Symphytum
An herb is a plant or plant part used for its scent, flavor, or therapeutic properties. Herbal medicines are one type of dietary supplement. They are sold as tablets, capsules, powders, teas, extracts, and fresh or dried plants. People use herbal medicines to try to maintain or improve their health.
Many people believe that products labeled "natural" are always safe and good for them. This is not necessarily true. Herbal medicines do not have to go through the testing that drugs do. Some herbs, such as comfrey and ephedra, can cause serious harm. Some herbs can interact with prescription or over-the-counter medicines.
If you are thinking about using an herbal medicine, first get information on it from reliable sources. Make sure to tell your health care provider about any herbal medicines you are taking.
NIH: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
Felter's Materia Medica on Symphytum
The root of Symphytum officinale, Linné (Nat. Ord. Boraginaceae). Europe; naturalized in the United States. Common Name: Comfrey. Principal Constituents.Mucilage in quantity, tannin and asparagine. Preparation.Tinctura Symphyti, Tincture of Symphytum (recent root, 8 ounces; Alcohol, 16 fluidounces). Dose, 1 to 10 drops. Action and Therapy.This drug is chiefly mucilaginous and used, therefore, as a demulcent in pulmonary, gastric, and renal irritation and inflammations. With many it is a favorite for irritative cough, with bloody expectoration; and in mucous disorders with a tendency to hemorrhage. In ancient days it was lauded as a vulnerary, even to promoting the quick healing of fractured bones, a myth that was more recently revived in England because of the discovery of a principle (allantoin) found in the plant.1