11/28/2023 0 Comments Symphytum officinale skin safety![]() ![]() Hence, most clinical herbalists will only use comfrey in small amounts internally and recommend it externally in which there is no evidence or indication that it is harmful. officinale or the more toxic Russian variety. While debate continues, current evidence does suggest that it is difficult to indicate whether some comfrey preparations are derived for S. There is much debate in the herbal community around the safety of comfrey internally as some of the earlier studies done were inconclusive amongst which to consider are amounts found in varying plants, plant type and dosage. PLA is most found in high concentrations in the Russian variety of comfrey ( Symphytum x uplandicum) as opposed to ( symphytum officinale ) which is the variety used medicinally by herbalists. In our practise we use comfrey in our All Heal Salve and the numerous reports over the years of the salves healing abilities has always amazed me! One of my favorite stories was of a customer in Calgary who owned a restaurant and burned her arms very badly in her commercial oven - she instinctively reached for our All Heal Salve and continually put it on while rushing to the hospital, evading severe scarring from second degree burns.Īlthough it was a favourite herb in European folk medicine and used widely internally for medicine and as a nutritive, it has become increasingly controversial because of a toxic constituent called pyrrolizidine alkaloids known to cause liver damage. It has also been used medicinally to heal wounds, ulcers, colitis, inflammation, skin ailments and many other illnesses. Its latin name symphytum means “to heal”, while historically two of its common names were boneset and knitbone relating to its ability to mend and heal broken bones. The plant (symphytum officinale L) belongs to the borage family and has been valued in traditional medicine since 200 AD for its miraculous healing properties. In view of the known serious hazards and the ban on distributing comfrey in Germany and Canada, it is difficult to understand why comfrey is still freely available in the United States.There are so many benefits to comfrey but it is also one of the most controversial herbs out there. Therapeutic approaches include avoiding intake and, if hepatic failure is imminent, liver transplantation. Patients may present with either acute or chronic clinical signs with portal hypertension, hepatomegaly and abdominal pain as the main features. The main liver injury caused by comfrey (Symphytum officinale) is veno-occlusive disease, a non-thrombotic obliteration of small hepatic veins leading to cirrhosis and eventually liver failure. This produces highly reactive pyrroles which act as powerful alkylating agents. The mechanisms by which toxicity and mutagenicity are conveyed are still not fully understood, but seem to be mediated through a toxic mechanism related to the biotransformation of alkaloids by hepatic microsomal enzymes. These effects are most likely due to various hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids such as lasiocarpine and symphytine, and their related N-oxides. Only recently was the use of comfrey leaves recognized as a substantial health hazard with hepatic toxicity in humans and carcinogenic potential in rodents. In Western Europe, comfrey has been applied for inflammatory disorders such as arthritis, thrombophlebitis and gout and as a treatment for diarrhoea. ![]() Pyrrolizidine alkaloids have been associated with substantial toxicity after their ingestion as tea and in the setting of contaminated cereals have led to endemic outbreaks in Jamaica, India and Afghanistan. Herbal medication has gathered increasing recognition in recent years with regard to both treatment options and health hazards. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |