Comfort From Comfrey

Comfrey is a plant that is native to Europe and Asia. If you want to get some you will have to purchase it. The good news is that it will be a one time purchase and you can easily just continue to let it grow and multiply in a bed that you set aside just for it. It is quite shade tolerant so you don't even need to give up prime garden spots to grow it.

Comfrey grows well in growing zones from 4 to 8! So most places are suitable for it. Comfrey grows to about two feet tall, has large leaves, is highly adaptable and grows dense so once established it will do a good bit of the weeding for you. Comfrey will die back during the winter and green out again in the spring.

Sp why grow comfrey? For many good reasons. Feed farm animals year round as it is loved by them all. But in this article we will be concentrating on the medical uses of comfrey.

When you deal with natural healing and healthcare there is often a big divide between the do it yourselfers and the big pharma medical community. Well not this time. Scientific research has proven the health benefits of Comfrey.

Scrapes, cuts, bug bites, burns, rashes and a host of other skin problems can be treated with great success by using a salve made from this plant. The name comfrey means "to grow together" probably because it helps open wounds to heal over. Clinical trials also showed statistically significant improvement of sprained ankles vs no treatment control group. Research also showed help with back pain and osteoarthritis.

Comfrey salves get strong testimonials from people for not only its skin healing properties but for other ailments such as bruises and joint pain, even speed up the healing of broken bones. There is even some evidence that it helps with skin cancer!!! Both the leaves and the roots of comfrey are used to make the salve. Below is one method.

The leaves of the plant and or the root of the plant is collected and then hung to dry indoors. Artificial heat can be added to speed up the drying process but I would advice against drying in the sun and there is speculation that the ultraviolet rays lessen the potency of the chemicals in the plant that give it it's healing properties.

Once the leaves and or roots are sufficiently dried they are ground into a fine powder. To make application easier the powder is mixed with bees wax (handful)and olive oil (one cup). They are only added to aid with application and other application methods might work just as well.

If you have the bees wax and olive oil to use then combine the two and heat to melt everything then stir in about a table spoon of the comfrey powder into the liquid and let the liquid solidify. Voila! Comfrey Salve.

Propagation of comfrey can be successful from root cuttings or from seed. Root cutting are the most dependable method. Remove the soil from the base of the roots. Trim off about 4 or so inches of the root. Plant this cutting in another area. Water frequently until cutting is established.