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Comfrey Leaf Heals Tissue And More

2nd January, 2011 - Posted by health news - No Comments

Comfrey has also been called boneset, nipbone, knitbone, and healing herb and for good reason. It has a long history of effectiveness as a healer plant, especially for being able to knit bones.

The Comfrey leaf is similar to Foxglove leaves, though they have smaller veins not extending into the wings of the leaf-stalk. The leafy stem, 2 to 3 feet high, is stout, angular and hollow, broadly winged at the top and covered with bristly hairs. The lower, radical leaves are very large, up to 10 inches long and covered with rough hairs which make people itch when they touch them. The flowers are either creamy yellow or purple, growing on short stalks. They appear in April or early May.

Comfrey is best known as the herb that heals tissue on contact. Until 200 years ago, the Comfrey leaf was only used externally to heal cuts, burns, skin ulcers, varicose veins, bronchitis, and rheumatism. Then the leaf started to be used as a tea and gargled or used as a mouthwash to relieve throat infections, hoarseness, and bleeding gums. It is rich in calcium and vitamin C and contains carotene (vitamin A), B12, and chlorophyll.

Comfrey is used for a variety of ailments including rheumatism, colitis, diarrhea, varicose veins, assorted pulmonary complaints (pleurisy, bronchitis, bronchopneumonia), metritis, and periostitis. It is also used as a laxative and a sedative.

Comfrey’s effective healing agent is Allantoin. This is able to help accelerate the healing process by growing new flesh and bone cells. It also reduces the inflammation that results from pulled tendons. A tincture may be used to treat acne and athletes foot. Comfrey tea and extract has been used as a douche for yeast infections. Poultices are applied to sore and caked breasts to cause tenderness to subside quickly.

Comfrey leaves and shoots are also used as a vegetable and are often ground up in a blender or some other type of mechanical device to form the basis of “green drinks” which have become increasingly popular among health conscious individuals.

A modern medicinal tincture, employed by homoeopaths, is made from the root with spirits of wine, and 10 drops in a tablespoonful of water are administered several times a day. Internally, the leaves are taken in the form of an infusion, 1 oz. of the leaves to 1 pint of boiling water.

Many claim that comfrey is so safe that anyone can use as much as they want any time. However, a few precautions are in order. Care should be taken when using Comfrey with very deep wounds as its rapid healing power can lead to tissue forming over the wound before it is healed deeper down, possibly leading to abscesses. Make sure that wounds are thoroughly cleaned and protected from infection.