cancer and herbs

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There are quite a few herbal treatments that have been successfull in

the treatment of cancer. This is just one to mention.

 

http://doctoryourself.com/comfrey_herb.html

 

CANCER, WOUNDS AND COMFREY

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 inflammation... " 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 tremendous

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