I got my Herbal Companion today and there was an article in there about comfrey. It mentioned that with prolonged use comfrey could actually cause liver problems. I have a recipe for a comfrey facial toner that I was going to make but am not so sure if I want to use it on a daily basis after reading that article. Any comments from our knowledgable herbal instructors?
Kay, I don't worry about topical use of comfrey. The studies concerning liver damage were about the internal consumption of comfrey. That study used rats that were given massive, concentrated doses of a single compound found in comfrey. It was given over a long peroid of time in such high doses that any human would rarely duplicate. Those rats developed liver changes. Havent seen the new Herb Companion yet, but I heard whispers that the FDA was trying to take comfrey off the market (again).Was it concerning taking topical-use comfrey products off the market? I play it safe and do not drink comfrey tea. But I know many herbalists that do.
BEB -- it was an article talking about how the author uses comfrey. She said basically the same things that you did (although didn't mention the study on the rats). But the article also talked about how she still uses comfrey and will continue to use it in moderation.
Comfrey
Posted - Nov 21 2005 : 10:36:06 PM
