Comfrey...

What a brilliant time of year - all the wonderful growth of wildflowers and herbs to spy along the towpath ... one thing that stops me in my tracks ever time is all the wonderful, wonderful Comfrey!  It is so pretty when it is in flower ... and it is so abundant too!  I am sure hardly anyone even notices this common plant but I am here to tell you that it is one of the most valuable herbs around!  Unfortunately it has got a fair bit of bad press in the past but a lot of herbs get themselves into bad books - especially when they are in the 'absolutely vital' category!!!  I won't go into conspiracy theories here - you can read all about it elsewhere ... this herb has been much documented ... you can read much of it here ...
http://www.comfreycentral.com/

I will tell you all the positives of Comfrey here and things that you CAN do with it!

Here is a pic of a big batch of it I found about a couple of months ago ...


I did a bit of foraging and put them into the life ring for a while to let any bugs escape before I used them...

... and this is the aforementioned batch ... part left to dry out and part included in an oil infusion, which I have recently used to make up some soap ...

 

... and here are some lovely plants we saw when we were passing through Braunston ... 

 

I thought there was a lot there but travelling down the Grand Union canal to London recently I saw masses of it everywhere !  Wonderful :)

Comfrey is marvellously healing - and it can be used in so many ways.

It is from the same family as Borage (aka Starflower) - or the Boraginaceae family.  The plant is native to Europe and some parts of Asia.  The name comfrey is said to come from Latin 'con firma' which means to make whole again.  I have also read that it comes from the Roman word 'conferre', meaning to join together.  The botanical name for comfrey is Symphytum officinale – which comes from the Greek 'symphyto' meaning 'to unite’.  It seems that the Saxons referred to the plant as “Yulluc” and utilised it in travel magic.  Comfrey was apparently also given to bards and minstrels to protect them during their travels. 

You can read much more on the history of Comfrey on this website ...
http://www.herballegacy.com/Ollman_History.html

Comfrey has a long history of use and has been documented as far back as 400 BCE when Greek physicians  used comfrey leaves to stop bleeding and treat respiratory illnesses.  In England in the Middle Ages, people used comfrey leaves to heal wounds and mend broken bones.

Nowadays Herbalists generally only use comfrey externally for their clients. these  There are restrictions on its use internally due to the ‘pyrollizidine alkaloids’ it contains, which are purported to have a cumulative effect on the liver – although it would take a vast (and ridiculous) consumption of the plant (roots and older leaves) to do any harm.  It is a shame it is no longer permitted to be used internally because the benefits of this amazing plant far outweigh any possible dis-benefits!

One of Comfrey’s common names is ‘knitbone’ – which gives us a leading clue as to one of its benefits!  It is also called knitback, bruisewort, boneset, ass ear(!) among many other names.  These common names of course relate to its astounding ability to heal broken bones but it also has the ability to knit flesh together*, speeding the healing of wounds.  It can also be used effectively to treat bruises, dislocations and sprains.

* I thought I might just add here one of my own experiences with using a Comfrey tincture.  I managed to bash my hand against the side of a wall while carrying a heavy basket of towels ... this caused me to slice my knuckles, which was bad enough, but the worst was that a whole flap of my index finger was hanging off !   Oops!  I went to the GP and they offered me a tetanus (plus Diphtheria plus something else!) shot - which I declined but also said they couldn't stitch it up but could only glue it together with their special glue.  They attempted to do this and then bandaged it up.  When I went to change the bandage a day or so later I found that the bandage had also adhered itself to the glue and as I took the bandage off, so my flap of skin opened up again!  At this point I took matters into my own hands .. I reached for my Calendula tincture to make sure the area was thoroughly clean and then dowsed the wound with Comfrey tincture and covered it lightly with a dressing.  Amazingly I noticed the whole wound repairing within a matter of hours.  I also covered any potential infection with taking doses of Garlic tincture.  I am happy to say my wounds healed remarkably and today you can hardly see any scarring on my finger at all.  It is truly wonderful :)

As mentioned, Comfrey is amazingly helpful in the treatment (externally) of cuts, bruises, sprains, eczema, varicose veins, broken bones.  Internally it was used in the past to help heal bone breaks, ligaments and even blood disorders … but, alas, no more (unless, of course, you choose to do so yourself)!

Comfrey contains mucilage, allantoin, tannins, resin, essential oils, pyrroliizidine alkaloids, gum, carotene, glycosides, sugars, beta-sitoserol and steroidal saponins, triterpenoids, Vits A, C and B12, protein and zinc … what a wonderful powerhouse of ingredients ! 

Nowadays, Comfrey is used quite commonly in remedies for skin treatments – because it has the ability to accelerate skin healing and help wounds close faster.  (It is known as a ‘cell-proliferant’ where it promotes the growth of connective tissue, bone and cartilage).  Comfrey has also been found to break down red blood cells, therefore supporting its use for bruising.  It is the allantoin content of the plant that is attributed these healing benefits but – as with all herbal remedies – the whole plant constituents should be acknowledged in its actions … it is always a mistake to consider only one of the constituents to be entirely responsible for its actions.   

Ways in which Comfrey can be used …

In your cooking ...

Comfrey can be used as a culinary plant where a little of the fresh leaves and shoots can be sliced and incorporated into a salad or used as a vegetable.   You should always wear gloves when harvesting comfrey as the leaves and stems can be very prickly !

When incorporating comfrey into cooking, you could harvest some young, fresh leaves, slice them and cook them until they are wilted and added into any pasta dish – or stir fries – or any dish where spinach is called for like the Indian dish ‘Saag Aloo’ – young Nettle leaves can also be used in this way.

A favourite dish for Comfrey is in Comfrey fritters – following is a recipe …

Make up some batter to start …

1.5 cups SR flour

1 cup milk

¼ pint milk

1 egg lightly whisked

Salt and pepper to taste

Coat one or two comfrey leaves with the batter.

Fry until crispy. Serve as a starter or with fish. 

You could also try adding in some Indian spices or curry mix to this batter to spice things up a bit!

- or for a variation on this theme you could make …

Comfrey Pancakes

Make a batter the same as for comfrey fritters or using your usual batter mix.

Chop two comfrey leaves finely and add to a pan of hot oil.  Pour in the mixture so that it just covers the bottom of the pan. Fry each side until golden.  Yummy !

If you choose to do so you can also make fresh Comfrey tea.  I, personally, chop up a fresh handful of young Comfrey leaves and pour about 1 litre of boiling water over it.  Keep this covered and let it sit for a few minutes before straining it and it is ready to drink … you could also add some mint or chamomile.   On a hot day, let it cool day, add some ice and mint and drink it for a refreshing brew!

Using Comfrey topically …

Well, the uses here are endless and if you need any suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me …

Sprains – Strains – Bruising …

• The easiest way to use Comfrey is to pick a whole leaf (using gloves), give it a rolling over with a rolling pin and then apply it to any strains, sprains, bruises – cover with a gauze bandage or similar and leave on overnight or for no more than 8 hours.  Reapply as needed.
  
• You could also chop leaves and mix with olive oil to create a poultice and apply that to sprains, strains and bruising.  You could also just chop the leaves and wrap them in a piece of cotton or similar and (when cooled!) apply it to the injured area for no more than 8 hours.
  
• The leaves can be made into an ointment or poultice and used externally as a poultice for rheumatic pain and bruises, for ulcers and soft swellings.
  

If I don't publish this post now it will still be in the drafts next year but come back soon when I update it with a nice salve recipe you can incorporate comfrey into!