Comfrey Balm

COMFREY BALM   (Alternate names: Boneset, knitbone, black wort, wallwort, and slippery root)
Comfrey has been used for over 2,000 years to treat conditions such as bone fractures, ulcers, and gout. It typically combines oils or water with glyceryl stearate and extracts from the comfrey plant, Symphytum officinale.
Researchers have looked into how comfrey cream affects several health conditions, especially:
• Back pain: Topical comfrey cream applied three times a day for five days provides marked improvement for patients with lower back pain.
Osteoarthritis: In people with knee osteoarthritis, a degenerative wear-and-tear joint condition, comfrey ointment has been shown to significantly relieve pain, reduce stiffness, and improve function.
• Blunt traumas: Topical preparation made from an extract of freshly harvested comfrey plant parts has been effective at treating sprains, contusions, and muscle strains.
Wound healing: Applications of comfrey extracts have been shown to accelerate the healing of superficial wounds (abrasions with no open wound) and help with the regeneration of skin cells.
While there are claims that comfrey may also help with bone fractures, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout (a form of arthritis), there is currently not enough evidence to recommend comfrey cream for any of these uses.
Supplement Facts
• Active ingredients: Allantoin, rosmarinic acid, flavonoids, terpenoids, triterpenes,triterpene saponins, sterols, and more
• Alternate names: Boneset, knitbone, black wort, wallwort, and slippery root
• Legal status: Topical (on the skin) comfrey products are legal in the United States; oral products are not. In 2001, the FDA urged oral (taken by mouth) comfrey products to be removed from the market.
• Suggested dose: 2-4 grams on the skin, three times a day ( ½ - 1 teaspoon)
• Safety considerations: Not studied in children less than 3 years old; not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding
• Never take comfrey by mouth because it can cause severe health problems.
• Comfrey cream should not be used for more than 10 days in a row.
Do not use comfrey cream on open wounds or broken skin.
**Comfrey cream is a topical herbal remedy used for pain relief and to aid in the healing of sprains, back pain, and arthritis. While effective for these conditions, it should never be taken orally due to potential serious side effects.
Dubey A. Possibility and scope of transdermal comfrey multipurpose nano patch: for the treatment of broken bones, wounds and external ulcers. Pharm Pharmacol Int J. 2017;5(1):4.
doi:10.15406/ppij.2017.05.00106