Symphytum officinale, commonly known as comfrey, is beneficial for skin health and decreasing inflammation, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC). Comfrey, unfortunately, can be damaging to the liver. Even if only used externally, comfrey can be absorbed by the skin in toxic levels if used for long time frames. The UMMC recommends applying only small amounts of comfrey topical preparations for 10 days or less and for no more than six weeks total in an year. People also should never apply comfrey to broken skin, where it can become absorbed into the bloodstream, and no one should ever take comfrey internally.
Pain and Swelling Reduction
Poultices of comfrey leaves and roots can help heal and provide pain relief for bruises, minor burns and injuries that cause swelling, as explained by Drugs.com. People have traditionally used topical comfrey for decreasing pain involved with bone fractures and muscle strain and to relieve swelling of a vein caused by a blood clot (thrombophlebitis).
Arthritis Benefits
Topical comfrey also has traditional uses for relieving symptoms of osteoarthritis and gout, a painful form of acute inflammatory arthritis. A study published in the January 2007 issue of "Phytomedicine" investigated topical comfrey as a treatment for knee osteoarthritis. Using a German comfrey salve product called Kytta Salbe for three weeks, study participants experienced significant reductions in pain, along with improvements in quality of life and knee mobility as compared with the placebo group. These factors continued improving for the length of the treatment.
Back Pain
Comfrey root extract ointment proved superior to a placebo ointment in patients experiencing acute lower or upper back pain during a study published in the April 19, 2010, issue of the "British Journal of Sports Medicine." Ointment was applied three times a day, and the comfrey treatment produced a "remarkably potent" effect in decreasing back pain. Some participants experienced relief within one hour.
Ankle Sprain Benefits
Research indicates topical comfrey extract also is effective at treating ankle sprain, another traditional use for the herb. A study published in the November 2007 issue of "Arzneimittel-Forschung" showed that comfrey extract worked better than a commercial diclofenac gel, a topical preparation containing a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. A total of 82 participants used the comfrey preparation and 82 used the diclofenac gel. Significantly better improvement occurred with the comfrey preparation compared with the diclofenac gel in ankle tenderness, pain at rest and during movement and swelling.
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