Why is comfrey toxic?
Online Answer
The pyrrolizidine alkaloids contained in comfrey include intermedine, lycopsamine, symphtine and echnimidine, which are metabolized by the cytochrome P450 enzymes into highly toxic pyrrole metabolites which have alkylating properties that can damage hepatic endothelial cells and can cause sinusoidal obstruction.
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Common side effects of comfrey include:
- abdominal distension.
- abdominal pain.
- loss of appetite.
- lack of energy.
- liver enlargement.
- decreased urine output.
- obstruction of small veins in the liver (veno-occlusive disease)
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Historically, some people have eaten comfrey leaves as a vegetable. ... You can also drink dried comfrey root and leaves as tea. Today, eating or taking any form of comfrey by mouth isn't recommended. It's considered unsafe, due to the pyrrolizidine alkaloids that comfrey contains..
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Comfrey out-performs manure, compost and many liquid feeds for concentration of nutrients. It produces these from a deep root system extending right into the subsoil that most edible plants cannot access. It also has an ideal Carbon:Nitrogen ratio which means that it does not hamper absorption of nitrogen by plants.
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Comfrey tea is rich in nitrogen and potassium.
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35 speciesThere are up to 35 species, known by the common name comfrey (pronounced /ˈkʌmfri/). Some species and hybrids, particularly S. officinale and S. × uplandicum, are used in gardening and herbal medicine..
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