What Is Comfrey?
Comfrey is a common herb that grows in the wild in ditches and damp areas. Most people don’t think it particularly attractive but many gardeners do grow it because it makes a fantastic plant feed. This is just one of the uses of comfrey.
The plants grow to 3-4 feet tall, with large hairy leaves. The hairs on the leaves can be irritating to sensitive skin. You may want to wear gloves to pick them. The flowers can be white or pink but are more commonly purple. The roots are long and black.
Uses Of Comfrey
Comfrey for many, many years has been known as knitbone. This is because it has been used through the centuries as a treatment for speeding up the mending of broken bones. The active ingredient in comfrey is allantoin. This is known to promote wound healing. It is also good for skin conditions like psoriasis.
Some people find it hard to believe that a plant can mend broken bones. But it is still used today by herbalists for that purpose.
In addition to allantoin it also has a lot of calcium, potassium and phosphorus, plus Vitamins C and A.
If you are just getting in to herbal medicine then comfrey is a great place to start. There are many uses of comfrey.
Aside from bones it also helps heal wounds and is recommended for athletes with damaged ligaments. Comfrey can help heal just about anything.
The leaves can be mashed up and applied to insect bites and stings. It will reduce the risk of it becoming infected and also speed up healing and stop the itching.
Historically a comfrey mixture has been used for digestive problems, urine infections and improving poor circulation. More recent studies have suggested this is not a good idea owing to some health risks now linked to taking it internally.
Is Comfrey Good To Eat?
In fact the answer now is no.
This is a shame because the young leaves taste very much like spinach. The vitamins and minerals should make it a nutritious dish. I have eaten it in the distant past when it’s at it’s best in the spring, when the leaves are young and tender.
When the plant has got older the leaves are not so good to eat. You could still use them for drinks. The leaves could be used to make comfrey tea which was used to treat diarrhoea.
However there has been some research that reveals it is bad for the liver. Some people have even claimed it can cause cancer. For this reason the best advice now is to not take comfrey internally. It is still safe to use in moderation topically but consuming it is not advised.
You should also avoid even using it externally if you are pregnant, breast feeding or have liver disease.
You can dry the leaves or roots to use in herbal treatments.
Uses Of Comfrey As A Plant Feed
There is no such problem with using comfrey as a liquid feed. The nutrients in comfrey make it good for your plants. The best technique for making it is to compress the leaves with a large weight in a barrel or bucket that has a tap in the bottom and a lid. Some gardeners do throw the leaves in to water. The problem with this is it smells really bad. If you use a weight to exclude most of the air you can get rid of the problem with the smell. Collect the liquid that comes out of the leaves and bottle it. You end up with a rich dark liquid that is fantastic for your garden.
Dilute the comfrey liquid with water before use. You need about 1 part comfrey to 10 parts water. The high levels of potassium mean it is great for your tomatoes.
Making A Comfrey Salve
Ingedients
- A handful of dried comfrey leaves
- Beeswax
- Olive oil
Method
Cook the comfrey in the olive oil and cook for around 2 hours.
Let the mixture cool down then strain it through cheesecloth or muslin.
Melt the beeswax over water in a double pan.
Once the beeswax is melted add the strained comfrey oil in the ratio 1 part beeswax to 4 parts oil.
Transfer to a small tin.
This makes a fabulous salve that is good for all sorts of scrapes and grazes. You can also use it as a lip salve and for treating piles. If you are going to do both these last two, I suggest you make 2 pots and label them top and tail. You don’t want to mix the two up!
This is a great addition to your plant medicine cabinet.
Uses Of Comfrey As A Natural Cure
As you can tell the comfrey plant is still great, for many things. Next time you are out walking in the countryside keep your eyes peeled for this amazing plant. It is also an easy to grow garden plant. I actually like it even though most gardeners regard it as just a necessity for producing liquid feed.
Although I can’t now recommend you eat it, there are still many uses of comfrey. Use it to make salve and skincare products and definitely feed your tomatoes.
