Permaculturists swear by it, and organic gardeners use it frequently. It is especially good when grown with fava beans or other cover crop nitrogen fixers. Comfrey the wonder plant comfrey is one of the most useful plants you can grow in the garden or on your allotment. Comfrey has produced over 140 tons per acre in test plots in africa with 8 to 12 cuttings a year. Apr 18, 2019 comfrey can be used to help stop bleeding in wounds and when taken internally, it is said it will help stop the bleeding from ulcers, relieve diarrhea and settle an upset stomach. Medical records dating back to the middle ages commonly make reference to herbalists prescribing comfrey for a wide range of ailments, and up until the 20th century, it was considered to be one of natures greatest medicinal herbs. Aug 21, 2018 the borage and comfrey plants are two different species, but they are members of the same plant family and look very similar when not in bloom. There are several species in the genus symphytum, all of which merit special attention, but generally s. Comfrey will tolerate partial shade quite well even thrive in the right climate, say in places where summer temps reach and exceed 30c. Comfrey is also known as knitbone because its so quick at healing wounds and broken bones.
Use on broken skin or mucosa should be minimized but is reasonable for. Common comfrey symphytum officinale is a perennial herb native to europe and asia but now found in the wild worldwide. Many herbalist and preallopathic medicinal practices call for comfrey as a bone healer, cell regenerator, and fracture swelling reducer. I will definitely consider yumheart gardens for additional comfrey and other plant purchases as a result. From the post six fantastic resaons for growing and using comfrey comfrey is a vigorous growing plant, often spreading 2448 wide. In general, the effects of comfrey extracts can be described as pain relieving, antiinflammatory and callus formation promoting. This is the natural way to make broken bones heal faster. Apr 20, 2012 comfrey is also a long standing medicinal and contains allantoin. May 19, 2015 comfrey is also great for mulching, especially in the chop and drop form, and for compost. Common comfrey symphytum officinale has uncommon qualities. While the project is named after comfrey, many of us dont know much about this humble and amazing plant. For more information about coes comfrey, download our brochure in.
The preparation was used to treat a variety of conditions such as contusions 61. As the star of hundreds of years worth of traditional folk remedies, its apparent that comfrey can provide a wide range of significant health benefits. Comfrey is more than just an herb found in cottage gardens and seasoning blends. Cynoglossum virginianum, also known as the wild comfrey, is a plant native to north america. To date, the activitydetermining constituents and mechanisms of action of the medicinal plant are only partly known. If garden space is at a premium, consider placing your comfrey in large tubs to contain them. I couldnt be happier dont be worried when you get it and it looks dead believe. In addition, comfrey is a muchlauded dynamic accumulator, able to stretch its roots deep into the subsoil and draw up calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and trace minerals that are. Thousands of web sites make all kinds of claims for it and if you believe the claims everyone should be growing comfrey to add nutrients to compost, mulch soil, and make plants grow better. Comfrey is a hardy perennial plant that grows quickly. Besides the comfrey roots, all the parts of the plant that grow above ground symphyti herba or the leaves symphyti folium are also utilized for medical purposes schmidt, 2006. Comfrey salve can be applied to the skin for wounds, skin ulcers, joint inflammation, bruises, arthritis, swollen veins, gout, fractures and much more.
Wear long sleeves and gloves to protect your hands and arms from the prickly hairs on the leaves. They are not to be confused with cynoglossum virginianum, known as wild comfrey, another member of the borage. It can be used to create a powerful liquid fertiliser, as well as a compost activator to produce enriched compost. Because of its traditional uses in herbal medicine, comfrey has also been cultivated in thousands of farmyards and kitchen gardens. Comfrey forage averaged about 89% moisture in minnesota trials table 1. Comfrey provides a low fi ber, high protein, high mineral feed replacing more costly concentrates which contain soybeans and animal byproducts for protein. Montana herbal comfrey salve is the best on the market and its. Signifi cant cash savings feeding comfrey with minimal soycorn based animal feed can be realized by you. It gets its name from the appearance of its leaves that look like a dogs tongue, which translates to cynoglossum in greek. Or better still, download this pdf, it has more info than the site. It is high in protein 22% and has a high yield, up to 100120 tons an acre. Comfrey root is used to relieve pain from blunt injuries, promote healing of broken bones, sprains and bruises, reduce swelling and edema, and encourage the rapid and healthy regrowth of skin and tissue cells.
Adding comfrey to your bathwater is said to help your skin stay young and smooth. Youtube video 10 minutes about planting comfrey by pacific northwest outdoors. The large hairy leaves are an excellent source of the three macronutrients found in fertilizer. Growing and foraging for comfrey grow forage cook ferment. The indications for which randomized clinical trials of ointments containing these kinds of extracts have been conducted include wound healing, myalgia and acute ankle joint.
Comfrey for compost and mulch hills boldly states that no other plant will produce as much biomass for composting when grow in an out of the way corner as comfrey. Comfrey 72698578 and one of its constituent alkaloids. It can create a fertiliser base within the soil, as well as a nutritious mulch on top. The plant needs no special care and grows in partial shade to sun. Both have medicinal uses but carry a risk of liver problems when used incorrectly. Harvest the leaves and put them just halfway in a container. Comfrey root uses and benefitsmedicinal properties of. Allantoin is a protein with hormonal type qualities which have wide ranging benefits as a poultice used on burns, sprains and fractures. A really good comfrey cultivar for you is russian comfrey symphytum x uplandicum bocking 14 because it is sterile and doesnt set seed. It gets its name from the appearance of its leaves that look like a dogs tongue, which translates to cynoglossum in greek distribution.
Oct 09, 2014 while the project is named after comfrey, many of us dont know much about this humble and amazing plant. Comfrey yields are frequently reported on a freshweight basis, which exaggerates the yield potential of the crop due to its high moisture content. The coiled sprays of comfrey blooms, which are belllike, deeply parted, fivelobed, and. Russian comfrey, bocking 14 cultivar preorder seeds. It is thought that allantoin and rosmarinic acid are the constituents mainly responsible for comfreys healing and antiinflammatory actions. Pdfdateien in einzelne seiten aufteilen, seiten loschen oder drehen, pdfdateien einfach zusammenfugen oder. Im super sad because comfrey is such a useful medicinal herb when used appropriately. It thrives on compost and natural fertilizers brewed from comfrey or seaweed and uses only rain, natural groundwater or. It is a very good perennial fodder herb for animals. It produces clusters of purple, blue, and white flowers, and its famous for its long. Comfrey is a european medicinal plant with a long history of use on broken bones, sprained ankles, bruising, inflammation and muscular pains. Effect of a blend of comfrey root extract symphytum.
Comfrey s ymphytum officinale is probably the most popular dynamic accumulator. It has a range of uses from a natural medicine through being a wonderful fertiliser to being an animal feedstuff. A liquid comfrey feed has a higher npk ratio than farmyard manure. I now have 12 healthy bocking 14 comfrey plants just about ready to put in the ground.
Comfrey, any herb plant of the eurasian genus symphytum, of the family boraginaceae, especially the medicinal common comfrey s. Youll find both in herb gardens and in some flower beds. Comfrey is traditionally used for bones that are impossible or difficult to castsuch as broken toes or ribs. Upper leaves are decurrent and much smaller than the. High protein vitamins a, c, b12 rich in silicon, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, iron, iodine, trace minerals and more. The more you read about it the more you will want to be growing and foraging for comfrey. Comfrey is applied externally in the form of extracts, ointments, or compress pastes of comfrey leaves and roots to treat joint inflammatory disorders, wounds, bone fractures, gout, hematomas, and thrombophlebitis. You can also use the dead leaves to make leaf mould as a nutritious potting compost. It may contain small amounts of toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Apr 19, 2016 comfrey is also known as knitbone because its so quick at healing wounds and broken bones. Mar 18, 2014 comfrey will tolerate partial shade quite well even thrive in the right climate, say in places where summer temps reach and exceed 30c.
One might expect that new toxicity research or an unacceptable number of adverse reactions prompted these recent actions, but neither is the case. Comfrey is a shrub that grows in parts of europe, asia, and north america. An extraction scheme was devised for extraction of the alkaloids, and a gas chromatographic method was developed to quantify the two major alkaloids, symphytine and echimidine. First name email address this will also subscribe you to the grow forage cook ferment newsletter. Feb 23, 2012 in a noninterventional study of a comfrey root extract cream containing 35% of a comfrey root extract 1. Site comfrey where you are willing to allow it to live for quite some time. Any of several species of perennial herbs of the genus symphytum, often specifically symphytum officinale. Allantoin supports connective tissue regrowth and structural supportan all around good thing, i should say.
Its the only comfrey we grow around here and does great for us, although it does tend to struggle a bit in the very hottest parts of the summer. Thin soils over rock will give a poor crop, but on light sands and loams, this crop will be productive if adequate nutrients are present. Our manufacturer has over 20 years formulating comfrey products and has created a very powerful patent pending proprietary formula. Comfrey roots and leaves may contain as many as 9 pyrrolizidine alkaloids snider, 1991. Large, pointed, hairy, ovatelanceolate, dark green basal leaves grow to 8 long. Comfrey has long been used a natural remedy for speeding up the healing process. Its recommended that you go to the original site as there is more info there. It may compete slightly for water but that is the only competition i have ever noticed. This old fashioned herb has been used as both a medicinal plant and food crop for grazing animals and hogs. So deep shade is a must if you want to remove it from the ecosystem entirely, imho.
Moisture content of comfrey forage is higher than in some legume and grass forages. Comfrey is a plant with a multitude of uses not only in the home apothecary but also in the garden. The history of comfrey comfrey is a native herb in britain and has long been known as a medicinal. The plants database includes the following 4 species of symphytum. Analysis of herbal teas made from the leaves of comfrey. It is thought that allantoin and rosmarinic acid are the constituents mainly responsible for comfrey s healing and antiinflammatory actions. Dont underestimate that a tiny brown dead looking root will grow into a beautiful plant.
Its known as a dynamic accumulator, drawing minerals out of the soil and into the roots and leaves, and is also a compost accelerator, a fine ingredient in liquid manure comfrey juice, beneficial insect attractor, mulch. The ladder of which is particularly suitable for the home garden because it is sterile and doesnt. Pdf zusammenfugen online pdf dateien zusammenfugen. Integrated taxonomic information system symph2 jepson interchange university of california berkeley symph2. Effect of a blend of comfrey root extract symphytum officinale l. The borage and comfrey plants are two different species, but they are members of the same plant family and look very similar when not in bloom. Once you have established a comfrey patch it will be bard to get rid of it. Dieses kostenlose tool erlaubt es mehrere pdfs oder bilddateien miteinander zu einem pdfdokument zu verbinden. Jun 22, 2012 comfrey is a plant with a multitude of uses not only in the home apothecary but also in the garden. Therefore, crown cuttings are 2 3 times stronger than root cuttings, one. Jul, 20 comfrey is rich in potassium k, which is required for fruit production, and also contains potash p and nitrogen n. This is a photo of a toggenburg doeling in my pasture with comfrey and other plants. Comfrey can be used to help stop bleeding in wounds and when taken internally, it is said it will help stop the bleeding from ulcers, relieve diarrhea and settle an upset stomach.
Comfrey, a perennial herb native to the ditches and riverbanks of europe, has long been used in traditional medicine. Symphytum officinale, commonly called comfrey, is a large, coarse, tuberousrooted, clumping perennial to 3 tall and 2. There are up to 35 species, known by the common name comfrey pronounced. Comfrey leaves were purchased from three commercial sources and used to prepare tea in a manner consistent with the methods used by consumers.
If you were to create a list of the most important plants for a healthy garden, innocuouslooking comfrey would be high on that list. Comfrey is a perennial herb found in moist grasslands in western asia as well as in north america. I have several long rows of comfrey in various places around my gardens. Pdf zusammenfugen pdfdateien online kostenlos zu kombinieren. I use rotational grazing so they do not eat down the comfrey too much and weaken it. Symphytum is a genus of flowering plants in the borage family, boraginaceae. Because comfrey may contain pas, which have caused cancer and liver damage in animal studies, and because the root contains it in higher. Comfrey is propagated from root cuttings, crown divisions, and transplants. In western europe, comfrey has been used topically for treating inflammatory disorders such as arthritis, gout, and thrombophlebitis, and internally for treating diarrhea. Jan 17, 2019 comfrey s original name, knitbone, derives from the external use of poultices of its leaves and roots to heal burns, sprains, swelling, and bruises. Comfrey has been used both internally and externally as an herbal medicine for more than 2,000 years in many countries rode, 2002.
Im not sure it was ever even a viable comfrey plant to begin with. May 14, 2012 common comfrey symphytum officinale is a perennial herb native to europe and asia but now found in the wild worldwide. I now have a beautiful comfrey plant growing in my garden. Once these plants get to a certain size they can be chopped and left in place as mulch and compost. I see no reason for them not to replace my order with a healthy clipping.
Comfrey is also a long standing medicinal and contains allantoin. Comfrey symphytum officinale is a bit of a wonder plant. Comfrey the ideal plant for permaculture applications. As with all growing things, the more mature grades of comfrey are progressively stronger. Comfrey is rich in potassium k, which is required for fruit production, and also contains potash p and nitrogen n. Comfrey is adaptable to many soils, but prefers moist, fertile soils. The coiled sprays of comfrey blooms, which are belllike, deeply parted, fivelobed, and hanging, are usually pollinated by bees. Our pdf merger allows you to quickly combine multiple pdf files into one single pdf document, in just a few clicks. Click below on a thumbnail map or name for species profiles. The way comfrey improves the quality of the soil means that you can plant it in with anything. It might look like a leafy giant that pops up everywhere, but comfrey is an important herb, both for your health and the health of your garden. The major unsaturated pyrrolizidine alkaloids in comfrey are the monoesters lycopsamine and intermedine, their acetyl derivatives, 7acetyllycopsamine and 7acetylintermedine, and symphytine vollmer et al. Usda hardiness zones and comfrey comfrey is a hardy, robust perennial good in zones 39 so it can be planted everywhere in the united states except northern alaska and the southern tip of florida.