Comfrey Oil for Eczema

What is the effect of comfrey oil in treating eczema? We should know what comfrey oil is. The effect of comfrey oil is very powerful. We can use comfrey oil in many occasions. Can we make comfrey oil ourselves to treat skin diseases? Why does comfrey oil have a magical effect on diseases like eczema? Let us find out below.

The most common application of lithospermum oil is on skin infections. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, lithospermum oil has the effect of cooling blood and activating blood circulation. It can remove blood stasis and reduce swelling. From the perspective of Western medicine, lithospermum oil can have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects, and can accelerate wound healing.

Lithospermum oil is a long-standing topical medicine for the clinical treatment of burns and scalds. There are reports in the literature about hospitals making their own lithospermum oil. The prescriptions are all composed of multiple herbs such as lithospermum, angelica, sanguisorba officinalis, scutellaria baicalensis, phellodendron, licorice, angelica dahurica, and borneol, which are extracted by heating sesame oil.

1. Chronic ulcers often occur in the limbs and areas with poor blood circulation. It is one of the common surgical diseases. Both acute and chronic ulcers are difficult to heal. For example, in case 1, a 40-year-old female had a 1×1.5 cm ulcer on the outer side of the left lower limb for 5 months. The ulcer had irregular edges, fresh granulation tissue on the wound surface, dark purple surrounding skin, and slight swelling. Clean and disinfect the local area, apply lithospermum oil gauze, cover and bandage with sterile gauze, change the dressing once a day, and heal in 1 week.

2. Diaper dermatitis is a type of contact dermatitis and is a common and frequent disease in pediatrics. Its clinical features are red skin, cloud-like shapes, and wandering skin. For example, in case 2, a 6-month-old male patient came to the hospital with a rash on his buttocks for 4 days. The rash spread to the inner thighs in clusters with shiny redness, swelling, itching and pain. Use comfrey oil at least 4 times a day. The symptoms were relieved in 3 days and the rash completely disappeared in 7 days. The doctor advised to strengthen care, keep the skin clean and dry, and prevent recurrence.

3. Neurodermatitis: Neurodermatitis is a chronic skin disease with paroxysmal skin itching and lichenification as the main clinical features. Because it recurs frequently and is difficult to cure, it is called "stubborn ringworm". According to the range of skin lesions, it can be divided into two categories: localized and disseminated. It is particularly effective in treating localized neurodermatitis. For example, in case 3, a 45-year-old female had thickened skin of about 4×5 cm on the back of her neck for 5 years. The skin was light black in color and had lichenoid lesions. She applied comfrey oil to the affected area no less than 5 times a day. After 1 month, the itching began to ease, the scales disappeared, and the skin became lighter. After 3 months, the itching disappeared and the skin returned to normal. To consolidate the treatment, the medication was stopped after half a month. There was no recurrence after 1 year of follow-up.

4. Purulent otitis media: Purulent otitis media is relatively common in clinical practice. If it is not treated properly, it will often cause lingering ear pus and lead to deafness. For example, in case 4, a male aged 45-50 years had intermittent pus discharge from the right ear for more than half a year. Examination: Central perforation in the tense part of the right tympanic membrane. Local debridement was performed and the ear was dried with a cotton swab. Then 2-3 drops of comfrey oil were dripped into the ear, 3-4 times/day. The pus stopped in 2 days, and the swelling and pain stopped in 5 days. There was no recurrence during the 1-year follow-up.

5. Trauma and burns For trauma that does not require suturing and small-area first to second degree burns, clean and disinfect the wound, cover it with lithospermum oil gauze, bandage it with sterile gauze, change the dressing every other day, and it will usually heal after 2 to 3 times.

6. Herpes zoster: Someone used comfrey oil to treat 26 cases of herpes zoster with very good results. The usage is that regardless of whether the herpes is ulcerated or not, use a sterile cotton swab dipped in comfrey oil to apply it to the affected area, 3-5 times a day, and 7 days as a course of treatment. As a result, after one course of treatment, 20 cases, accounting for 76.9%, were cured (rash subsided, clinical signs disappeared, and there was no pain sequelae); 6 cases, accounting for 23.1%, were improved (rash subsided by about 80%, and pain was significantly relieved). The overall effective rate is 100%.

Lithospermum officinale oil is clinically used to treat this disease, and its mechanism of action is: Lithospermum officinale is sweet and cold, and has the functions of cooling blood, detoxifying, and healing sores. Modern pharmacological research shows that it can promote peripheral blood circulation, accelerate the excretion of toxins and has antibacterial effects. Sesame oil is sweet, cool and cold, and has the effect of moisturizing the skin, detoxifying and promoting tissue regeneration. The purpose of applying comfrey oil externally to treat this disease is to promote local metabolism, accelerate scab formation and prevent infection.

7. Constipation: Some people have used comfrey oil to treat constipation with good results. The method of use is to plug a cotton ball dipped in comfrey oil into one nostril, take it out after 1 hour, and then take another cotton ball dipped in comfrey oil and plug it into the other nostril. Plug each nostril twice a day.

Constipation can be treated with oral decoctions or rectal medication, but nasal administration is rare. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the nose is the orifice of the lungs, and the large intestine and the lungs are exterior and interior to each other. Nasal administration is reasonable for the treatment of large intestine constipation. During clinical use, the author noticed that except for causing loose stools in a very small number of people, comfrey oil generally has no effect on the stool of normal people. When oral laxatives are ineffective for patients with stubborn constipation, adding lithospermum oil to the nose can often help them pass stool smoothly.

The above article introduces what comfrey oil is. We know that comfrey oil is generally used a lot for skin infections. Comfrey oil has powerful effects and is widely used. Comfrey oil can have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory benefits and can inhibit the spread of bacteria. However, in the treatment of skin diseases such as eczema, the use of comfrey oil is ineffective.