Most of the members of this genus have 'comfrey' in their common names, but only Symphytum officinale is called just comfrey, without another epithet. They have traditional uses as medicines (on burns and wounds - eating or drinking extracts is not recommended) and for making fertiliser. They have sprays of flowers in various colours, usually rather small compared to the amount of foliage.

Symphytum ibiricum is known as the creeping or Iberian comfrey, and looks rather like the common comfrey, but makes rather lowers mats of leaves, and the flowers, which are tubular and are clustered towards the tips of the stems, are white, flushed with a hint of pink.