Symphytum Officinale

Symphytum may be considered the orthopedic specific of herbal medicine.

"The roots of Comfrey stamped, and the juice drunk with wine, helpeth those that spit blood and

healeth all inward wounds and burstings. The same bruised and laid to in manner of a plaister,

doth heal all fresh and green wounds, and are so glutinative, that it will solder and glue together

meat that is chopped in pieces, seething in a pot, and make it in one lump" (Gerarde). Peter

• ▸Squire (Squire's Companion to B.
• ▸P.
• ▸, 6th ed.
• ▸) gives as the "medicinal properties" of Symph.
• ▸:

"Astringent, mucilaginous, glutinous; useful to form cases for injured limbs. The black rind (of

root) is scraped off and the mucilaginous root is then scraped carefully into a nice even pulp; this

spread of the thickness of a crown-piece upon cambric or old muslin is wrapped round the limb

and bandaged over; it shortly stiffens, and forms a casing superior to starch, giving support and

strength to the part." P. Squire knew a bone-setter who practised fifty years ago, and rendered

himself famous for setting compound fractures with this root, which he kept secret, and he never

• ▸removed the bandage after the first dressing until the limb was well (R.
• ▸T.
• ▸C).
• ▸Symphytum has

not received its names for nothing. Consolida is one of them; and "Comfrey" is derived from

Confirmare. The glutinous juice of the root seems, according to Gerarde, to have given the key

• ▸to its action as a vulnerary.
• ▸H.
• ▸C.
• ▸Allen (Med.
• ▸Cent.
• ▸, quoted Ind.
• ▸H.
• ▸Rev.
• ▸, v.
• ▸60) refers to the

following indications for Symph. given by Lippe: (/) When the bone or periosteum has been

injured and the soft parts have recovered from the bruised soreness under Arn., the remaining

pain and soreness of periosteum may be promptly relieved by Symp. (2) In traumatic injuries of

bone or periosteum (as from a snowball or anything else on the face), Symp. was the only remedy

• ▸Lippe has seen efficient.
• ▸He cured many cases after others had used Arn.
• ▸and failed.
• ▸(3) Here is

one of his cures: "More than a year ago fell and struck knee on a stone; wound healed and

scarcely left any trace, but there remained an acute stitching pain at point of injury, felt when the

part was touched by clothing as when knee was bent." Allen also gives the following cure

reported by Fowler: Mrs. J. stepped on the edge of a scantling, which rolled, and she turned her

ankle. In a few minutes the ankle began to swell and become painful, pain increasing rapidly, so

that in an hour or two patient was in great agony. She declared her leg was broken, she "could

feel the rough ends of the broken bones jagging into the flesh": could not bear any one to

• ▸approach her for fear of being hurt.
• ▸No discoloration whatever.
• ▸Symp.
• ▸promptly relieved, so that

she went about her usual duties in forty-eight hours. Allen regards pricking pain as a guiding

symptom. Next to bone injuries in importance are injuries to the ball of the eye, as distinguished

from injuries to the soft parts around. "I have long since ceased to use Arn. in injuries of the

• ▸globe of the eye, Symp.
• ▸having given such prompt and permanent relief" (H.
• ▸C.
• ▸Allen).
• ▸[I have,

however, seen Arn. speedily clear up hemorrhage into the vitreous from a blow of a cork from a

• ▸soda-water bottle.
• ▸—J.
• ▸H.
• ▸C.
• ▸] Allen gives these indications: Severe pain in globe of eye after an

injury by a blunt instrument (snowball; cane; point of umbrella; infant's fist), the soft parts

remaining intact, Croserio (New, Old, and Forgotten Remedies) was one of the first to use Symp.

• ▸in the potencies for fractures.
• ▸P.
• ▸P.
• ▸Wells translated Croserio's Connection of Homeopathy with

Surgery, in which this passage occurs: "Injuries of the bones are healed most promptly with

Symp. 30, internally, once a day." Wells gives these cases of his own: (/) Boy, 14, broke bone of

forearm at junction of middle and lower thirds, two years before. Had twice repeated the fracture

by slight falls. Ends now slightly movable on each other, arm of little use. Three doses of Symp.

made a perfect cure, and the boy became robust and much better in health than he had ever been

• ▸before.
• ▸(2) Boy, 8, fractured humerus near junction of condyles and shaft.
• ▸Arn.
• ▸30 immediately

arrested the spasmodic jerks of muscles of injured arm. Arn. was continued three days, by which

time all traumatic fever had subsided. Symp. 3, one drop in half a tumbler of water; a teaspoonful

morning and evening. The splints were removed the ninth day, and the bone found consolidated.

• ▸The cure was entirely without pain.
• ▸F.
• ▸H.
• ▸Brett (H.
• ▸W.
• ▸, xxv.
• ▸304) cured himself of inguinal

rupture by rubbing the part with tincture of the root. On another occasion a blow on the lower

part of the back from a fall resulted in a secondary affection of the spine in the mid-dorsal

region, a protuberance as if from a slight dislocation appearing at the spot. Again Symp. @ was

applied. The tenderness at the point subsided after three applications, and in a few days the

protuberance disappeared. Brett mentions (ib., 379) a case he had heard of: A diseased arm

which had begun to mortify was dressed with a poultice of Comfrey root, and this "drew off the

mortified substance, and the arm became sound again." Sir Wm. Thomson, of Dublin (Lancet,

Nov. 28, 1896) relates a case of malignant tumour of the antrum which had extended to the nose.

Microscopical examination proved it to be round-celled sarcoma. The patient, a man, was

advised to have the jaw removed. This advice was refused at the time, and was repeated by Felix

Semon, who saw the man later. After still further delay Thomson performed the operation in the

month of May, 1896. A month later the growth began to show again, increased rapidly, closed

the right eye, was blue, tense, firm, lobulated, but did not break. Thomson declined to operate

again. Early in October the man walked into Thomson's study well: "The tumour had completely

disappeared from the face, and I could not identify any trace of it in the mouth." The man had

• ▸applied poultices of Comfrey root, and the swelling disappeared.
• ▸Cooper (H.
• ▸W.
• ▸, xxxii.
• ▸403)

gives this experience of a patient of his: just before her marriage she had a dangerous attack of

scarlatina, leaving abscesses on both sides of the neck and great internal swelling, so that she

could swallow only liquids, and that with great difficulty. The external swelling extended from

ear to chin, and was hard and very painful. Poultices of Comfrey root were applied. The pain was

immediately relieved and her abscesses decreased rapidly until they were entirely absorbed,

without external opening so far as the patient could remark. Hering (from whom I have taken the

main part of my Schema) says Symp. has had a fragmentary proving by Macfarlan. Gerarde adds

to the uses of Symp. quoted from him above that it cases pains in the back from violent motion as

wrestling, or from excessive sexual indulgence, even when spermatorrhcea has been induced

• ▸thereby.
• ▸Avn.
• ▸has an analogous use.
• ▸Peculiar Sensations are: As if upper lid passed over an

• ▸elevation on closing eye.
• ▸As if ears were stopped up.
• ▸The symptoms are: < By touch.
• ▸Sitting =

pain about navel. Stooping = weight in forehead. Walking = pain opposite spleen.

Pain in occiput, top and forehead; changing places. Pain comes down bone of nose. Inflammation of inferior maxillary bone, hard, red, swelling.

• ▸Abscess.
• ▸Backache, from sexual excess.
• ▸Bone, cancer of; injuries of.
• ▸Breasts, sore.

• ▸Eyes, pains in; injuries of.
• ▸Fractures; non-union of; nervous.
• ▸Glands, enlarged.
• ▸Gunshot wounds.

• ▸Hernia.
• ▸Menses, arrested.
• ▸Periosteum, sensitive, painful.
• ▸Psoas abscess.
• ▸Sexual excess, effects of.

Sprains. Stump, irritable. Wounds.

Follows well: Arn. (for pricking pains; and after the bruising of the soft parts is

• ▸healed).
• ▸Compare: Fractures, Calc.
• ▸ph.
• ▸Injuries, Arn.
• ▸(Arn.
• ▸, soft parts, Symp.
• ▸, hard; Arn.
• ▸, painful

• ▸swelling with discoloration, Symp.
• ▸, without discoloration; Arn.
• ▸, sore, bruised lame; Symp.
• ▸,

• ▸pricking, stitching, jagging pains), Calen.
• ▸, Fl.
• ▸ac.
• ▸, Hep.
• ▸, Sil.
• ▸, Stp.
• ▸, Led.
• ▸, Rhus, Hyper.
• ▸Effects of

sexual excess, Arn. Antidote to Canthar. (Green's Herbal).

Compare: Arn; Calc phos.

Tincture.

Externally as a dressing for sores and ulcers and pruritus ani.

Pain in eye after a blow of an obtuse body. For traumatic injuries of the eyes no remedy equals this.