Comfrey: Wound Healer/Cancer Fighter

[Guest guest]

Comments?

Misty L. Trepke

http://www..com

 

Comfrey: Wound Healer and Cancer Fighter

 

http://doctoryourself.com/comfrey_herb.html

 

In an old issue of Let's Live (Oct.-Dec., 1958), H. E. Kirschner,

M.D., wrote an almost unbelievable article about several important

clinical uses of the comfrey plant (Symphytum officinale).

 

Let me tell you about it.

 

Dr. Kirschner used comfrey in his medical practice to promote the

healing of ulcers and wounds. He traces the history of comfrey back

to 1568 and W. Turner's Herball which said " of Comfrey Symphytum,

the rootes are good if they be broken and dronken for them that

spitte blood, and are bursten. The same, layd to, are good to glewe

together freshe woundes. They are good to be layd to nflammation... "

He then cites Gerard's 1597 Herball, which indicated comfrey for

ulcers of the lungs and ulcers of the kidneys, and Parkinson's

1640 Theatrum Botanicum:

 

" The rootes of Comfrey, taken fresh, beaten small, spread upon

leather, and laid upon any place troubled with the gout, doe

presently give ease of the paines and applied in the same manner,

giveth ease to pained joynts, and profiteth very much for running

and moist ulcers, gangrenes, mortifications and the like. "

 

Most significant is a citation from Tournefort's 1719 Compleat

Herbal, which tells of one who

 

" cured a certain person of a malignant ulcer, pronounced to be a

cancer by the surgeons, and left by them as incurable, by applying

twice a day the root of comfrey bruised, having first peeled off the

external blackish bark or rind; but the cancer was not above

eight or ten weeks standing. " Even allowing for a misdiagnosis, this

account is interesting.

 

Dr. Kirschner personally observed the powerful anticancer effects of

comfrey on a patient of his who was dying from advanced,

externalized cancer. He prescribed fresh, crushed-leaf comfrey

poultices throughout the day. He writes that, " Much to the

surprise of the patient and her family, " there was obvious healing

within the first two days of treatment, with continued visible

improvement over the next few weeks. " What is more, " he

writes, " much of the dreadful pain that usually accompanies the

advanced stages of cancer disappeared, " and there was a dramatic

decrease in swelling.

 

Dr. Kirschner concludes by regretfully saying that the cancer had

already spread to the inner organs " which could not be reached with

the comfrey poultices, and the woman died. "

 

Just in terms of quality of life, the degree of healing that did

occur under the comfrey poultice treatment is of tremendo us

significance. Here is a " folk " remedy undeniably providing, at the

very least, significant pallative relief, and to a remarkable

extent reversing a cancerous growth. We can ill afford to overlook

the full potential of external comfrey leaf poultices to heal sores

and wounds of all types, including burns and gangrene, as well

as " tumors both benign and malignant, " says Dr. Kirschner.

 

Taken internally as decoction (boiled root tea), comfrey is

described as effective against tuberculosis, internal tumors and

ulcers, and promotes the healing of bone fractures. If it is hard to

understand how one simple, easy to grow and easy to apply plant can

be so widely useful in healing, remember that penicillin's

supporters have made some pretty broad claims for the mold on

oranges.

 

Dr. Kirschner describes in his article how to prepare comfrey leaves

and roots for home use. The leaves are for external use, and the

root for internal use. Anyone can grow comfrey in their garden for

use when needed. In fact, just try to stop it: it takes no work

whatsoever to grow this virtually indestructible perennial. As a

young man, I decided to plant a lot of comfrey all over my yard.

That took about 15 minutes. It grew so vibrantly that I eventually

decided to eradicate comfrey from lawn and garden. It took twenty

years to root it all out. Well, most of it. There is still that

patch over there on the side…

 

I got my " starter " comfrey from a friend, and now I know why he was

smiling so broadly as he handed the huge sack of roots over to me.

 

No, neither he nor I supply comfrey by mail-order. Ask around and

see who's got some to share. Or, try a garden supplier, nursery,

herb store or Internet search. How to plant comfrey: stick the root

under ground and come back in a month or two. To grow: Refer to the

previous step.

 

To use the leaves, one simply picks them, crushes them into a nice

emerald green paste, and applies topically. Although comfrey leaf

tea or dried leaves are often to be inexpensively purchased at herb

and health food stores, there is a need to mention Dr. Kirschner's

constant reference to using fresh cut leaves only, right from one's

garden.

 

Roots can be prepared as described in Poffer's Cyclopedia of

Botanical Drugs (Fifth Edition) " by boiling one-half to one ounce of

crushed root in one quart water. Dose, a wineglassful. " Boiling the

root results in a decoction. This is different, and much

more effective, than simply steeping in hot water. Fresh root is

almost certainly best, but I expect that dried root retains some

therapeutic value.

 

I thoroughly brush and wash the root under tap water before slicing

it up. Then I place the chunks in two or three cups of water in a

glass or stainless steel pan. Bring it to a boil, continue boiling

for a few minutes, and let sit until it is cool enough to drink.

 

Caution: There are potentially harmful side-effects if comfrey

leaves are eaten in appreciable quantity. This, to me, also means

that " Comfrey leaf tea " is contraindicated. Herbs may be the most

natural of medicines, but they are still medicines. To be comfy

with comfrey, consult your doctor and a reliable herbal textbook

(such as John B. Lust's The Herb Book, NY: Bantam, 1974) before

employing this, or any herbal remedy. It is important to meet

potential physician objections with a clear, shared understanding of

the " comfrey rule " : fresh leaves externally, boiled root

decoction internally.

 

Allantoin, a key ingredient found in abundance in comfrey, may be

among the reasons comfrey works. Allantoin helps cells to grow and

grow together. Since this is precisely what is needed for ulcers,

tumors, burns, broken skin, broken bones and perhaps even

malignancy, it is little wonder that comfrey has a respect in folk

lore and medical practice throughout the world, spanning the

centuries. For a definitive explanation of how, why and what comfrey

heals, with detailed information on the chemical constitution of

allantoin, one should read a long-forgotten 60-page work entitled

Narrative of an Investigation Concerning an Ancient Medicinal Remedy

and its Modern Utilities by Charles J. MacAlister, M.D. and A.W.

Titherley, D.Sc. It is full of case histories, research and

historical information. Clinical observations, notes on malignancy

and how to prepare the remedy are included. This 1936 book is even

more rare than Dr. Kirchner's article that I cited above. Reprints of

either may still be available on microfilm. It is a good idea to ask

your public library's interlibrary loan person to help you obtain

copies.

 

The complete reference is: MacAlister, C. J. and Titherley, A. W.

(1936) Narrative of an Investigation Concerning an Ancient

Medicinal Remedy and its Modern Utilities Together with an Account

of the Chemical Constitution of Allantoin. London: John Bale, Sons,

and Danielsson.

 

Reprinted from Chapter 9 of the book DOCTOR YOURSELF, by Andrew

Saul. Copyright 1980, 1981, 2000, 2002 Andrew Saul, Number 8 Van

Buren Street, Holley, New York 14470