Comfrey is a natural healing herb that has been in use since medieval times for a myriad of maladies. The Greeks used it often to assist in the mending of broken bones and as a pain reliever. One Greek botanic physician, Dioscordies, treated the armies of Alexander the Great with much success. It has been used down through the ages as an ornamental and medicinal plant.
Today, it has been proven to have both antibacterial properties and antifungal properties and is often used topically to relieve pain, swelling, and irritation due to scrapes, minor cuts, and burns. Comfrey can help encourage clotting as it has been proven to contract capillaries and larger blood vessels. It has also been shown to be effective when used as a poultice on large bruises, shortening the healing time.
When the root is used to make a tea, comfrey has the ability to relieve congestion and mucus buildup that come with colds and allergies thereby reducing the pain associated with it. It can also be a mild sedative in this form helping you sleep when you are ill.
Individuals with irritable bowel syndrome claim it helps decrease their symptoms. Comfrey is a laxative, but should diarrhea be due to poor food digestion, it can relieve the diarrhea by promoting better digestion.
Many diabetics use comfrey to help control their diabetes. Comfrey has a substance called mucilage in it that suppresses glucose and insulin peaks after eating a meal. This can be very beneficial to both diabetics and hypoglycemics and anyone else who needs to regulate their blood sugars.
Why does Comfrey work so well?
Primarily, allantoin gives comfrey its power. Allantoin is a cell proliferant, which means that it helps healthy cells to multiply instead of diseased cells. When you have an injury, you want to create more new, healthy cells to replace the broken and damaged ones. Comfrey will mend all kinds of tissues and bones found within the human body. Did you know that allantoin is found in mother’s milk?
Another piece of the comfrey puzzle is mucilage – a sticky substance that oozes from the plant. The root of this plant contains the highest amount of mucilage. This slimy fluid is great for sore throats and other irriations of the skin and body.
The last large compound within comfrey are tannins. These give the herb its antiseptic and antibiotic properties as they bind up proteins and constrict surrounding tissue.
Usages
The list of things you can use comfrey for is nearly endless. I have personally used it for several bruises, cuts, scrapes, mosquito bites, etc. I’ll include a brief portion of “The How To Herb Book” by Velma J. Keith and Monteen Gordon that lists the uses for comfrey …
Has been used historically in the following:
- Acne
- Bed sores
- Ulcerated bowels
- Sore breasts
- Bronchitis
- Bruises
- Burns
- Dandruff
- Douches
- Healing after child birth
- Female problems
- Fractures
- Gum infections
- Hemorrhoids
- Infections
- Itching
- Pain
- Pulled tendons
- Yeast infection
- and more!
Preparations
Since comfrey is a “contact healer”, the way I use it most often is in a poultice. Get a handful of dried comfrey leaves and pour some hot/boiling water over them. Scoop this onto a cheese cloth or piece of well-layered gauze and fold like an envelope. Apply to the area to be treated as hot as you can stand it, while not getting burned.
Another great way to use this herb is in a salve. Melt some beeswax – you can use pot on the stove but the beeswax may leave a film that you can’t get out. Instead, you could use a glass jar in a crockpot full of water. Add the comfrey and heat until the beeswax is very dark green/brown. Strain as much of the herb out as possible using a porous cloth such as a t-shirt or gauze. Add some vitamin E or grapefruit seed extract as a preservative and mix well. Pour into a wide-mouth glass jar, label and enjoy! This is great on mosquito bites, chapped lips, diaper rash, minor skin irritations – and the list goes on!
How/Where to Purchase
- You’ll need lots of dried comfrey leaves on hand to give your miracle salve to all your friends!
- Comfrey Soap with Aloe
- Comfrey Ointment in case you don’t have time or supplies to make your own
Precaution
Taking comfrey internally can sometimes cause damage to an already damaged or at-risk liver. By and large, people are able to use comfrey internally but just use care if you have a severely damaged liver.
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