Efeito do complexo homeopático Symphytum officinale e Calcarea phosphorica no processo de reparo de fratura de tíbia e fíbula em Cerdocyon thous (Linnaeus, 1758) associado a imobilização conservadora: relato de caso / Effect of homeopathic complex officinale Symphytum and Calcarea phosphorica in the repair process of fracture of the tibia and fibula in Cerdocyon thous (Linnaeus, 1758) associated with conservative immobilization: a case report

No presente estudo foi avaliado o efeito reparador do complexo homeopático Symphytum officinale e Calcarea phosphorica, em fratura de tíbia e fíbula em Cerdocyn thous, associado ao tratamento conservador por meio de bandagem no membro acometido. O medicamento homeopático mostrou-se eficiente no reparo da lesão, o que permitiu o uso funcional do membro em período curto de tempo.

The efficacy and safety of comfrey.

Herbal medication has gathered increasing recognition in recent years with regard to both treatment options and health hazards. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids have been associated with substantial toxicity after their ingestion as tea and in the setting of contaminated cereals have led to endemic outbreaks in Jamaica, India and Afghanistan. In Western Europe, comfrey has been applied for inflammatory disorders such as arthritis, thrombophlebitis and gout and as a treatment for diarrhoea. Only recently was the use of comfrey leaves recognized as a substantial health hazard with hepatic toxicity in humans and carcinogenic potential in rodents. These effects are most likely due to various hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids such as lasiocarpine and symphytine, and their related N-oxides. The mechanisms by which toxicity and mutagenicity are conveyed are still not fully understood, but seem to be mediated through a toxic mechanism related to the biotransformation of alkaloids by hepatic microsomal enzymes. This produces highly reactive pyrroles which act as powerful alkylating agents. The main liver injury caused by comfrey (Symphytum officinale) is veno-occlusive disease, a non-thrombotic obliteration of small hepatic veins leading to cirrhosis and eventually liver failure. Patients may present with either acute or chronic clinical signs with portal hypertension, hepatomegaly and abdominal pain as the main features. Therapeutic approaches include avoiding intake and, if hepatic failure is imminent, liver transplantation. In view of the known serious hazards and the ban on distributing comfrey in Germany and Canada, it is difficult to understand why comfrey is still freely available in the United States.