The Wonders of Comfrey

Comfrey is one of my very favourite plans. Many people consider it to be inedible, and it definitely can be over consumed. However, a little comfrey every once in a while will likely not hurt you. I’ve had comfrey in my tea every day for a month, and been fine.

Comfrey is a plant incredibly high in calcium. I have read stories of folks drinking comfrey tea after broken bone, and their bones regenerating at lightning speed. I’ve also eaten young comfrey leaves (steamed or stir fried) as a delicious spring vegetable. And of course, the most famous of comfrey’s properties, is its ability, when applied topically, to help you heal cuts, scraps, bruises, and burns incredibly quickly. So quickly, in fact, that if your cut is not clean, it will lock the infection in.

ID

Comfrey, when young, can easy be confused with foxglove, a highly poisonous, and potentially medicinal plant. Foxglove will grow in a basal form, meaning that all the leaves will form like rose petals on the ground, whereas comfrey leaves grow all the way up the stalk. Furthermore, foxglove flowers grow on a single stem, and are bell shaped, whereas comfrey flowers will droop, individually, off of the stem.

Good comfrey recipes

1. fill a jar with wilted comfrey leaves, and cover to the brim with extra virgin olive oil. Set in the sun, or a warm place, for about a month, shaking the jar around everyday, to prevent mould from forming. Heat comfrey infused oil at low temperature on your stove, and add 1/2 part beeswax. Store salve (this is what this concoction is called) in a jar, and use for burns, cuts, scrapes, and bruises at your leisure.

2. throw a few young comfrey leaves in your stir fry!

Comfrey can also be used to produce biomass, since it grows quickly. Plant, alongside garlic (as a natural pesticide), to produce whats called in permaculture, a guild. Every few months, cut down the comfrey stalks, and leave them under your tree. Enjoy your apples and garlic!