Acne, Scars, Wounds
★★★★★
My sister's neck was really scraped up and brush-burned really bad and looked terrible...she was screamingcrying a lot! I put a crushed, fresh comfrey leaf on.. and in seconds she calmed down and was relaxed!!! The next morning it didn't look half as bad!!!!!! Thank God for healing herbs :) :)
Ankle Sprains
★★★★★
(Amsterdam)
04/22/2019
Hi JoCarol, Thank you for your post. Can you please give more details. Was this remedy applied topically or taken as a tonic? I'm guessing a tonic, but can you please specify if internal tonic, how much was drunk and how often (1 cup every hour for example)? Thank you.
(Idaho)
03/21/2020
★★★★★
I'm sorry I did not see your post. We just put about a cup in a large kettle and make a tea and he soaked his foot in it. And would do that throughout the day with the same tea just rewarmed it up each time.
Bed Sores
★★★★★
Thank You, Thank You, Radiance Swan
(New Zealand)
04/23/2022
Radiance (WA), I broadly concur regarding your comments concerning Comfrey!
It always worried me to read that people were advocating taking Comfrey internally, as I had often read that it had the POTENTIAL to possibly damage the liver. As my dearly beloved Aunt would say, "You Have Been Warned!! ".
It's not difficult to do the research on this one but I can see why people get confused! Both my (library) books on Herbs, Spices and Folk Remedies that date from a few decades ago(! ) see no problem with making a tea out of the leaves.
HOWEVER, Asa Hershoff N.D.and Andrea Rotelli N.D. in their more recent publication, "Herbal Remedies"(Avery: 2001), caution that prolonged use is contraindicated. They would also prefer that only the leaf of the American Comfrey variety be used rather than the roots and even suggest not utilizing external ointments for longer than one month. There are other cautions they mention - one really ought to do one's OWN research before diving into the deep end on this one!
Apparently, in most commercially produced preparations, the suspected, implicated alkaloids have been carefully removed but who knows?
I use Comfrey leaves in my compost heap, as, along with seaweed, it is supposed to be a beneficial activator for the workings of the compost heap and, as you folks already know: "The Answer lies in the Soil". I harvest the leaves before I cut the flowers off and this also serves to help stop it spreading, which it would otherwise have a strong tendency to do.
Cheers from Down Under
(TN)
04/23/2022
★★★★★
Dear Radiance Swan,
As Paracelsus said, "The dose makes the poison."
There are quite a few controversial remedies discussed on this website that are difficult to find discussed in other places. Borax, for example. I am thankful that there is a place to discuss and learn about their uses even when various organizations might villainize or ban them.
In his tome, "Medical Herbalism, " David Hoffman, FNIMH, AHG says, "Long-term studies with rats have demonstrated that the pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) in comfrey are hepatotoxic, carcinogenic, and mutagenic...The herb must therefore be recognized as a potentially genotoxic carcinogen in man. However, the risk of genetic damage from these PAs appears to be low...To minimize potential risk, lengthy internal use is to be discouraged." He does go on to describe ways to use it internally.
I have found that many herbalists seem to agree with this approach. Few seem to be inclined to completely ban internal use (except for the root, which is generally considered to be used only externally.)
Recently I used fresh comfrey leaves internally when I had a suspected ulcer (from a prescription I was taking.) I felt that the risk of using comfrey internally was probably less than the risk from another prescription. And all ulcer symptoms did resolve in short order.
I would hate to see the feedback about the internal uses erased from this site, as that would reduce our power as consumers to make our decisions about the remedies we use. And the article that mentions comfrey tea does state, "While comfrey is a folk remedy that is still commonly recommended by herbalists, some scientists are concerned about the safety of comfrey, believing it to be harmful to the liver. You should do your own research and use wisdom and common sense about the use of any herbs. A natural practitioner will be able to help you understand any specific concerns about comfrey use for your own situation."
Definitely everyone should do their own research about what works best for them. No one should use a remedy that they are uncomfortable with.
~Mama to Many~
(Australia)
10/31/2022
That is rubbish about it being toxic to the liver. I have many of the old books on comphrey/comfrey (Laurence Hills and Doubleday publishing and other authors) and they state unequivocally that comfrey was used internally and externally with NIL issues for both humans and animals. In fact, animals THRIVE on it.
The "science" denigrating comfrey is fake and like many herbs, the medico/pharma junta set out to discredit anything that they can't make money from (ie cheap and effective herbs).
Please DO some REAL research and find out the truth and stop being a mindless repeating station for bunkum that that Big Pharma want you to keep repeating and scare people off.
There are enough people, including myself who eat, drink and have in smoothies. I grow it and make comphrey oil and give it to people to injure themselves or have skin issues and it HEALS.
There is NO ISSUE with ingesting the stuff. If you want to be scared off, you will. If you want to do some actual research (and get behind the smokescreen they have generated - and I have discovered that also includes the "prestigious" Australian CSIRO (which has also a reputation for killing off Peter Andrews wonderful work on regenerating farmland so water is attracted to it)).
You have to really drill into the historical documents to find the truth. I believe the CSIRO scientist who did the research (finding "so many more alkalysing pyrroloids" than ever before) was put up to it, to kill people's faith in this remedy.
My advice: If you are sick, try it. It will NOT kill you. You are more likely to be cured more than anything else.
Yes I have Honours in Biochemistry, and I research until I get to the truth.
I suggest the people squarking about the "liver damage" danger, do likewise.
Go back to Lawrence Hills' well researched work. It isn't easy to find but there are pdf versions if you hunt them up.
Take it and get healed and avoid the medical/pharma juganaut that is NOT for your health. They just want to empty your bank account into theirs.
I guess apples and cherries will be next. After all, if you extract and concentrate the cyanide in them and other produce, then inject that concentrated extract into rats at rates that would require a rat to eat 10 truckloads of apples or cherries, guess what's going to happen.
If comfrey was dangerous, man would have died out millennia ago, when the hunters and gatherers parted ways.
Bone Fractures
★★★★★
She writes, "Comfrey is one of the most well-known healing plants, especially for its ability to heal tissue and bone (due to its allantoin content, which promotes the growth of connective tissue, bone, and cartilage, and is easily absorbed through the skin). Besides broken bones, these externally poulticed leaves and roots are also used for cuts, bruises and sprains."
Recipe: Comfrey is best used fresh and simmered. Use the sticky paste to make a compress and attach it with an elastic bandage. Use every night. This will speed the healing of the fracture dramatically.
To heal her fractures, every night Cloe would grind several tablespoons of comfrey with a mortar and would bring it to a boil with a few spoons of water. She then would make a paste out of it, spread the paste on a cotton cloth, wrap it around her arm, and put elastic bands or safety pins in to secure it. Even though she had 2 fractures, Cloe decided not to wear a cast but a sling, which is why she could take off the sling at night.
Writes Cloe, "The feeling of that compress was heavenly. Even though everyone said I'd always know where my arm was broken (rain and humidity brings back the pain for the rest of your life), I never felt it and I attribute that to the comfrey compress routine. It's known to heal wounds extremely fast as well (I use a pre-made ointment of comfrey and aloe on scratches and minor wounds and they disappear overnight). I see comfrey as the crazy glue of broken bones and skin..."
Comfrey Caveats:
Not recommended for internal use as there is some controversy about carcinogenic effects. The controversy around the use of this plant concerns its pyrrolizidine alkaloid components, which are considered carcinogenic to the liver; however, these studies have been performed on rats that were fed up to 33% of their diet in comfrey leaf. Studies done with the whole plant (rather than with isolated constituents) do not show carcinogenic effects but rather the opposite. In fact, the Japanese use comfrey vinegar extracts for treating cirrhosis of the liver.
Broken Bones
★★★★★
Mama to Many you asked me to report back and post how well the bottled comfrey extract helped and here it is. This is an update on my fall in front of Penn Station in New York in early June. It is now four months later.
I used two different companies, one with alcohol and one without alcohol. I rubbed the wrist and hand with comfrey several times of day to hasten the healing my wrist which was complicated by my senior plus pre-diabetic physical conditions. I did the above lavishly for about a month until the pain began to subside.
The x-ray revealed that my bone was fractured in two places. The Comfrey Extract relieved the pain in the early healing process. As my wrist started to heal, I would forget it was sprained because of the lack of pain. Sometimes I put too heavy a load on that hand in the spur moment without thought.
One such moment I thought I smelled smoke in the middle of the night during a visit with my aunt. Quickly as I pushed up (my knees need help) I seemed to have stretched the ligaments in my wrist in that hand, the pain was so great. After that nothing helped to move the pain, however I continued to use the comfrey a while longer. Soon read about Silica and Horsetail to help in mending the bone. I have been taking the Silica and Horsetail supplements for about two months. My wrist no longer feels detached from my hand. And there is hardly any pain except if I over use my hand. I sometimes I put the comfrey extract on at night if I have over use pain.
A new problem seems to have developed in my hand now. I can feel a bump or cysts under the skin. If you have any Idea how I can dissolve them it would be a great blessing. I will continue rubbing on castor oil. I have tried holding taping to it twice. I do need to be more consistent.
EC I would also like to mention my progress with my hair and nails. It may take a while before I find my post regarding hairballs and strange horizontal looking lines across my fingernails.
I posted how my hair started growing while taking supplements to resist COVID in early 2020.
After a while I was convinced it was the Lecithin that had started my hair growing and smoothed my nails out in early 2020. Outside of the virus prevention supplements, I was also taking some other things like the Lecithin and Bamboo. Bamboo is a Silica supplement.
The hairballs which showed back up after I slowed down on the Covid supplements and other supplements have once again come to naught. No more hairballs! It's got to be the help of Silica.
https://www.hairguard.com/benefits-bamboo-extract/
Thank you very much,
HisJewel
(TN)
10/04/2021
Dear Hisjewel,
Thank you for your thorough and helpful update! I will have to look into silica for my own hair!
I have used fresh comfrey in smoothies and even sauteed and made and used comfrey salve. But not the comfrey tincture. I need to make some! Would you happen to know if your comfrey extract was from comfrey leaf or root?
Love,
~Mama to Many~
(New York)
10/05/2021
Yes Mama to Many,
Both comfrey extracts were root. I used Herb Pharm dried root extract and Dr. Christopher's original formula root extract.
Much Appreciation,
HisJewel
(New York)
10/05/2021
★★★★★
O Mama,
I forgot to mention, My doctor had me up for hand surgery. I cancelled it because my wrist no longer feels detached from my hand, and I took note that my hand is regaining strength with the blessings that the Good Lord has provided for me to use.
HisJewel
Broken Bones
★★★★★
Broken Bones
★★★★★
He called my husband and I and I told him about comfrey ointment. He was pretty stressed out and desperate as he and his wife had just sold their property and were packing up to leave in a few weeks. He decided to give it a try. He applied the cream three times a day for a week.
When he returned to the hospital he told the doctor he was healed. Of course she didn't believe him until she pressed, twisted and pushed on his foot without him uttering a sound.
She had another look at the x-ray and it definitely showed the broken bone.
Just over a week ago, a young friend had a fall off his motor bike and broke his collar bone. Of course I had to mentioned about the comfrey ointment and relayed the above testimony.
He was pretty excited and the next day, his fiance bought a jar from the chemist and he started to apply it to the area. I saw him two days ago and he said he was able to sleep and could move his arm up, down and around, without pain, whereas before the ends of the bones were touching and causing him great discomfort. He is yet to have his doctor's appointment, but judging by the progress so far, he won't be taking six weeks to heal.
(Melbourne, Australia)
09/21/2014
★★★★★
Update: My friend with the broken collar bone was healed in three weeks. He applied the cream, made from the plant root, three times a day.
After two weeks he told me that there were six breaks in the bone. The thought came to me that he may be a sugar consumer so I suggested he avoid sugar and soft drinks (soda). These acids cause leaching of calcium (alkaline) out of the bones as the body frantically tries to neutralize the increased acidity in the blood. The added loss of calcium from the bones, slows down the healing process. In addition, this causes them to be weak and prone to breaking or fracturing in the first place.
(Tampa, Florida)
09/27/2017
My mother is 87 years old. About 3 months ago she broke her neck vertebrae C2. The doctors said she is too old to go through the surgery and that she would have to wear a neck brace the rest of her life. The only time she doesn't have the neck brace on is when she's showering . So she basically where's it 24/7 . In your opinion, do you think the comfrey ointment would heal my moms neck? I suppose it's worth a try, it surely can't hurt.
(Tn)
09/27/2017
★★★★★
Dear Rita
It would definitely be worth a try! I use comfrey all the time and absolutely love it.
You can guarantee a stronger ointment if you make it yourself. If you are interested in making it, I will share a recipe.
Bone broth would be a good addition to the diet to promote bone and joint healing as well.
~Mama to Many~
Hi Rita, the best thing that I ever tried for broken bone is taking internally Mummia, mumia, or mÅ«miyÄ (in old Arabic books, where I read about it).
May be it is the synonym of Asphaltum, (Shilajit in an Indian Sanskrit)
(Arcadia, Ca)
09/27/2017
Dear Mama to Many,
Would love your recipe for your comfrey gel.
Thank you very much,
Blessings, Mary
(Tn)
09/28/2017
Dear Mary,
Here is how I make Comfrey Salve:
I usually use dried comfrey leaf from Mountain Rose Herbs.
Sometimes I used dried fresh comfrey leaf. (I always should since I have a comfrey plant but I get lazy.)
Fresh leaves, if you have access to them, can be cleaned and dried in an oven on very low heat. You want them dry but not completely brittle.
I fill a mason jar 2/3 full of comfrey leaves. I then cover that with oil until jar is 3/4 full. It can be all olive oil or almond oil. But I usually add in some castor oil since it is good for pain. (No more than 1/3 of it should be castor. It is pretty greasy and not sure if it extracts the comfrey as well as olive or almond.)
The leaves should be completely submerged in oil.
I allow this to sit for 2 weeks in a cool dry place. OR I put the closed jar on a washcloth (to prevent cracking) in a crock pot and fill the crock pot with water to just below the lid (you don't want water to seep into the mixture.) I put the crock pot on warm or low for 3-4 days. (Low if I will be around enough to keep refilling the water. If it goes dry you may crack the jar.)
After you have infused the oil with one of the above methods, use a square of a clean t shirt or sheet that you can part with. Use this square to strain out the oil into another jar. Squeeze as much oil out as you can. Toss spent herbs or compost or feed to chickens.
Now you have comfrey infused oil. You can use this oil as is. Or you can melt in beeswax to make a salve. I have done both.
To melt in beeswax, first weigh your oil, then use a double boiler and reheat the infused oil. For every 4 ounces (by weight) of oil, add 1 T. beeswax pastilles. (Little granules.) Melt them in and then pour your mixture into a jar or tin. I usually test before pouring by putting a bit in the freezer for a couple of minutes. If it is too soft, add more beesax. If too firm, add a little more olive oil.
You can add vitamin e or essential oils to but I rarely do that anymore unless I have a specific purpose in mind. These infused oils last a good while and I like the simplicity.
Comfrey salve oil is also amazing for skin rashes, burns, hemorrhoids, and chapped lips.
Enjoy!
~Mama to Many~
The awesomeness of a real crock pot is that the bottom isn't heated.
If you have an old one, you can create distilled water, as needed. With the all glass lid, all you have to do is add water, float a bowl in it and put the lid on upside down. REMEMBERING to let it cool before you try to remove the bowl.
Recently burned my fingers making distilled water this way which is the cause of my renewed interest and deeper dive into comfrey, LOL! Which I'll be planting, as soon as the root cuttings arrive. I also bought seeds....and a root crown...going a bit overboard...but that's my "style"! ROFL!! Or, at least, that's my STORY - but I'm sticking to it!
(Arcadia, Ca)
09/29/2017
Mama to Many;
Thank you so much for your recipe. I truly appreciate it.
Blessings always,
Mary Martinez
Broken Bones
★★★★★
About a month ago I stubbed my toe very hard. I expected it to hurt bad, but nothing happened until a few hours later and then it started swelling and hurting real bad. Turned all black & blue. Before bed I couldn't take it anymore so I put some Comfrey salve on it and sprayed it with a pain killer spray that I had and slepted all night. I awoke in the morning with very little pain. It took a little while to heal but I believe that salve helped it to heal faster.
Romona
Broken Bones
★★★★★
(Shawnee Mission, Kansas)
01/03/2009
The name Majestic Mountain Sage is correct. However, in reordering, I found that using Majestic Mountain Sage in a Google search produced a string of websites for other suppliers, none of which was Majestic Mountain Sage. The correct name for contacting Majestic Mountain Sage is thesage.com. Other suppliers of allantoin are primarily Chinese and European manufacturers seeking manufacturing contacts. None that I could find offered small qunatities of allantoin, If anyone knows of a source for allantoin USP (allantoin that meets the United States Pharmacopoeia standards) please post the information. Thanks.
Broken Bones
★★★★★
Broken Bones
★★★★★
Broken Bones, Bruising
★★★★★
Cartilage Damage, Scars
★★★★★
I have a lipoma and I heard comfrey leaf might help. I ordered some comfrey leaf plantain leaf tea from someone on etsy and comfrey leaf tablets and took them three times a day and drank a pot of tea daily. Well, it did nothing for my lipoma but I had an indented scar on the side tip of my nose that dug into my cartilage from a cancerous growth being removed. After two weeks it started filling in.
I've had this scar for four years, got injections used salves oils and creams and nothing a big hole in my nose. Now its almost filled in and I am shocked. Doctors said I would need an implant.
Chickens
I can't see any visible signs of trauma or break on her foot or leg. But obviously she has an injury. So I am putting fresh comfrey leaves out for all of my chickens to eat; it will be good for all of them and especially for my lame chicken. I will let you know how she does.
One picture below shows a chicken enjoying a comfrey leaf; the other is two of my sons holding the lame chicken after I checked out her foot.
~Mama to Many~
(Emerald City)
07/27/2017
How did it go? Hope your chicken bounced back :)
(Tn)
07/27/2017
★★★★★
Dear Zark,
Thanks for checking!
I am happy to say I can't even tell which hen had the injury. The whole flock of them spend the day running around after bugs. (Hopefully they are eating a lot of ticks! )
~Mama to Many~
Comfrey Alternatives
★★★★★
Dosages for DMSO mixed with comfrey on a per day basis is estimated to be about 10 drops per day based on mixture I mentioned. Please understand that use of DMSO will result in you getting garlic odor. You can reduce this if you halved your dosages or drinking diluted hydrogen peroxide will also help reduce the smell. The reason why it smells garlic is because your body is hungry for oxygen. What it does is it takes out the oxygen component from the DMSO to get DMS. Now if the water you drink is high in hydrogen peroxide (water with not over 0.5% food grade H2O2), then the oxygen will come from H2O2 component more readily, reducing the garlic smell somewhat. Of course you can try MSM which is an DMSO with one more oxygen, this will get rid of the problem and will also help with healing of fractures. Of course, MSM is not as good of solvent for allantoin as DMSO.
