Comfrey

EDM number 2162 in 1992-93, proposed by Jean Corston on 15/06/1993.

That this House observes that comfrey is a common hedgerow plant which has for 1,500 years been used as a herbal remedy and tea, and is eaten as a vegetable; notes that the Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine have reported that tumour bearing rodents consuming comfrey extract survived on average 59 per cent. longer than a control group and that Nutrition Reports International reported that when rodents were fed with comfrey equivalent to 127 per cent. of body weight they developed no abnormalities and thrived better than groups on different feeds; observes that the British Medical Journal, reviewing literature following claims of harm to humans, concluded that people who have taken or used products containing comfrey have no cause for alarm; accepts that comfrey does, in common with many other plants, contain alkaloids, but notes that the alkaloids found in comfrey have not been shown to be harmful at levels of likely intake; notes that comfrey is considered by many people to have valuable health-promoting nutritional properties; and deeply regrets the precipitate recommendations of the Committee on Toxicity of Food which in being accepted by the Minister have led to a ban on tablets and capsules of this food product and have caused unncessary inconvenience and distress to many consumers.

This motion has been signed by a total of 71 MPs.