Herb question:

[Laiwing]

A friend of mine was injured in a car accident a week ago this Wednesday, and he broke his jaw in two places. That's the worst of his injuries, but he's going to have to have it wired shut.

I was wondering what herbs, if any, contributed to healing bones.

[Laurasia]

Hi EBA.

For broken bones specifically, boneset used to be used. However, it should not be used on people with allergies or sensitivities to chamomile, feverfew, ragweed, or other members of the daisy family. It may cause vomiting & severe diarrhea in large doses. Unfortunately that is all that I know about that herb, so I can't help you with dosaging or ways of administering.

However, I think that the main thing you will want to treat for him isthe jaw pain that is involved. So, here is an herbal remedy for jaw pain (usually caused by grinding of the teeth, but jaw pain is jaw pain )...

COMFREY - Soak a washcloth in warm comfrey tea & use it as a compress directly on the jaw to relieve pain & tension. You can use either the root or the leaves. It doesn't matter since you won't be drinking the tea. Be sure to make the tea strong by using 1/4 cup of the herb to 1 cup of water. Simmer it for 30 minutes to get the full effect. Strain the actual herb out of the tea & soak the washcloth with it. Be sure that the tea is still warm, but not too hot. Soak the jaw for at least several minutes. Remember that comfrey can cause liver problems, so DO NOT DRINK this extra strong tea & limit your use of the compress to a few weeks at most.

I hope that helps.

Sincerely,
Laurasia

[Laiwing]

I suppose I'll never know. He won't let me help.

Eh, idiot's as stubborn as a Taurus, and he's a Scorpio! Of course, I'm as stubborn as a Taurus, and I'm Aquarius.

[Laurasia]

Well, you can only do what a person lets you do. If he doesn't want your help, tell him to suffer. ;D

Sincerely,
Laurasia

[aartiana]

Actually, it is safe to drink Comfrey - you have to drink bushels of it before there is problems. The FDA unfortunately wants to protect our corporate drug companies, not the consumers (did I just say that?) :-) Dr. Christopher has a wonderful recipe that includes much comfrey with the reformation of bones - it actually creates new tissue too! For an example, it helped to regenerate a finger that was entirely cut off - the fingernail and everything. It took some time of course, but know that comfrey is wonderful! If you are still "iffy"with it, drink the leaves - the roots have more of the concentrated compounds. Also, to ensure everything is fine, make sure you clean your liver (and there are ways to do that - with Spring coming, look for dandelion greens in your yard and eat them!)

[Laurasia]

Not to get off-topic, but I have heard that there is also a link between taking comfrey internally & increasing the chances of certain types of cancer. Perhaps these are the types of "liver problems" that are alluded to?. Any information regarding that?

[dancer]

Both leaves and roots of comfrey contain allantoin, a naturally occurring substance that promotes tissue growth. (McGuffin)

Carcinogenicity has been described in rats fed a diet supplemented with comfrey. The mutagenicity of comfrey has been attributed to lasiocarpine, which is known to be mutagenic and carcinogenic. (Newall)

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which are present in many varieties of plant but particularly those of the Senecio species, have been identified in Symphytum officinale." Studies by Hirono revealed that the pyrrolizidine alkaloids - senkirkine and symphytine - caused liver tumours in rats.

Carcinogenicity of Symphytum officinale was studied in three groups of male rats. Group l received injections of freshly prepared senkirkine. Group 2 received injections of symphytine. Group 3 received injections of a salt and water solution. Nine of the 20 rats in group 1 developed liver cell adenoma. Of 20 rats in group 2, 4 developed liver tumors, 3 developed hemangioendothelial sarcomas (malignant tumors formed by the proliferation of endothelium) and one had liver cell adenoma. The hemangioendothelial sarcomas showed metastasis in the lungs of two rats. Group 3 developed no liver tumors. (Hirono 1979)

Relative toxicities vary widely depending on the part of the plant consumed and from one species to another of the same genus. For example, the concentration of alkaloids in comfrey is measured at about 10 times higher in the root than in the leaf. Moreover, echimidine, the most toxic of the alkaloids found in comfrey, is present in the so-called Russian comfrey species (S. asperum and its cultivars) but is completely absent in most cytotypes of S. officinale. Except for those manufacturers of botanical supplements who use botanically referenced materials or analyze for echimidine, the toxic species is not readily excluded from trade." (McGuffin)

[Laurasia]

Thanks for the information D. I was hoping that our resident nurse would have something to add to the discussion. LOL! So I guess it's pretty much a "if you feel comfortable, don't use it a lot & don't mind taking the chance" type of situation eh?