COMFREY LEAF

Description

Profile: Symphytum thrives in grassy, moist soils. Large, angular, hairy leaves and a scorpioid inflorescence with bell-shaped flowers serve as distinguishing features. Comfrey leaf has a long history of use in traditional Western herbalism for its advantageous characteristics in topical treatments.

Details:

Comfrey leaf has been utilized for thousands of years, ever since the Roman era. This herb has been widely cultivated and used in traditional medicine in North America and Europe. Due to various portions and preparations of comfrey containing potentially harmful alkaloids, there is much discussion about its safety. It's critical to realize that the safety of this herb depends on many factors, including the part used, species, and time of harvest. If used wisely and carefully, a substantial body of traditional use supports its safety and efficacy.

Comfrey is related to both borage (Borago sp.) and heliotrope, both of which are members of the Borage or Boraginaceae family (Heliotropium sp.). There are approximately 35 species in the Symphytum genus, all of which can be used interchangeably. However, the amount of pyrrolizidine alkaloid content varies between species, with Russian comfrey (S. x uplandicum) and prickly comfrey having the greatest levels (S. asperum). The lance-shaped leaves of comfrey are big, rough, hairy, and contain whitish, pink, or purple flower spikes with the characteristic heliotrope-like curl of this family. It is endemic to much of Europe, as well as places in Asia like the Caucasus, Kazakhstan, Siberia, and Turkey. In temperate northern latitudes, it is frequently found as a weed.

NOTICE: DO NOT USE THIS PRODUCT IF PREGNANT OR NURSING.

**These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases.