Join Herbalist Yarrow Willard in exploring the multitude of benefits that the Comfrey plant has to offer.
Check out our full blog post on the uses of Comfrey.
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Comfrey (symphyyum officinale) has been used for a multitude of conditions over the centuries it has been found to contain a liver toxin called paralyzing alkaloids and was banned from sales for internal use in 2001. It is hard to determine the true safety concerns with this plant as many have consumed it and each patch contains different amounts of the toxic alkaloids. The roots are also said to have 10 times as much as it leaves.
For this reason Comfrey is now not recommended for internal use. Externally however, it has shown to be helpful for all sorts of issues including, ulcers, wounds, joint inflammation, bruises, rheumatoid arthritis, swollen veins, gout and fractures.
When this plant was recommended internally in the past, it was said to be useful for fever, upset stomach ulcers heavy menstrual flow diarrhea, bloody urine, persistent cough painful breathing, bronchitis, cancer, chest pain, sore throat, broken bones and internal hemorrhaging.
Comfrey is a great addition to a first aid kit as it has a long reputation for helping to mend wounds and other emergency situation fast. It is considered a cell proliferation and has been shown to help double the speed at which cells reproduce.
Many old world herbalists healers and people who lived close to land considered this to be an invaluable plant and used it extensively for a wide variety of conditions.
A strong tea of the fresh or dried leaves can be made, then a cloth soaked in it applied to damaged tissues. Alternatively a poultice or compress of crushed foliage can be applied to skin conditions. Including lesions, rashes, poison ivy, blisters scratches. Some experts suggested comfrey is not to be applied open wounds due to the paralyzadine alkaloids, though it has a long history of use in open wound care.
The roots bring up nutrients from the mineral rich subsoils breaking up heavy clay and aerating the land. For this reason permaculturist love this plant. As well the leaves can be cut and buried as a rich compost or turned into a fermented fertilizer farm tea. It is great added to other nutrient dense herbs for these applications.
These are just a few ways that this wonderful plant can be used, there are many more worth exploring.
Hope you get out and connect with this plant in person as it is an invaluable ally to have.
Herbal Blessings,
Yarrow
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