Personal Training Answers

Comfrey has a long history of effectiveness as a healer plant. It has the reputation of being able to knit bones together thus accounting for many of the common names (boneset, nipbone, knitbone, and healing herb).

The Comfrey leaf is similar to Foxglove leaves, though they have smaller veins not extending into the wings of the leaf-stalk. The leafy stem, 2 to 3 feet high, is stout, angular and hollow, broadly winged at the top and covered with bristly hairs. The lower, radical leaves are very large, up to 10 inches long and covered with rough hairs which make people itch when they touch them. The flowers are either creamy yellow or purple, growing on short stalks. They appear in April or early May.

Comfrey leafis a contact healer and is best known for tissue healing. In fact, until the early 1800’s, it was only used externally as treatment of cuts, burns, skin ulcers, varicose veins, bronchitis, and rheumatism. The leaf has been tea that is gargled or used as a mouthwash to relieve throat infections, hoarseness, and bleeding gums. One reason for its effectiveness is its abundance of calcium and vitamin C and contains carotene (vitamin A), B12, and chlorophyll.

Comfrey is used for a variety of ailments including rheumatism, colitis, diarrhea, varicose veins, assorted pulmonary complaints (pleurisy, bronchitis, bronchopneumonia), metritis, and periostitis. It is also used as a laxative and a sedative.

Comfrey’s effective healing agent is Allantoin. This is able to help accelerate the healing process by growing new flesh and bone cells. It also reduces the inflammation that results from pulled tendons. A tincture may be used to treat acne and athletes foot. Comfrey tea and extract has been used as a douche for yeast infections. Poultices are applied to sore and caked breasts to cause tenderness to subside quickly.

Some eat comfrey leaves and shoots as a vegetable. It is ground up in a blender with other green vegetables or herbs to make a healthy drink. It is increasingly popular with health conscious people.

Comfrey tea is made by mixing an ounce of leaves with a pint of boiling water. A tincture usually consists of 10 drops from the extract of the root mixed with water and applied wherever needed. Internally, the leaves are taken in the form of an infusion, 1 oz. of the leaves to 1 pint of boiling water.

Many claim that comfrey is so safe that anyone can use as much as they want any time. However, a few precautions are in order. Care should be taken when using Comfrey with very deep wounds as its rapid healing power can lead to tissue forming over the wound before it is healed deeper down, possibly leading to abscesses. Make sure that wounds are thoroughly cleaned and protected from infection.