Comfrey

Symphytum officinale

Boraginaceae - Borage Family

Common names: Knitbone, Healing Herb, Wound Wort

As can be surmised by its common names, Comfrey is well-known as a healing plant. It has been successfully used for wounds throughout the ages and was mentioned by Dioscorides, a Greek physician, during the campaigns of Alexander the Great. Since then, many herbalists have also written about its curative powers in connection with cuts, bruises, torn ligaments, broken bones, external ulcers, burns, varicose veins, and hemorrhoids.

There are several ways to use comfrey. The fresh leaves can be crushed and applied to an area as a poultice. The fresh leaves can be cut and blended with enough distilled water to mix smoothly, then squeezed through cheesecloth to yield a juice to use as a wash. With dry leaves, a strong tea can be used as a soak. It is best to strain the tea or the hairy leaves will itch the skin. Dry leaves can be packed in tea balls and placed in a bath tub of warm water. Sandra K. Livingston Ellis, M.H., known as Dr. Mom, and author of a book by that name, says that this method is helpful, along with diet changes, to those who have arthritis. Dr. Mom has had many experiences using comfrey for different problems. Her book is an interesting and practical source of information.

Comfrey can also be applied as a salve which has been helpful in treating skin problems. Dr. John Christopher formulated an ointment called BF&C which contains comfrey as a base with the addition of eight other herbs. His products can be purchased through Christopher Enterprises at 1-800-453-1406 or www.DrChristopher.com.

Over the centuries, comfrey tea has been used for lung problems such as bronchitis and asthma. In Australia, small amounts of a leaf have been eaten daily to ease asthma problems and it has also been used in green drinks for nourishment (I do wonder how the hair on the leaves was tolerated). However, the pendulum swings and today we are warned by some herbalists that comfrey, taken internally, may not be safe when used over a long period of time. It is thought that the alkaloids might cause tumors and liver damage.

Another caution to consider is that if comfrey is used on puncture wounds or deep cuts, the skin could close over the wounds before proper drainage and deep tissue healing has been completed. Instead, it is advised that the area be soaked in Epsom salts with calendula, which is antiseptic. After the wound is clean and normal healing has started, then comfrey can be used to speed the healing.

Comfrey is very easy to grow and a great boon to the garden. There are three ways to use the leaves. The potassium-rich leaves can be mulched around plants, put into the compost pile to speed up the process, or soaked in water for a month to make a potent liquid fertilizer. It has been recommended that the first cuttings of the plant only be used for compost since they have more alkaloids than later cuttings, which would be safer for human use.

Habitat: Although comfrey will grow almost anywhere except in extremely rocky areas or under dry desert conditions, comfrey prefers rich, moist soils with good drainage. It thrives in partial shade but will also grow in full sun.

Range: Comfrey is native to Europe and Asia, but now grows in temperate regions around the world.

General Description: Comfrey is a stout perennial reaching 3-4 feet in height with compact growth. The stem is hairy and hollow and exudes a thickish, white substance when cut.

The leaves grow alternately on the stem but are not attached at a single point. Instead, a leaf joins into the stem with tapering "wings" on both sides continuing down the stem until the next leaf attaches itself in the same way.

The lower leaves, lying on the ground, are very large and hairy, even prickly. These leaves are about a foot long and half as broad at their widest point.

The leaves gradually become smaller and narrower toward the top of the stem where they measure 3 inches in length. All leaves are prominently veined.

Depending on the variety, creamy to yellow or purplish clusters of bell-shaped flowers are terminal to many branches and assume a drooping position. They bloom from May through September.

Parts used: Leaves and roots

Therapeutic Action: cell proliferant, astringent, nutritive, tonic, expectorant, hemostatic, alterative, vulnerary, emollient, demulcent

Chemical Constituents: mucilage, allantoin, tannins, starch, alkaloids, essential oil.

Nutritional Analysis: High in calcium, chromium, dietary fiber, manganese, niacin, potassium, protein, riboflavin, selenium, silicon, vitamins A and C.

Le Arta Moulton wrote in The Herb Walk Manual that when comfrey is not in bloom, it can be mistaken for the poisonous plant Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea). In The Modern Herbal, Mrs. M. Grieve stated that comfrey leaves somewhat resemble Foxglove leaves, "but may be distinguished by the smaller veins not extending into the wings of the leaf-stalk, and by having on their surface isolated stiff hairs. They are also more lanceolate than Foxglove leaves."