Comfrey is known by many other names such as Ass Ear, Black Root, Blackwort or Bruisewort, and it is one of the most useful, even indispensable medicinal plants. It grows in damp meadows, hedges, hollows and along water streams, and it flowers all through the summer. Its pointy leaves have a rough surface. Its roots are about as thick as a thumb, and they are black on the outside and white or yellow on the inside. When cut up, the root has a slimy, almost greasy feel to it. The roots grow very deep, and it is rather difficult to take them out completely – in fact, we should remove roots with a shovel. Collecting fresh plants has to be done while the plants are in bloom.
Comfrey tincture, which can be easily made at home, is a very potent medicine. It cures the symptoms of those persons who have been treated without results with rheumatism and atherosclerosis. for example, a woman has been diagnosed with paralysis as a result of a nearly unmovable right arm, started rubbing comfrey tincture onto her shoulder daily. Soon she felt her mobility coming back, and by now she uses her arm as before. Comfrey leaves also help if they are scalded in hot water and placed on the paralyzed limb. It helps in a single night in cases of strained, sprained or twisted joints.
A woman was hit by a motorcycle, and her thigh bone broke. Nails were introduced in the bone to hold it together, and she was allowed to go home. The nails should have been removed after one year, but, since she didn’t feel any pain and could walk normally, she neglected the necessary medical examinations. Everything seemed to be perfectly fine when one day she started having insupportable pain. The nails were removed and it has been diagnosed that she had suppuration in her bone. The pain was subsided with the aid of injections for a while, but the suppuration didn’t heal. At this point, she has been advised to use a paste made from ground comfrey, and tis treatment proved effective the first night it was used. The next day she was able to sit and lie down. The woman dried store-bought comfrey roots in the oven, ground them up and used the paste made from them until her pain completely subsided. This paste also cures bone overgrowth, varicose ulcers, muscles attacked by rheumatism, gouts, tumors, neck pain, phantom pains and periostitis.
Roots can be infused to obtain a tea which can be consumed to treat bronchitis, indigestion, stomach bleeding and pleurisy. Drink 2-4 cups of tea daily, one sip at a time. Persons suffering from stomach ulcer should drink a tea mixture made from 100 g comfrey roots, 50 g calendula flowers and 50 g of purslane flowers.
Comfrey root tincture is extremely efficient in treating outer and inner sores, wounds, hematoma, bone breaks and bruises.
Comfrey leaves can also be added to bathwater to treat rheumatism, gout, bone aches and the injuries of the vertebrae. Comfrey baths are also useful in improving blood circulation in the legs damaged by varicose veins and in the after treatment of bone breaks.
Usage recommendations
To make comfrey root tea, soak two teaspoons o finely chopped roots in 250 ml cold water overnight. In the morning, warm up the water and strain it. Drink it during the day one sip at a time.
Tea mixture to treat ulcers: add the above described mixture to 250 ml hot water and allow it to soak for 3 minutes. Drink 3-4 cups a day one sip at a time.
To make comfrey paste, ground well dried roots and mix them with a few drops of hot water and vegetable oil. Spread the paste onto a piece of cloth while still hot, place it onto the problem area and tie it down with a scarf.
Fresh leaf pack: wash comfrey leaves and crush them on a chopping board. Place them onto the problem area and tie them down.
Pack from scalded leaves: pour hot water over leaves and apply them while still hot.
For a whole bath: soak 500 g of fresh or dried leaves in 5 l of water for about 12 hours. The next day, boil up the water and pour it into the bathwater.
For a sitting bath: the procedure is the same, but use only 200 g of leaves.
To make comfrey tincture, wash the roots well and rub then with a brush. Chop up the roots and loosely fill a jar with them. Pour cereal or fruit liquor over them, and allow it to ripen for 2 weeks, keeping it in the sun or by a stove. The liquor has to completely cover the roots.
To make comfrey ointment, chop up 4-6 washed roots the finest possible, and sauté them in 250 g of pure pork intestine fat. Leave it to sit overnight; the next day warm up the fat and strain it. Pour the fat into small jars and keep the jars in the fridge. This ointment can replace comfrey paste, and it is indispensable in treating wounds in humans and animals.
Comfrey wine: chop up 2-5 fresh, washed leaves and allow them to soak in 1 l good quality white wine. The wine is excellent in treating the diseases of the lungs.
Other uses for comfrey
To make comfrey spray for treating plants, soak 1 kg chopped whole plants in 10 l water. Cover the recipient and stir the liquid every second day. In about 15 days, when there are no more bubbles forming in the liquid, strain it and dilute it at a ratio of 1 part comfrey water to 9 parts clear water. Use this solution rich in minerals and potassium on potatoes, vegetables, fruit and berries. You can mix it with nettle water.
To make comfrey and nettle spray, soak 500 g nettle and 1 kg comfrey leaves in 10 l water. Stir the water every second day and strain it after 15 days. Dilute it to a 1 to 9 ratio and spray it on your plants every 10 days, and when you plant them.
In both cases, if you wish to use a more concentrated formula, mix some milk to it to ensure that the solution covers the surface of the leaves.