.

Its folklore within numerous ancient texts suggest Aristotle banned his soldiers from taking it because he thought it abated their desire to fight! And it was deemed useful for men who were prone to having venerous dreams and pollutions in the night! For this the juice was taken inwardly whilst also being applied to the testicles and cod peieces!

Peppermint contains tannins and as such should be avoided for an hour either side of mealtimes as it will inhibit the uptake of non-haem iron (plant based iron rather than meat based)

Menthol is an active principle in many mints and is antisceptic and anti parasitic. This is common of many essential oil constituents as they are mainly monoterpene chemicals.(Monoterpenes are molecules with 10 carbon atoms, very volatile, and similar to many other volatile hydrocarbon molecules like octane fuel, which has 8 carbons)

Whole peppermint has more anti-spasmodic activity than menthol alone, due to other volatile components(and synergistic effects)