Is Comfrey Root Safe?
Sunday, May 29, 2011 at 6:07AMComfrey (Symphytum officinale) is a tall, thick-stemmed Eurasian plant with a reputation for healing injured tissues. The healing effects of comfrey are thought to come from allantoin, a substance that makes cells proliferate, and rosmarinic acid, an anti-inflammatory. Unfortunately, in comfrey these compounds occur together along with toxins called pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs). For this reason, comfrey should never be taken by mouth; it can cause serious liver and lung damage. Long-term internal use of comfrey can lead to liver cancer as well as damage to other organs.
While I do not recommend taking comfrey internally, I do recommend external use of comfrey as a treatment for wounds that do not heal easily, including:
- Bedsores
- Diabetic ulcers
- Bites of brown recluse spiders
- Staph infections
To treat these wounds with comfrey, buy the dried root of the plant in bulk, grind it into powder in a blender and mix the amount you need into a paste with water or aloe vera gel. Then gently pack it into the wound and cover with a bandage. Change this poultice daily, washing out the wound with sterile water and, if any infection is present, hydrogen peroxide.
Learn more about this and other potentially dangerous supplements.