Herb Corner Issue 10

Good Wednesday morning! It is amazing to me how fast this last month has gone, but more so, how fast this year has gone. This month I want to talk about Comfrey (Symphytum officinale). Comfrey is also known as the bone knit plant.

Comfrey is a cell proliferent, meaning it helps the cells divide rapidly. The good thing, however, is that even though the growth is rapid the body doesn't reject it like cancer cells. Some of the experiences I have had with Comfrey include the following:

My niece, Luz del Cielo, took a tumble down the stairs and scraped up her nose. We covered it with Dr. Christopher's Complete bone and tissue formula (main ingredient is comfrey). In order to get her to let us put it on, I have to cover my nose and call it indian paint. After that she let us apply it when needed. After three days there was hardly anything there.

The other one is from this last weekend. While working on the addition, my mom put a nail through her thumb. That night, we packed it in the same ointment overnight. She has continued to use it as the week has progressed. The wound it pulling in the ointment almost like dry land soaks up much needed water. It is looking much better, and I have a feeling it will continue to do so.

A word of caution. If wildcrafting, be sure you know it is the comfrey plant. Many unsuspecting people have mistaken the foxglove plant for comfrey. One difference is the way the flowers look. The inside of the flowers have spots on the inside on the bottom petal. Though, if unsure, the best way is to still talk to a botanist or someone who knows the plants in the area.

*Sorry everyone, I should have given better details about foxglove. The flowers with the markings on the bottom petal are the Foxglove flowers. The flowers appear the second year of growth. As far as I know that doesn't apply to Comfrey. It is the first year of growth of Foxglove that has been mistaken for Comfrey.