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[trollingtroll]

Any knowledgable herbologists in this community that have the patience to explain some simple questions?

Comments

[fannyfae]

Certainly. What are your questions?

[trollingtroll]

One of them would be, is it true that Comfrey is bad for the liver/kidneys if eaten/drunk in large quantities?

[fannyfae]

Yes. But then why would you want to drink comfrey in large quantities? The problem with comfrey is the concern over the pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA)'s that it contains. PA's have been linked to causing hepatic veno-occlusive disease of the liver. Herb Pharm has a comfrey extract that has the PA's removed from it. Comfrey is one of those medicinal herbs that should be used for a specific ailment for a short and very specific period of time only and there is rarely if ever a problem with that type of useage. Regular consumption of comfrey for no reason other than "just because" really isn't a wise idea. It was a very recent development in the late 20th century to actually eat the leaves and drink the tea regularly. When people strayed from the traditional uses, which were usually for treatment of accute problems such as ulcers, broken bones and in treating some types of cancerous tumors such as in Ayurveda which is the traditional medicical practice of India, that is where the real concerns come from

[trollingtroll]

Thank you for that well informed and well put answer, I think that does explain my question, however there are others if you don't mind.

What are the benefits of compresses over drinks/tablets? particularly for headaches.