"Latin Name: Symphytum officinale L.
Family Name: Boraginaceae
Common Names: Comfrey, Knit-Bone
Parts Used: Root, Leaves

Botanical Description:
Stout, bristle-haired perennial 60-120 cm (2-4’) tall on thick brownish-black
mucilagenous rootstock. Leaves and stem erect. Lower leaves to 25 cm (11’’)
long, petiolate, lanceolate, hairy beneath. Upper leaves narrower. Flowers
purple, pink or whitish in crowded terminal cymes (monochasium). Flowers
appear in early summer. Taste somewhat sweet and slightly astringent.

Distribution:
European and Asian native; introduced elsewhere. On rich, wet soils near
rivers, streams, in ditches, low lying meadowland. To 1500 m (4800’) in altitude.

Cultivation:
Moist to wet soil in sun or partial shade. Propagate by seed sown in spring
or by division. It is deep rooted and difficult to eradicate when established.
Be sure leaves and stalks are wilted before putting in holes for compost
for potatoes or the leaves will grow new plants.

Harvest:
Leaves are picked in early summer before flowering and dried. Roots are
lifted during dormancy and dried.

Constituents:
Calculated 0.6% - 0.8% allantoin, calculated 0.02 - 0.07% pyrrolizidine
alkaloids; interonedine, acetylintermed lycopsamine, acetyl lycorpsamine,
symphytine, and in materials from some sources also echimidine,
all these also being partly present as N-oxides; calculated 4-6% tannins;
abundant mucilage (fructans); starch; triterpenes (isobaurenol) and sterols
(sitosterol); depsides of dehydro caffeic acid (="lithospermic acid") calculated
1-3% asparagine; amino acids (including y-aminobutyric acid). Very high
protein content; up to 35%.

Properties:
Demulcent, Pectoral, Astringent

Note: In the past, roots were used internally. Now, due to the
controversy over the pyrrozilidine alkaloids, some herbalists only use it
externally.Our personal experience with this root justifies us in speaking
in glowing terms of its value. All botanic writers tell in positive language
of its power in cough, ulcerated and inflamed lung conditions, hemorrhage,
excessive expectoration as in asthma, T.B., etc.
In soreness of the stomach or bowels, and ulceration of the kidneys, it is a
most valuable root. It would be difficult to name a more useful and effective
agent in this class. It is a fairly safe rule to figure on always using Comfrey
root in cough, asthma, tuberculosis of the lung, etc. Use it freely where gravel
is cutting your patient and you suspect ulcerated conditions in the kidneys.
If you see bloody urine, give Comfrey.

Owing to its soothing effect, it is useful in diarrhea, dysentery, etc.
A very good lung tonic is made as follows:
Symphytum off.
(Comfrey) Root
Marubium vulg. (Horehound)
Inula hel. (Elecampane) Root
Glechoma hed. (Ground Ivy)
Ginger Root Of each, ½ ounce
Capsicum ½ teaspoonful

Simmer in 3 pints of water twenty minutes, then add two powdered nutmegs
(about two level teaspoonfuls), cover and simmer about four minutes longer.
Strain and add to the hot liquid 1½ pounds of cane sugar (lump cane sugar
if possible). Bottle when cold. Dose, one or two tablespoonfuls every two hours.

Where a nervine cough syrup is required, the following will be found good:
Symphytum off. (Comfrey) Root
Rheum pal. (Turkey Rhubarb) Rhizome
Inula hel. (Elecampane) Root
Marubium vulg. (Horehound)
Symplocarpus foet. (Skunk Cabbage)

Spikenard Of each 1 ounce
Boil in 5 pints of water for 30 minutes. Strain, then boil down the liquid
to 1½ pints. Now add two pounds of sugar while hot. Cool. While the
sugar will preserve it to some extent, if it be desired to make sure of preserving
it for any length of time, one ounce of alcohol should be added. The dose is a
dessertspoonful three or four times a day.
In addition to the above, the practitioner will find Comfrey a most valuable agent
in fomentations. In bruises, sprains, swellings, fractures, a foment made with
Comfrey leaves or root will reduce the swelling and ease the pain. It is because
of its great power in these cases that it has received the name of Knit-Bone.
We have used it extensively in these conditions, and also in the promotion
of the suppuration of boils, etc.
Comfrey should be used in almost all combinations for fomenting.

Contraindications:
1.No contraindications known.
2.No side effects noted if applied for limited time. Duration of use: no longer
than 4-6 weeks in a year.
3.A doctor should be consulted before using it during pregnancy.
4.The herb should only be applied to the intact skin (not open wounds).

Careful application:
Unless otherwise stated, ointments or other preparations for external use containing
5-20% of the drug specimen (preparations correspondingly). The daily dose applied
must not contain more than 100 micrograms pyrrolizidine alkaloids with a 1,2
unsaturated necine residue, including their N-oxides.

In long term studies, it has been demonstrated in rats that the isolated pyrrolizidine
alkaloids present in the herb (drug) are hepatotoxic, carcinogenic, and mutagenic. Acetylintermedine and acetylycopsamine have proven to be mutagenic in somatic
drosophilla cells at a concentration of 5 x 10-3M. The drug must therefore be recognized as a potentially genotoxic carcinogen in humans. However, the genetic risk from the pyrrolizidine alkaloids (e.g. against their toxic potential) appears to be of minor importance. "
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