A Conjuror of Comfrey Works His Wizardry in the Western Catskills

FLEISCHMANNS — There was a talk on the subject of Comfrey at the Fleischmanns' Skene Memorial Library by Seth Hersh. Seth grows Russian comfrey, Symphytum x uplandicum, a  hybrid of two wild species naturally formed by nature, rather than human intervention. The two plants which came together to produce this plant are Symphytum officinale and prickly comfrey - Symphytum asperum. As far back as 400 BCE, healers used comfrey to stop heavy bleeding and heal broken bones. Those who haunt the Round Barn on Saturday mornings, can picture Seth standing behind rows of bottles of salves, each knowledgeably and meticulously mixed for various aches, pains and maladies. Seth gave us a peek into his book of ancient magic last Saturday.

Comfrey, or Boraginaceae, has been used historically for pain relief and helping to heal broken bones. Conscientiously, Seth informs the audience that the FDA and he have differing opinions of how it should be used. However, he offers himself as a test case to show the safety of exceeding the dosages of oral intake of comfrey recommended by the FDA.

Seth sells salves. Comfrey salves have been found to be safe and effective by medical authorities. So, let's start there. He became an advocate for this remarkable plant in a very understandable way. His wife had a bicycle accident that left her pelvis broken in three places. She could not sleep from the pain, and none of the prescribed medicines could give her enough relief to sleep. She had "just finished a herbology course and had heard about comfrey" She tried some leaves and that same night was able to get some sleep.

Comfrey is an anti-inflammatory. For those interested in the scientific proof of the remarkable effectiveness of the components of the plant, do read the article in the National Library of Medicine, which can be found at this link, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6498879/ authored by Jacqueline Seigner, Marc Junker-Samek, Alberto Plaza, Gilda D‘Urso, Milena Masullo, Sonia Piacente, Yvonne M Holper-Schichl, and Rainer de Martin. The abstract of this piece begins, " Symphytum officinale, commonly known as comfrey, constitutes a traditional medicinal plant with a long-standing therapeutic history, and preparations thereof have been widely used for the treatment of painful muscle and joint complaints, wound and bone healing, and inflammation. Today, its topical use is based on its analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects, which have been substantiated by modern clinical trials. However, the molecular basis of its action remained elusive."

In his talk, Seth points out that there is an ingredient in comfrey that encourages cell growth, allantoin."  Again, the abstract of the article by Seigner et al. agrees with this. "Today, the efficacy and safety of comfrey root extract ointment has been substantiated by several randomized clinical trials and non-interventional studies. Comfrey was proven effective for the treatment of, e.g., acute upper and lower back pain, gonarthrosis, or for patients with blunt injuries (Koll et al., 2004; Predel et al., 2005; Grube et al., 2007; Giannetti et al., 2010). Specified therein, its application is shown to significantly reduce pain and swelling, contribute to tissue regeneration, and result in a more rapid functional improvement."

Seth uses the infusion method to make his salves. When he makes a salve, he uses oil rather than water as a medium, taking great efforts to get all the water out of the plant, as it is water that causes the mold that can spoil the product. He points out that a poultice is the best way to get the benefits of the plant, when using it topically. This, Seth explains, is because the process of extracting the compounds in the plant in coconut and Greek olive oil, in gently warmed oil over time, transfers all the natural ingredients of the plant. This is also borne out by medical research, where tests were done on individual chemicals within the plant, and they proved more effective when used together with all the other chemical ingredients, than they did when applied alone. Seth explains that over the millennia, plants seem to evolve into what they should be to work and we should trust nature.

 Disclaimer: I can say with certainty that Seth Hersh believes in the products he sells and that there is a massive body of evidence that comfrey salves are effective and safe. However, I also have a legal and moral responsibility as a journalist to provide the government's authoritative case that ingesting large amounts of comfrey orally may well be harmful, if not to an otherwise healthy individual, to a person with compromised liver function. Studies have shown several deaths or injuries from taking large doses of comfrey orally. Every single verified case of comfrey related human liver toxicity in medical literature stems from oral consumption, drinking comfrey teas, taking oral capsules, or ingesting comfrey leaves. I assume many who swear by this valuable plant, will argue against the inclusion of this aspect of my reporting on the subject. I assure my readers, I have no dog in this fight. I neither back the government's findings or ingest comfrey.

Seth grows and processes all the ingredients himself. He uses comfrey, arnica, calendula, hemp, and the Carolina Reaper chili pepper. Growing it himself, he assures his customers he knows exactly what is in his products and where the ingredients come from. He does not use essential oils, essences or fragrances to cover the natural earth smell of the comfrey in the salves, as that would lessen the beneficial effects of the oils, he explains on his webpage.  https://catskillscomfrey.com