Aug 27, 2001 – “Yes, definitely,” the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) responds, “Not always! », Retort the specialists in medicinal plants. But what is this plant that is the subject of controversy? Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) is recognized for its healing and anti-inflammatory properties due respectively to its allantoin and rosmarinic acid content. It is therefore widely used topically on wounds, bruises and sprains. However, some sources also recommend it internally for a host of ailments, such as coughs, asthma and stomach ulcers, and that’s where the shoe pinches.
Indeed, what makes comfrey suspect and even dangerous in the eyes of the FDA is that it contains alkaloids (pyrrolizidines) recognized as harmful to the liver and some data also point to a carcinogenic effect. Result: last July, the American agency strongly recommended that consumers immediately stop taking any supplement containing comfrey and asked manufacturers to withdraw their products from the market. Two days later, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Canadian equivalent of the Competition Bureau, filed a lawsuit against Christopher Enterprises, a manufacturer of comfrey products. In its website, this company stated in particular that comfrey could treat a variety of ailments, including certain cancers, and recommended both external and internal use. The company defended itself by asserting that it had marketed its products for decades without ever having heard of any toxic effects. However, the company has agreed to stop the sale of supplements for internal use and to warn the ointments so that consumers do not use them on open wounds (pyrrolizidines are also absorbed through the skin) or orally. The FTC also sued Western Botanicals and secured the same deal at the end of July. In fact, this small company, which marketed comfrey leaves and root in bulk, has decided to stop selling comfrey in all its forms.
On the other side, we are puzzled by so much relentlessness. For example, the American Botanical Council criticizes the FDA for lacking nuance in its approach to the problem. The comfrey has two sisters, the spiky comfrey (Symphytum asperum) and Russian comfrey (Symphytum uplandicum) with a higher pirrozilidine content. The latter contain echiminide, the most toxic of these alkaloids, while comfrey is lacking. In addition, some manufacturers are marketing comfrey extracts without alkaloids. Other important nuances: Comfrey root contains 10 times more alkaloids than leaves, and the content of dried leaves when ripe is much lower than that of young fresh leaves. Anyway, according to the advocates of comfrey, it would be necessary to swallow industrial quantities before noticing any toxicity. Several of the seven cases of harmfulness reported in the scientific literature were also linked to excessive and prolonged consumption of an unspecified variety of comfrey. In contrast, a clinical study involving 29 subjects showed that long-term consumption (1 to 20 years) of comfrey did not cause liver damage.
Not easy to decide, but the FDA maintains that in the absence of data making it possible to establish, if any, a safe daily dose, it is absolutely necessary to protect consumers, a position also defended by the American Herbal Product Association since 1993. Especially since some manufacturers, lacking proper control, may not use the “right” variety of comfrey.
Note that most reliable herbal references recommend using comfrey only topically and for the short term (no more than four to six weeks per year) and many say not to use it on an open wound. In addition, the virtues of the plant taken orally are much less well documented than its healing and anti-inflammatory effects.
Finally, the regulations vary from country to country. For example, in Canada, over-the-counter products that contain comfrey must have a valid DIN (Drug Identification Number), which means that Health Canada has approved it for sale (not the efficacy). ; in the Pharmaceuticals Database1 Ministry, those that contain comfrey are mainly homeopathic remedies and ointments. Comfrey is banned in Australia and Great Britain restricts the use of the root; in Brazil, only products for external use are authorized.
Françoise Ruby – PasseportSanté.net
According to Richters Herb Letter – July 31, 2001
