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Comfrey is an herbal supplement used for conditions such as bronchitis, bruises (topical use), cancer, cough (persistent), fractures (topical use), peptic ulcer, rheumatism, skin ulcers (topical use), sprains (topical use), wound healing (topical use), gastritis, ulcers, excessive menstrual flow, and to gargle for gum.
What can I do with comfrey leaves?
7 Best Uses for Comfrey Vigorous comfrey plants regrow after greens are harvested for compost or mulch. Garlic is tucked in with a double mulch of chopped comfrey and rotted hay. A comfrey root poultice can speed healing of sprains and bruises. Use dried leaves to make comfrey tea for houseplants.
Can you eat comfrey leaves?
Historically, some people have eaten comfrey leaves as a vegetable. You can also drink dried comfrey root and leaves as tea. Today, eating or taking any form of comfrey by mouth isn’t recommended. It’s considered unsafe, due to the pyrrolizidine alkaloids that comfrey contains.
How do you use comfrey for healing?
To make a comfrey compress, you start by first steeping the comfrey leaves in hot water to make a “tea”. Take two large handfuls of dried comfrey leaf and place them into a large, heat-proof bowl. Pour 2 quarts of nearly boiling water over the comfrey leaves, cover with a plate and let steep for 15 minutes.
When do you use comfrey leaves?
Other ways to use comfrey leaves: Use as a mulch. Chop up comfrey leaves with grass cuttings, and place a 5cm layer on the surface of the soil around all plants. This will slowly rot down to provide nutrients, and act as a mulch to keep in moisture and help control weeds. Add fresh cut leaves to your leaf mould heap.
Does comfrey heal broken bones?
Comfrey may not be an obvious choice, but it has always been such a kind plant to the garden that it should come as no surprise that is kind to the body, too. Once known as knitbone, Symphytum officinale has a long history of wound healing, particularly broken bones, torn muscles, sprains and aches.
Is comfrey good for tomatoes?
Comfrey has very deep roots, which means it extracts large quantities of nutrients from far below the soil’s surface, inaccessible to other plants. It’s especially rich in potassium, making it the ideal feed to promote flowers and fruits in a range of plants, including tomatoes.
Is comfrey good for compost?
Comfrey out-performs manure, compost and many liquid feeds for concentration of nutrients. It produces these from a deep root system extending right into the subsoil that most edible plants cannot access. It also has an ideal Carbon:Nitrogen ratio which means that it does not hamper absorption of nitrogen by plants.
Can I drink comfrey tea?
While you can make comfrey tea at home, health experts do not advise that you drink the tea. 2 For that reason, some fans of the herbal treatment make comfrey tea, allow it to cool, and apply it topically to the skin or to areas of the body where aches and pains are present.
How do you cook comfrey leaves?
Cook the sliced onion gently in butter in a large saucepan until soft. Add potato and sauté. Add comfrey and sauté all together for several minutes. Add stock, bring to boil and then simmer gently until vegetables are tender. Mash potatoes with a potato masher or if you prefer a smooth consistency blend in a blender.
Is comfrey good for wrinkles?
Comfrey is considered to be an essential anti-aging ingredient, because it contains both allantoin and rosmarinic acid. Allantoin promotes the growth of new skin cells and rosmarinic acid acts as a painkiller and reduces inflammation. Comfrey softens skin and reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Can comfrey be used on open wounds?
The toxic substances in comfrey can be absorbed by the skin. Even creams and ointments should be used for only a short time, and only under a doctor’s supervision. DO NOT use comfrey on open wounds or broken skin. DO NOT use comfrey if you have liver disease, alcoholism, or cancer.
Is comfrey good for bones?
Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) acts as an anti-inflammatory to promote healing of bruises, sprains, and open wounds when applied topically. The roots and leaves of this plant contain the protein allantoin, which stimulates cell proliferation and promote wound and bone healings.
Which comfrey is medicinal?
For over 2,000 years, comfrey root and other parts of the herb have been used to treat a variety of ailments. The plant (Symphytum officinale L) belongs to the family Boraginacea and has been valued in traditional medicine for its anti-inflammatory, analgesic and astringent properties.
How do I use comfrey in my garden?
To use on established plants, dilute 1 part comfrey fertilizer in 15 parts water. Use to water and to spray on your plants as a foliar feed. When feeding young plants whose roots could be damaged by strong fertilizer, you may want to dilute it further.
Is comfrey good for potatoes?
On potatoes Comfrey has an almost perfect ratio of nitrogen, potash and phosphorous. In comparison with farmyard manure, Hills shows it has more nitrogen, twice as much potash, but less phosphorous. It is an ideal potato and tomato food.
