Comfrey

This plant has a black, turnip-like root and large, hairy leaves. It bears small bell-shaped white, cream, purple or pink flowers. It is native to Europe, growing in damp, grassy places, and is widespread throughout the British Isles on river banks and ditches – it is very showy and looks good in any garden.

Cultivation

Comfrey thrives in almost any soil or situation, but does best under the shade of tree. Beware though, while the plant may originally be grown from seed, the roots are very brittle, and the least bit of root left in the ground will start growing a new plant!

Parts Used

The dried flowering plant for medicinal uses, and the root either fresh or dried.

Uses

It is used as a green manure, with a comfrey crop being grown as the first crop on newly cleared land or ground that has been covered in rubble to refresh the soil. One of its country names was 'knitbone', a reminder of its traditional use in healing. Recent research has shown what our ancestors always knew, the herb contains allantoin, a cell proliferant that speeds up the natural replacement of body cells, promoting the swift healing of damaged or injured tissues, as well as maintaining cell growth and preventing diseases. Comfrey has been used to treat a wide variety of ailments ranging from bronchial problems, broken bones, sprains, arthritis, gastric and varicose ulcers, severe burns, acne and other skin conditions. It is also said to have bone and teeth building properties in children. Make a compress with the fresh grated root or the dried root as a powder. Do not use internally.

Comfrey photograph by Linda N. from flickr under a creative commons attribution licence.