Symptom → Plant Sources
Common Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) as a tool for helping with Bruising
inferred from vulnerary action
A critical scoping review of the external (topical) uses of comfrey (Symphytum spp.) summarised the clinical evidence for comfrey preparations in pain, inflammation and musculoskeletal complaints such as sprains, bruises and osteoarthritis.
Comfrey has a centuries-old tradition as a medicinal plant. Today, multiple randomized controlled trials have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of comfrey preparations for the topical treatment of pain, inflammation and swelling of muscles and joints in degenerative arthritis, acute myalgia in the back, sprains, contusions and strains after sports injuries and accidents, also in children aged 3 or 4 and over. This paper provides information on clinical trials and non-interventional studies published on comfrey to date and further literature, substantiating the fact that topical comfrey preparations are a valuable therapy option for the treatment of painful muscle and joint complaints.
4 sources supporting Common Comfrey for Bruising. Includes scientific publications, books, monographs and traditional-use references.
Mechanistic basis
This use is associated with the plant's vulnerary (wound healing) action. Further evidence for that pharmacology:
Symphytum officinale (comfrey, 'knitbone') augmented osteogenesis in human bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells as they differentiated into osteoblasts in vitro, providing experimental support for the traditional use of comfrey in bone fractures and wound healing.