PARTE UTILIZADA= Used part: Raíces y hojas.

ACCIÓN FARMACOLÓGICA= Pharmacological action: Internamente en diarreas, disentería, en el tratamiento de flujo menstrual excesivo.

COMPOSICIÓN QUÍMICA= Chemical composition: Trazas de alcaloides pirrolizidínicos (0,02-0,7%): acetil-intermedina, acetil-licopsamina, consolidina, echiumina, equimidina, heliosupina, intermedina, lasiocarpina, licopsamina, mioscorpina, sinfitina (64%), sinladina, sinfitocinoglosina y viridiflorina. Trazas de alcaloides no pirrolizidínicos: serracina y platifilina. Mucílagos (29%): Constituídos por abundantes fructosanos. Otros: alantoína (0,6-2%), asparagina (1-3%), taninos (4-7%), aceite esencial, resina, isohaunerol (triterpenoides), fitosteroles (beta-sitosterol y estigmasterol), saponina (symphitoxide-A), ácido litospérmico (derivado del ácido dehidrocafeico), ácido rosmarínico, ácido silícico, ácido cafeico y caroteno (0,63%). En la hoja se han identificado taninos (2,4%), mucílagos, alantoína (en menor proporción que en la raíz), vitaminas A, B1, B2, B6, B9, B12, C, colina, minerales (Si, Ca, K, Fe, I) y los alcaloides prirrolizidínicos equimidina y sinfitina.

ZONA GEOGRÁFICA= Geografical zone: Brasil. 

DIVERSIDAD GENÉTICA Y MEJORAMIENTO DE PLANTAS MEDICINALES= Medicinal plants and improvement of medicinal herbs

In a chemotaxonomic study of the genus Symphytum pyrrolizidine alkaloids and triterpenes were used as chemotaxonomical markers. A micro-extraction methods was developed for screening compounds of very small pieces of herbarium material. The occurrence of the pyrrolizidine alkaloids symphytine and (acetyl-)lycopsamine is very general for Symphytum taxa. Echimidine is present in some S. officinale L. plants and in S. tanaicenseSteven. The triterpene isobauerenol is present in S. officinale, S. bohemicumSchmidt, S. tanaicense and in S. officinale var. lanceolatumWeinm. The chemotaxonomic hypothesis, proposed by Gadella and collaborators, based on the presence of the triterpene isobauerenol in S. officinale and its absence in S. asperumLepech. and the presence of the pyrrolizidine alkaloid echimidine in S. asperum and its absence in S. officinale, can no longer be applied absolutely to the S. officinale species complex. The pyrrolizidine alkaloid and triterpene pattern of S. officinale (2n = 24) and S. bohemicum (2n = 24) is identical. S. bohemicum is morphologically, cytologically and phytochemically very similar to S. officinale. Furthermore, it readily crosses with the white flowered W. European diploids of S. officinale. Therefore it seems likely that these two taxa are conspecific. S. tanaicense shows a pyrrolizidine alkaloid and triterpene pattern similar to S. officinale (2n = 40). Also on morphological and cytological grounds they are very similar. It seems highly probable that S. tanaicense is conspecific with S. officinale (2n = 40) and represents an intraspecific variant only. S. officinale var. lanceolatum contained no pyrrolizidine alkaloids but did contain isobauerenol. This feature points to an origin from S. officinale. © 1989 Springer-Verlag.

ÚLTIMOS AVANCES EN LA QUÍMICA Y ACTIVIDADES BACTERIOLÓGICAS EN LAS PLANTAS MEDICINALES= Medicinal plants, last advances on chemistry and bacteria activities on the medicinal herbs

1) As part of a program oriented towards the discovery of bioactive natural products, 44 methanol exts. from 37 Brazilian traditional medicinal plants, most of them commonly used for treating conditions likely to be assocd. with microorganisms, were evaluated for their antibacterial activity and toxicity to brine shrimp.  The agar-well diffusion method was used against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium, Shigella sonnei, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, and Bacillus cereus.  The active exts. were subjected to serial diln. assay for detn. of the minimal inhibitory concn.  Phytochem. anal. of the exts. for their major groups of phytoconstituents is also reported.  Exts. of Baccharis dracunculifolia, Cajanus cajan, Eugenia uniflora, Solanum palinacanthum and Solanum concinnum presented strong antibacterial activity with MIC values below 10 mg/mL for some bacterial strains.  The exts. of Mikania glomerata and Leonurus sibiricus showed significant toxicity against brine shrimp with LC50 values of 63 and 86 mg/mL, resp.

2) There is growing use of anticancer complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) worldwide.  The purpose of the current study is to assess a sizeable variety of natural and plant sources of diverse origin, to ascertain prospective research directives for cancer treatment and potential new chemotherapy drug sources.  In this study, 374 natural exts. (10 mg/mL-5 mg/mL) were evaluated for dose-dependent tumoricidal effects using immortal neuroblastoma of spontaneous malignant origin.  The findings indicate no pattern of tumoricidal effects by diverse plants with similar families/genus under the classes Pinopsida, Equisetopsida, Lycopodiosida, Filicosida, Liliopsida Monocotyledons or Magnoliopsida Dicotyledons.  The results indicate that many of the most commonly used CAMs exhibited relatively weak tumoricidal effects including cats claw, astragalus, ginseng, echinacea, mistletoe, milk thistle, slippery elm, cayenne, chamomile, don quai, meadowsweet, motherwort and shepherd's purse.  The data demonstrate that the most potent plant exts. were randomly dispersed within the plantae kingdom (LC50 = 31-490 mg/mL) in order of the lowest LC50 Dioscorea villosa (Dioscoreaceae) > Sanguinaria canadensis (Papaveraceae) > Dipsacus asper (Dipsacaceae) > Populus balsamifera (Salicaceae) > Boswellia carteri (Burseraceae) > Cyamopsis psoralioides (Fabaceae) > Rhamnus cathartica (Rhamnaceae) > Larrea tridentate (Zygophyllaceae) > Dichroa febrifuga (Hydrangeaceae) > Batschia canescens (Boraginaceae) > Kochia scoparia (Chenopodiaceae) > Solanum xanthocarpum (Solanaceae) > Opoponax chironium (Umbelliferae) > Caulophyllum thalictroides (Berberidaceae) > Dryopteris crassirhizoma (Dryopteridaceae) > Garcinia cambogia (Clusiaceae) > Vitex agnus-castus (Verbenaceae) > Calamus draco (Arecaceae).  These findings show tumoricidal effect by exts.
of wild yam root, bloodroot, teasel root, bakuchi seed, dichroa root, kanta kari, garcinia fruit, mace, dragons blood and the biblically referenced herbs: balm of gilead bud, frankincense and myrrh gum.

3) Three pyrrolizidine alkaloids, symlandine, symphytine, and echimidine , were isolated from the roots of Symphytum officinale using a one-step countercurrent chromatog. procedure.  Their structures were confirmed by several spectroscopic techniques including 2D NMR methods.  This is the first description of the sepn. of symlandine from its stereoisomer, symphytine .

Uses: wound healing, injuries, skin, diabetic, cancer, gastritis, weight loss, bronchitis, inflammation.                                                 

Origin: Canada, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzsttan, Russia Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, United States, Uzbekistan. 

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Leaf: An infusion is drunk for relief of varicose veins and circulatory problems; hypotensive.

Toxicity of the plant tissue: The plant tissues accumulate potassium nitrate and contain alkaloids toxic to the central nervous system.

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Other common names for comfrey include “boneset” and “knitbone. Comfrey leaf and root poultices have been used for 24 centuries to promote healing of bruised tissues and broken bones. In some instances, pulverized comfrey root was packed around a fracture site and allowed to set like a plaster cast. Others report boiling or pounding the leaves to release mucilaginous substance, soaking cloth in the water, and wrapping it around a fracture to dry and set like a cast. The wound healing effect of comfrey is due to a substance called allantoin, which stimulates cell proliferation in wound healing and in regenerating peripheral nerves. Comfrey tea was taken internally for a variety of conditions; however, comfrey products intended for internal consumption have been banned in the US and Europe because toxic alkaloids (especially in the root) can severely damage the liver by causing hepatic veno-occlusive disease. Some believe
comfrey intended for external use should be banned as well.

Part used::
Leaves and roots

Origin:
Europe
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Origin

Europe and from the Mediterranean to Caucasian region. Russian Comfrey or Blue Comfrey has been introduced in Simla; Prickly Camfrey is cultivated in Western India.

Action:

Vulnerary (The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia), astringent, demulcent, haemostatic, tissuerestorative (repairs broken bones and lacerated flesh, promotes formation of a callus).

1) OLIVEIRA SIMOES, Claudia María, et al. Plantas da medicina popular no Rio Grande do Sul. Porto Alegre : UFGRS, 1986, pp.52-53.

2) ALONSO, Jorge R. Tratado de fitomedicina : bases clínicas y farmacológicas. Buenos Aires : ISIS, 1998, p.424-427.

3) JAARSMA, T.A., et al. Chemotaxonomy of the Symphytum officinale agg. (Boraginaceae). Plant Systematics and Evolution. 1989, vol.167, nº3-4, p.113-127.
 
4) BOUZADA, Maria L. M., et al. Antibacterial, cytotoxic and phytochemical screening of some traditional medicinal plants in Brazil.  Pharmaceutical Biology (London, United Kingdom) . 2009, vol.47, nº1, p.44-52.
 
5) MAZZIO, Elizabeth A.; SOLIMAN, Karam F. A. In vitro screening for the tumoricidal properties of international medicinal herbs.   Phytotherapy Research. 2009, vol.23, nº3, p.385-398.
 
6) KIM, Nam-Cheol, et al.  Isolation of Symlandine from the Roots of Common Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) Using Countercurrent Chromatography. Journal of Natural Products. 2001, vol.64, nº2, p.251-253.

7) Geraldini , Isanete, Journal of Ethnopharmacology v. 173, 2015 . -- p. 383-423

8) Robertt, A., et al.. Medicinal Plants of the Guianas (Guyana, Suriname, French Guyana)/Smithsonian NMNH. cited online: 17-08-2017.

9) Hull, Kathleen; Photog. Hull, Meredith /Indiana Medical History Museum: Guide to the Medicinal Plant Garden./ USA: Indiana Medical History Museum. 2010. -- p. 58.

10) Khare, C.P./ Indian Medicinal Plants. -- Nueva Dheli: Springer, 2007 . - p 635.