Symphytum officinale, commonly known as comfrey, is yet another great herb with hundreds of years of history. Native to Europe and parts of Asia, comfrey also grows well in North America. Nicholas Culpeper (1616-1654) recommended using this herb to "consolidate and knit together…" broken or damaged tissues in the body. This includes wounds, bruises, inflammation, painful joints, and broken bones. Modern science backs this up showing comfrey can reduce injury symptoms. Traditionally comfrey root is used for medicinal purposes, but research is being conducted on using the leaves in topical ointments.

So far, studies have shown topical ointments containing comfrey extracts have many uses. It's been used to support wound healing and pain management in clinical settings. One paper looked into using a comfrey ointment on acute ankle sprains and found it reduced swelling and pain significantly. It can also be helpful for conditions like back pain, sports sprains and strains, arthritis, etc.

Comfrey contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids which can be damaging when ingested. Other Symphytum species can look similar to Symptytum off., and some contain larger amounts of pyrrolizidine alkaloids. These other species aren't recommended for internal use. Most available supplements use extraction processes to limit or eliminate pyrrolizidine compounds. Because of this, wild-harvested comfrey should only be used under a holistic doctor's supervision. Homeopathic preparations are safe for use due to the nature of homeopathic remedies. Please note that comfrey is recommended only for short-term use in small amounts. Never apply ointment to broken skin. As always, speak with your health professional before adding any new herb to your lifestyle. Dr. Amanda Blandford offers a 15 minute Discovery Visit to learn if her practice is a good fit for your health goals.

Resources:

1. European Medicines Agency. 2024. "European Union Herbal Monograph on Symphytum officinale L., radix." https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/herbal-monograph/final-european-union-herbal-monograph-symphytum-officinale-l-radix_en.pdf
2. Staiger, Christiane. 2012. "Comfrey: A Clinical Overview." Phytotherapy Research; PTR 26(10): 1441-8. doi:10.1002/ptr.4612