Common names: bone-breaker.
Comfrey (Symphytum officinale L.)Perennial herbaceous plant of the borage family (Boraginaceae), up to 1 m high. The rhizome is short, black (white inside), with longish, thick roots. The stem is straight, thick, branched in the upper part, winged. The leaves are alternate, rough, with protruding reticulate venation on the underside, basal and lower stem leaves are larger, narrowed into a long, winged petiole, middle and upper sessile, running far down. The flowers are drooping, regular, on pedicels, collected at the top of the stem and branches in curls. The calyx is deeply five-parted, the corolla is tubular-campanulate, shallowly five-lobed, purple or purple at flowering, later blue with a white edge. The fruit, when ripe, breaks up into 4 grayish-black smooth, trihedral shiny nuts. Blossoms in May – July, fruits ripen in July – September. Seeds begin to ripen from the lower inflorescences. Propagated by seeds and vegetatively. Distributed in the European part of the CIS, in the south of Western Siberia, in Kazakhstan and the Caucasus. It grows on very fertile damp soils in oak-ash and alder forests, along the banks of lowland swamps, often in floodplain forests, in wet meadows, near streams and ditches. The plant is poisonous! In the past centuries, comfrey was very popular. The plant was grown in a pharmacy garden in Moscow. For this purpose, 20 pounds of living plants were sent to Moscow from Polotsk and Smolensk in 1666 for planting. along the banks of lowland swamps, often in floodplain forests, in wet meadows, near streams and ditches. The plant is poisonous! In the past centuries, comfrey was very popular. The plant was grown in a pharmacy garden in Moscow. For this purpose, 20 pounds of living plants were sent to Moscow from Polotsk and Smolensk in 1666 for planting. along the banks of lowland swamps, often in floodplain forests, in wet meadows, near streams and ditches. The plant is poisonous! In the past centuries, comfrey was very popular. The plant was grown in a pharmacy garden in Moscow. For this purpose, 20 pounds of living plants were sent to Moscow from Polotsk and Smolensk in 1666 for planting.
COLLECTION AND DRYING OF RAW MATERIALS
Harvest underground organs in August – September or early spring. The plants are dug up, the seeds are shaken into the hole formed during digging, the ground is shaken off there, the stem is cut off with a knife, small roots are removed, the thick ones are cut into pieces of 15-20 cm, washed, then cut lengthwise for quick drying, the rotten parts are cut out and again rinsed in running water. Dry in attics, under sheds or in dryers at a temperature of 30-40°C. With slow drying, poor ventilation, the white roots turn brown inside, which makes them unsuitable for use. The shelf life of raw materials is 3 years.
PHARMACOLOGICAL PROPERTIES
The biologically active substances of comfrey have an enveloping and emollient effect, lower blood pressure and strongly stimulate respiration, increase tone and increase the contraction of the muscles of the intestines and uterus, promote bone tissue regeneration, stimulate cell growth and repair damaged tissues. The positive effect of comfrey infusion is manifested in reducing pain in the gastrointestinal tract, improving digestion, and strengthening the epithelization of the mucosa affected by the inflammatory process. A similar process occurs in diseases of the upper respiratory tract: expectoration of sputum improves, the function of the epithelium, significantly reduced by the inflammatory process, is restored.
APPLICATIONS IN MEDICINE
Rhizome. In homeopathy – with bone fractures, injuries. In folk medicine, a decoction is enveloping and emollient for coughs, diarrhea, colitis, as well as for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, pulmonary tuberculosis, metrorrhagia, kidney diseases, asthenia, malignant tumors and ulcers; infusion – for diarrhea, chronic inflammatory diseases of the stomach and intestines, dysentery; catarrh of the respiratory tract, chronic bronchitis; decoction, ointment or fresh (externally) – for burns, diaper rash, hemorrhoids, inflammation of the periosteum, skin diseases; in the form of baths – for malnourished babies. Above-ground part. In homeopathy – with dysmenorrhea, ulcers, bone fractures. In folk medicine – for lung diseases, hemorrhoidal bleeding, bone fractures, tumors, rheumatism. Juice – to stop wound and nose bleeding.
DOSAGE FORMS, METHOD OF APPLICATION AND DOSES
♦ Infusion of comfrey roots: 2 teaspoons of raw materials are poured into 200 ml of boiling water, infused for 6-8 hours, then filtered. The swollen roots are re-filled with 200 ml of boiling water and filtered after 20-30 minutes. The first and second portions of the infusion are poured together. The resulting amount of infusion is taken in 1-2 tablespoons in 2-3 hours. ♦ Decoction of comfrey roots: 10 g of raw materials are boiled in 200 ml of water over low heat for 10 minutes, then filtered and squeezed. Take 1 dessert spoon after 2 hours. ♦ Comfrey root ointment: 1 part of the crushed root is poured with 4 parts of melted pork fat, kept in a steam bath for 30 minutes, filtered in a liquid state. Store in the refrigerator. CONTRAINDICATIONS AND POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS: due to the toxicity of the plant, it will be necessary to strictly observe the indicated dosages and use it under the supervision of the attending physician (the alkaloids cynoglossin and consolidin in large doses paralyze the central nervous system). * All parts of the plant are poisonous to horses, cattle, sheep, goats. When horses eat large amounts of comfrey, colic, anxiety, wallowing on the ground are observed.
APPLICATIONS IN OTHER FIELDS
The underground part is the source of red paint; formerly used for tanning leather. Young roots and shoots are edible like asparagus. The leaves are edible like spinach. Honey plant. Decorative. It lends itself easily to culture, so the creation of industrial plantations is likely.