The E.R. and the Comfort of Comfrey

If I could only have one medicinal herb, it would most likely be Comfrey. Comfrey is a perennial and very easy to grow. It often grows wild. Be sure you plant it where you always want it to be...if you try to move it and leave even the smallest piece behind it will become another plant. Other names for comfrey are knitbone and bruisewort. You pick the leaves during the summer and harvest the root in the fall. Clean the roots, finely chop and dry for winter preservation. You can dry the leaves or make an oil infusion from them....we do all of these.

The following is an excerpt from the handout that my medicinal herb classes receive...

"Comfrey is one of the most valuable medicinal herbs known. It has been used successfully as a wound-healer and bone knitter. Comfrey feeds the pituitary with its natural hormone and helps strengthen the body skeleton. It helps in the calcium-phosphorus balance by promoting strong bones and healthy skin. It helps promote the secretion of pepsin and is a general aid to digestion. It has a beneficial effect on all parts of the body, being used as an over all tonic. It is one of the finest healers for the respiratory system. Comfrey leaves, and especially the root, contain allantoin which is a cell proliferant. It increases the healing ability for wounds, broken bones, sprains and slow healing sores. It has been used with great success to stop bleeding. It is soothing and is one of the most popular ingredients in herbal skin salves for wounds, inflammation, rashes, varicose veins, hemorrhoids... almost any skin problem. Research suggests that the whole plant may have anticancer properties.

A fresh leaf poultice reduces swelling and bruising around fractures, sprains and arthritic joints and speeds healing of cuts, burns, open sores and eczema. Puree the leaves only and make a poultice to apply to minor fractures that would not normally be set in plaster, such as broken toes, ribs or hairline cracks in larger bones. A comfrey poultice applied immediately to a sprained ankle can significantly reduce the severity of the injury. The allantoin found in comfrey encourages bone, cartilage and muscle cells to grow and encourages ligaments and bones to knit together firmly. It is absorbed through the skin and speeds up healing. Comfrey heals with such rapidity that is important not to put it on dirty wounds - it can actually trap dirt and pus within the wound. Comfrey contains rosmarinic acid which has a strong anti -inflammatory action. As a poultice, bruise the fresh leaves and apply to burns, wounds, open sores, boils, gangrene and moist ulcers.

Comfrey oil relieves pain and inflammation caused by injuries and degeneration, especially the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Make a hot oil infusion and use on arthritic joints, bruises, sprains and other traumatic injuries.

Comfrey salve is also healing for bruises The combination of tannins and mucilage in comfrey helps to soothe bruises and scrapes. Comfrey salve relieves pain and speeds healing of pus-filled wounds, skin irritations, cuts, scrapes, sores, or insect stings and bites. The allantoin in comfrey is a compound that helps stimulate the growth of new cells. It aids healing through cell proliferation. Its' astringent tannins form a protective surface over wounds that promotes healing. It also helps to prevent scaring."

Comfrey oil is the base of all of our healing salves that we make. Those salves are put into use daily, sometimes for simple things, sometimes for more serious problems. Yesterday afternoon, my 7 year old burst into the house screaming. He had taken a tumble down a ditch, unlodged a large slab of stone which tumbled after him and landed on his ring finger. One look and I knew we were taking a drive to the E.R. The stone had dislodged the nail bed, opened the finger to the bone and broken the bone. They were able to re-attach the nail bed with a couple of stitches, clean out the wound, and remove the fingernail. It was very bloody. I did this with another child 5 years ago - same wound, different cause. My 7 year old was much more dramatic...wailing "I don't want to be a little boy without a nail!" It only got worse....most of it was fear of the unknown. He has been in a doctor's office only a handful of times in his life and never in a hospital. He had to have a tetanuss shot.... he doesn't remember ever having a shot. When we got home we unwrapped the finger and covered the wound with our healing salve which is comfrey based and it relieved the pain quickly....from my experience, it will heal fast and with very little scaring.

Comfrey is a wonderful gift from God. It was used so much among the older generation for a variety of problems. It is mentioned throughout the Foxfire Books. We have lost so much...exchanged it really, for an unnatural, chemical/synthetic copy. I encourage you all to make a bottle of comfrey oil and keep it in the pantry. Even better....turn it into a salve! Let me know how you do....or if you have questions. Wish you were all close enough to "dig you a patch" for your garden!

I have included all the warnings related to Comfrey that I have ever read. There are some I agree with and some I don't. Please do your own research and make your own decisions as to how you will use this herb to treat yourself and your family.


THERE IS CONTROVERSY ON WHETHER COMFREY SHOULD BE USED INTERNALLY!!!!! RESEARCH IS ONGOING! PLEASE READ THE INFORMATION ON THE DANGERS OF USING COMFREY INTERNALLY. PLEASE RESEARCH THIS ISSUE VERY CAREFULLY BEFORE TAKING COMFREY INTERNALLY OR GIVING IT TO YOUR FAMILY.

IMPORTANT: DO NOT USE ON INFANTS, IF PREGNANT OR NURSING!! DO NOT USE COMFREY INTERNALLY IF YOU HAVE LIVER DISEASE, CANCER OR IF YOU CONSUME ALCOHOL ON A REGULAR BASIS! DO NOT USE IF YOU ARE TAKING ANTIBIOTICS, PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION FOR YEAST INFECTIONS, FLUOXETINE (PROZAC), CYCLOSPORINE, CHOLESTEROL-LOWERING MEDICATIONS, CALCIUM CHANNEL BLOCKERS FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE OR STEROIDS IN ANY FORM!!