Symptom → Plant Sources
Common Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) as a tool for helping with Inflammation (general)
inferred from anti-inflammatory action
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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.
Caffeic acid oligomers isolated from comfrey (Symphytum officinale) root reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine release in LPS-stimulated human neutrophils, providing a mechanistic basis for the traditional anti-inflammatory use of comfrey in joint distortions, myalgia and haematomas.
4 sources supporting Common Comfrey for Inflammation (general). Includes scientific publications, books, monographs and traditional-use references.
Mechanistic basis
This use is associated with the plant's anti-inflammatory action. Further evidence for that pharmacology:
Natural deep eutectic solvents (betaine-urea) selectively extracted the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant constituent rosmarinic acid over the hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloid lycopsamine from comfrey (Symphytum officinale), giving extracts with higher anti-inflammatory and antioxidant and lower hepatotoxic profiles — a detoxification approach for medicinal comfrey.
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.
Beyond its toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids, comfrey (Symphytum officinale) root was shown to contain salvianolic acids and other antioxidant polyphenols, supporting the analgesic and anti-inflammatory benefits attributed to comfrey root preparations.