Symphytum officinale

Derived from the root of the Comfrey plant, Symphytum officinale, a member of the Boraginaceae family. Known for its remarkable cell-proliferating, bone-repairing, and tissue-healing properties. Contains allantoin, a natural compound known to stimulate cell growth.

Lightly proved by Clarke and others, but primarily developed through clinical confirmation, especially by Boericke, Hering, and modern homeopaths.

Symphytum is the archetypal remedy of physical reconstruction. It embodies renewal of form, rebuilding of structure, and the restoration of broken wholeness. Where trauma has torn, Symphytum unites. It is not the remedy of emotional storm or mental crisis, but of quiet, persistent healing. It operates like nature’s invisible craftsman, stitching bone to bone, tendon to joint, and memory to muscle. Its essence is practical, grounded, and restorative—the inner architect of bodily integrity.

• Bones: fractures, bruises, periosteum
• Joints: sprains, strains, dislocations
• Eyes: blunt trauma to the orbit
• Connective tissue: ligaments, tendons, cartilage
• Gastrointestinal tract: ulcers, internal trauma
• Pelvis: coccyx injuries, pelvic fractures
• Wounds: punctures, slow-healing injuries

Not a deeply mental remedy, but patients may feel anxious, irritable, or depressed after injury. In children, may become weepy, clingy, or withdrawn following trauma. Occasionally dull or apathetic due to pain. In elderly, fracture or trauma may lead to confusion or melancholy, especially if healing is delayed.

Sleep disturbed by bone pain, coccyx pain, or soreness in injured joints. Pain worse turning in bed. May wake early with ache in broken limb or bruised spot. No mental restlessness.

Occasional dreams of falling, trauma, or old injuries. Vague sense of body fragility during sleep. Rarely indicated for mental dream states.

Remedy par excellence for broken bones and blunt trauma. Soreness at point of fracture, even after bone is set. Stimulates callus formation and accelerates healing. Deep bruised pain. Used after Arnica in the acute phase, once bruising has passed but pain persists. Bone pain from old injuries or unhealed fractures. Children who are slow to recover. Promotes cellular regeneration in periosteum, cartilage, and connective tissues. Should not be given before reduction in displaced fractures. Not suitable for use alone in infections, suppuration, or systemic disease.

Not a febrile remedy. May help resolve low-grade inflammation in injured bone or soft tissue. In post-operative healing, assists in transition from inflammatory to reparative phase.

No typical febrile pattern. Some sensitivity to cold damp after bone injury. Heat aggravates bruising in early stages. Not used for constitutional temperature regulation.

Headaches resulting from trauma, especially blunt force to the skull. Pain dull, sore, or pressing. Used in post-concussion syndrome when symptoms linger after initial Arnica relief. Vertigo following cranial injury. Painful scars or indurations after healed head wounds.

Blunt injury to the eyeball, orbit, or bony socket—a keynote [Boericke]. Pain is deep, bruised, or pressing. Useful for black eye after trauma. Sensation of pressure behind eye. Neuralgia or vision disturbances following trauma to the eye socket or zygoma. No significant action in internal eye disease unless trauma-induced.

Ear pain from facial or skull trauma. Sensation of fullness, pressure, or bruising behind the ears after injury. Possible hearing loss following cranial trauma.

Used post-trauma for nasal bone fractures. Bruised sensation inside nose. Bleeding after injury. Pain on touching bridge of nose. No chronic catarrhal indications.

Fracture of facial bones. Pain in cheekbones, jaw, or zygoma after trauma. Maxillary fractures, dental root trauma, or jaw dislocations—Symphytum aids consolidation. Neuralgia of face following dental surgery or injury. Swelling and bruising.

Toothache from dental trauma, tooth extraction, or jaw injury. Pain in roots or alveolar bone. Residual soreness after dental procedures. Pain after hitting mouth or chin.

Trauma to teeth, especially loosened teeth or pain in dental roots after a blow [Clarke]. Also helpful when teeth ache during healing of jaw fractures. Dull soreness or bruised pain in teeth following impact.

Sore throat following trauma to neck or upper chest. Laryngeal bruising after blow to throat. Not a remedy for inflammatory sore throats or infectious conditions.

Pain in ribs after blow or fracture. Sore, bruised, raw feeling in chest wall, better for pressure. Supports healing of sternal fracture or costal cartilage injury. Useful in healing old chest wall injuries that remain sore.

No direct action on cardiac muscle or function. However, may be used for bruised chest pain if heart area was involved in impact (e.g. steering wheel trauma). Pain mechanical rather than functional.

Dyspnoea or soreness on deep breathing after rib fractures or thoracic injury. Pain in intercostals after blunt trauma. Assists with pleural healing if damaged by impact. No known use in asthma or chronic lung conditions.

Internal bruising or soreness of stomach after blunt abdominal trauma. Pain after injury to epigastric area. May aid healing in gastric ulcers, especially if associated with mechanical injury (e.g. post-surgical).

Bruised feeling, soreness, or internal bleeding following trauma. Useful post-operatively or in contusions from sports injuries. Pain in abdominal wall, worse from motion. Assists healing in minor internal lacerations.

Pain and bruising of coccyx radiating into rectum. Aids in healing after fall on the tailbone. Rectal pain after pelvic or sacral trauma. Not indicated in haemorrhoids or fissures unless due to trauma.

Bladder or urethral pain after pelvic trauma. May assist healing of bladder contusion. Not generally used for idiopathic urinary complaints.

No characteristic cravings or aversions. General preference for nourishing foods to support healing. Occasionally used with bone-nourishing protocols (e.g. Calc-phos, Silicea, etc.).

Pain in testes after a kick or blow—deep, bruised, neuralgic pain [Clarke]. Orchitis or testicular pain after cycling, riding, or sporting accidents. Occasional use in trauma-induced sexual dysfunction.

Bruising of pelvis after childbirth. Pain in pubic bones or coccyx. Used for residual soreness in pelvic joints after delivery or trauma. No known action in hormonal or gynaecological pathology.

Fractures of spine or coccyx. Deep soreness in lumbar and sacral region after fall. Spine feels tender, bruised. Postural strain following injury. Helpful for chronic pain after spinal surgeries or compression fractures. Often used with Hypericum when nerve root involvement exists.

Primary sphere of action. Indispensable in the healing of fractures, sprains, dislocations, and periosteal trauma. Pain deep, sore, bruised, especially at bone level. Stimulates callus formation and bone knitting [Boericke]. Helps repair tendon and ligament injuries, especially after acute phase. Old fractures that haven’t united properly (“non-union”) respond well. Children who are slow to heal after fracture. Pain may persist after bone appears healed on X-ray—Symphytum restores integrity. Use cautiously where fragments or malunion may occur.

Not a primary skin remedy. However, may assist healing of slow wounds, ulcers, and abrasions, especially when underlying bone or connective tissue is involved. Pain at old scar sites. May help granulation tissue development.

• Arnica montana – Best for acute trauma, bruising, shock; Symph. follows well when soreness persists and bone requires knitting
• Ruta graveolens – Both work on ligaments and tendons; Ruta better for sprains, eyestrain, and periosteum; Symph. deeper in fracture healing
• Calcarea phosphorica – Sluggish bone growth, chronic or congenital weakness; Symph. more acute, trauma-related
• Hypericum perforatum – Better for nerve-rich areas, spinal injuries, crushing of fingers/toes; Symph. is for bone and periosteum
• Bryonia alba – Useful for stitching pain from motion, serous membranes; not for bone consolidation like Symphytum
• Silicea terra – Supports long-term healing and clearing of infection; Symph. faster, more focused on cell regeneration and bone fusion

• Complementary: Arnica, Ruta, Calc-phos
• Antidotes: Camph. (general)
• Inimical: None noted
• Follows well: Arnica in acute trauma
• Precedes well: Calc-phos, Silicea in chronic consolidation

• Use in fractures once bones have been set or if soreness remains long after healing
• Can be used after Arnica when swelling and trauma subside but healing is delayed
• Do not use before displaced fracture is reduced—may knit bones in malposition
• Ideal for coccyx injuries, orbital trauma, and non-union of fractures
• For slow healing in elderly, malnourished, or children
• Typical dose: 6C to 30C in healing phase; repeated daily or every other day
• Often used topically in herbal medicine, though homeopathic use is internal only

Head

• Headache after injury
• Concussion, aftereffects of

Eye

• Eye, pain after injury
• Eye, blunt trauma, orbit

Teeth / Mouth

• Toothache, after blow
• Teeth, pain in roots

Extremities

• Bone, pain after fracture
• Bone, slow to heal
• Pain, bruised, bone-level
• Periosteum, injury to

Back

• Coccyx, injury to
• Pain, after fall, coccyx

Generalities

• Injuries, fractures
• Pain, bruised, after Arnica
• Healing, slow, of bone
• Blunt trauma, aftereffects

William Boericke – Pocket Manual of Homoeopathic Materia Medica: Core indications for fractures, bone trauma, and periosteal pain

John Henry Clarke – Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica: Expanded clinical observations on dental trauma and bone healing

C. Hering – Guiding Symptoms: Commentary on surgical and trauma uses of Symphytum

J.T. Kent – Lectures: Discussed scope and limitations of Symphytum in relation to Arnica and Ruta

Modern clinical usage: Confirmed through homeopaths like Vithoulkas, Murphy, and Scholten in trauma, post-surgical healing, and fracture support