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Comfrey

EDM number 131 in 1993-94, proposed by Jean Corston on 30/11/1993.

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 unnecessary inconvenience and distress to many consumers.

This motion has been signed by a total of 107 MPs, 1 of these signatures have been withdrawn.

MPDateConstituencyPartyType
Jean Corston30/11/1993Bristol EastProposed
Colin Pickthall30/11/1993West LancashireSigned
Peter Pike30/11/1993BurnleySigned
Robert Parry30/11/1993Liverpool, RiversideSigned
Bridget Prentice30/11/1993Lewisham EastSigned
Dawn Primarolo30/11/1993Bristol SouthSigned
David Rendel30/11/1993NewburySigned
Barbara Roche30/11/1993Hornsey & Wood GreenSigned
Alan Simpson30/11/1993Nottingham SouthSigned
Dennis Skinner30/11/1993BolsoverSigned
Andrew Smith30/11/1993Oxford EastSigned
Peter Hardy30/11/1993WentworthSigned
Nick Harvey30/11/1993North DevonSigned
Kate Hoey30/11/1993VauxhallSigned
Glenda Jackson30/11/1993Hampstead & HighgateSigned
Helen Jackson30/11/1993Sheffield, HillsboroughSigned
David Jamieson30/11/1993Plymouth, DevonportSigned
Toby Jessel30/11/1993TwickenhamSigned
Martyn Jones30/11/1993Clwyd South WestSigned
Nigel Jones30/11/1993CheltenhamSigned
Tessa Jowell30/11/1993DulwichSigned
Ken Livingstone30/11/1993Brent EastSigned
Eddie Loyden30/11/1993Liverpool, GarstonSigned
Liz Lynne30/11/1993RochdaleSigned
Andrew MacKinlay30/11/1993ThurrockSigned
Alice Mahon30/11/1993HalifaxSigned
John Marek30/11/1993WrexhamSigned
John McAllion30/11/1993Dundee EastSigned
Ian McCartney30/11/1993MakerfieldSigned
Alan Meale30/11/1993MansfieldSigned
Bill Michie30/11/1993Sheffield, HeeleySigned
Andrew Miller30/11/1993Ellesmere Port & NestonSigned
Estelle Morris30/11/1993Birmingham, YardleySigned
David Nicholson30/11/1993TauntonSigned
Richard Burden30/11/1993Birmingham, NorthfieldSigned
Anne Campbell30/11/1993CambridgeSigned
Menzies Campbell30/11/1993Fife North EastSigned
Ronnie Campbell30/11/1993Blyth ValleySigned
Jamie Cann30/11/1993IpswichSigned
Alex Carlile30/11/1993MontgomerySigned
Bill Cash30/11/1993StaffordSigned
Malcolm Chisholm30/11/1993Edinburgh LeithSigned
Michael Clapham30/11/1993Barnsley West & PenistoneSigned
Eric Clarke30/11/1993MidlothianSigned
Michael Connarty30/11/1993Falkirk EastSigned
Frank Cook30/11/1993Stockton NorthSigned
Jim Cousins30/11/1993Newcastle upon Tyne CentralSigned
Lawrence Cunliffe30/11/1993LeighSigned
Terry Davis30/11/1993Birmingham, Hodge HillSigned
Nirj Deva30/11/1993Brentford & IsleworthSigned
Jim Dowd30/11/1993Lewisham WestSigned
Jimmy Dunnachie30/11/1993Glasgow, PollokSigned
Angela Eagle30/11/1993WallaseySigned
Derek Enright30/11/1993HemsworthSigned
Bill Etherington30/11/1993Sunderland NorthSigned
John Evans30/11/1993St Helens NorthSigned
Andrew Faulds30/11/1993Warley EastSigned
Win Griffiths30/11/1993BridgendSigned
John Gunnell30/11/1993Leeds South and MorleySigned
Peter Hain30/11/1993NeathSigned
Tony Benn30/11/1993ChesterfieldSigned
Matthew Taylor30/11/1993TruroSigned
Teddy Taylor30/11/1993Southend EastSigned
Jack Thompson30/11/1993WansbeckSigned
Dennis Turner30/11/1993Wolverhampton South EastSigned
Keith Vaz30/11/1993Leicester EastSigned
Joan Walley30/11/1993Stoke-on-Trent NorthSigned
Alan Williams30/11/1993Swansea WestSigned
Ann Winterton30/11/1993CongletonSigned
Nicholas Winterton30/11/1993MacclesfieldSigned
Audrey Wise30/11/1993PrestonSigned
Kim Howells01/12/1993PontypriddSigned
Eric Illsley01/12/1993Barnsley CentralSigned
Keith Bradley01/12/1993Manchester, WithingtonSigned
Alistair Darling01/12/1993Edinburgh CentralSigned
Ian Davidson01/12/1993Glasgow, GovanSigned
Norman Godman01/12/1993Greenock and Port GlasgowSigned
Tony Banks01/12/1993Newham North WestSigned
Jeremy Corbyn02/12/1993Islington NorthSigned
Janet Anderson02/12/1993Rossendale & DarwenSigned
John Battle02/12/1993Leeds WestSigned
Russell Johnston06/12/1993Inverness, Nairn and LochaberSigned
Harry Barnes06/12/1993North East DerbyshireSigned
Terry Patchett07/12/1993Barnsley EastSigned
Gordon Oakes07/12/1993HaltonSigned
George Howarth08/12/1993Knowsley NorthSigned
John Cummings08/12/1993EasingtonSigned
Tommy Graham08/12/1993Renfrew West and InverclydeSigned
Gerry Steinberg08/12/1993Durham, City ofSigned
Stephen Byers09/12/1993WallsendSigned
Mike Hall14/12/1993Warrington SouthSigned
Mike Gapes17/12/1993Ilford SouthSigned
Teresa Gorman17/01/1994BillericaySigned
Diana Maddock20/01/1994ChristchurchSigned
Robert Hicks21/01/1994South East CornwallSigned
Ray Michie25/01/1994Argyll & ButeSigned
Jane Kennedy26/01/1994Liverpool BroadgreenSigned
Alan Wynne Williams27/01/1994CarmarthenSigned
Max Madden31/01/1994Bradford WestSigned
Barry Sheerman01/02/1994HuddersfieldSigned
Dafydd Wigley01/02/1994CaernarfonSigned
Nicholas Bonsor02/02/1994UpminsterSigned
Roland Boyes03/02/1994Houghton and WashingtonSigned
Dale Campbell-Savours03/02/1994WorkingtonSigned
Rachel Squire04/03/1994Dunfermline WestSigned
Elfyn Llwyd19/04/1994Meirionnydd Nant ConwySigned
Jimmy BoyceUnknownWithdrawn

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