Comfrey plant has been recorded as a medicine since the ancient Greeks and Romans used an ointment from it to heal wounds and a medicine to cure ulcers. There are various ideas as to where the modem name originated, perhaps from the Latin confervere meaning to knit together. The botanical name for comfrey herb comes from the Greek sumphuo, to unite. There has never been any doubt about the healing powers.
The active principle in comfrey plant is allantoin which, according to the Extra Pharmacopoeia of Martindale is said to be a cell proliferant and healing agent stimulating healthy tissue formation; Comfrey herb has been used in the treatment of gastric ulcer, and it is an ingredient of some skin preparations. Comfrey is a very good source of the antioxidant germanium, containing an impressive 150 parts per million. Comfrey plant is the second most common food source of germanium, the best source being garlic.
The Russian comfrey plant, which is used as a crop and as a fine source of compost as well as being nutritionally good, stands three feet high; the wild comfrey, Symphytum officinale, is lower, but can be used instead. There is a famous Bavarian recipe which uses the comfrey leaves on stalks, dipped in an egg and flour batter and deep fried; or the plant can be cooked like spinach. As a juice comfrey plant is used for its valuable vitamin content and in cases of ulcers, fractures and wounds. Young roots may be added to leaves when juicing. Comfrey takes many years to grow from seed, but can be easily propagated from root cuttings.
The comfrey plant whose scientific name is Symphytum officinale is a native of Asia and Europe and comes from the Boraginaceae family. Ancient Romans and Greeks were aware of this herb's healing properties, and a comfrey herbal remedy was made use of to treat broken bones, for healing wounds and bronchial problems, and also to stop bleeding. They also made poultices for the treatment of wounds and prepared comfrey herbal tea to treat internal problems. Comfrey is also commonly called 'knitbone', which gives an indication of its healing properties. During the nineteenth century, a farmer called Henry Doubleday brought the Russian comfrey to Europe. He conducted a comprehensive research regarding the plant including its properties of healing and also the value of it as a food item. The modern varieties of the comfrey plant have come from the varieties that were cultivated by him. During the 1950s, Lawrence D. Hills began studying the plant and created an association that was later called HDRA, which stands for Henry Doubleday Research Association. This is considered to be Europe's biggest association for organic farming.
The comfrey herb plant is perennial with hairy leaves and stems and can come to a height of around 2-5 feet. The plant's small flowers grow at the stems end and are arranged in densely and one-sided clusters. The comfrey plants flowers can be red, purple, creamy yellow, and white, but the ones of the Quaker comfrey, which are hybrids of Russian comfrey and wild comfrey, are red-purple, purple or blue in color. The plants roots are tuberous, thick and short, with a cover that is black in color and an interior that is fleshy and white. The comfrey leaves at the plants base are bigger with ends that are tapering, and the ones in upper parts are usually smaller and do not have petioles that are there in the former. Normally, the flowering begins during May and goes on till fall. During the comfrey plants growing season, new stems begin to continuously appear and flowers are produced. Usually, these plants are grown from crown divisions and root cuttings and not from the comfrey seeds. Growing comfrey is best done in grassy, moist, and wet areas, which can be found in abundance in the ditches of the British Isles and river banks.
According to herbalists, a comfrey herb poultice can be made use of to mend broken bones and heal wounds. Comfrey uses also include the treatment of conditions like acne, severe burns, varicose and gastric ulcers, arthritis, and other conditions of the skin. There is mucilage, alkaloids, proteins, inulin, vitamin B12, tannins, and steroidal saponins present in it. It also has allantoin, which can make natural replacement of the body cells faster. It could be that this compound provides the plant with its healing properties. Although many people believe that this plant has medicinal properties, there are others who feel that the hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids present in the plant make it deadly. Therefore, making use of the comfrey plant brings about liver damage and even death when taken in high doses. US FDA has given out a warning against the usage of the comfrey plant internally. These days, some manufactures of herbal products have begun to eliminate pyrrolizidine alkaloids in their products, but they, however, recommend the use of it externally.
Comfrey leaves provide many health benefits and work best for the healing of tissues. Till the early 1800s, comfrey uses were only for external treatment like for varicose veins, rheumatism, and cuts. Comfrey herbal uses also include preparing it as a tea to be used as a mouthwash or gargled to bring relief to bleeding gums, hoarseness, and throat infections. One of the reasons for it being so effective is due to the high quantities of vitamin C and calcium. The comfrey shoots and leaves can also be made use of as a vegetable and are usually ground up to make the basis of 'green drinks', which are becoming very popular with individuals who are health conscious.
There are some comfrey herbal salves you could purchase on the Internet, which can help with various skin problems. However, make sure to do a complete research on the product and get proper advice before using them. You can get comfrey in the form of lotions, creams, poultices and ointments, which are made either from the roots, dried or fresh leaves. You should try and refrain from using comfrey products made for treatments that are internal and prefer those that are made from the comfrey leaves instead of the roots. Although the common comfrey is said not to be dangerous like the other species, it could sometimes be toxic. Therefore, before using any product of comfrey make sure to seek the advice of an expert.
The comfrey herb plant uses also includes its benefits as a fertilizer, particularly in organic farming. As the roots of this plant go deep, it has the ability to bring out many nutrients from the soil. The comfrey leaves store these nutrients, which is also an excellent source of potassium and is important for plant growth. There is no fiber contained in the leaves, which enables faster breaking down and rotting to a thick liquid that is black in color. There are different ways in which you could use comfrey as a fertilizer. You can cut and wilt it for around two days, and put it into pits that are two inches deep, before you cultivate it. You can also add it to the compost in a quantity that is limited as it tends to break down quickly, therefore triggering the other materials to rot. You could also use it as mulch for crops such as currants, gooseberries, and tomatoes. A layer of the comfrey leaves of two inch thickness can be put onto the soils surface around the crops. You could also use it as a liquid fertilizer by making it rot in rainwater so that it becomes a thick and black liquid known as comfrey tea. However, you should make sure to dilute it before using it. Leaf mould that is well decayed can also be made use of in potting mixture.