10/22/2020
bees love thier flowers
"In Praise of Comfrey
Bone knitter and skin sealer
Sea of strong green leaves"
Ode by our friend and plant steward, Mary Plantwalker of Herb Mountain Farm—a botanical sanctuary and retreat center tended by Mary and her husband, Hart.
"In the 80’s, Hart brought a handful of comfrey (Symphytum asperum) to this land, and over the years, it has turned into a sea of comfrey. He put it under all the fruit trees, to feed their roots, and any time a little root was caught in the tilling of soil, another plant sprouted. Seems we have enough comfrey to heal an army!
When I was 22, I cut my finger down to the bone and I turned to comfrey to heal the wound. I was living ‘back to the land’, no running water and not much amenities and one thing I failed to do was clean the wound before I bandaged it with comfrey.
I was amazed to see in no time the skin began to repair itself, as if I had stitches, but it got infected underneath and I learned my lesson to first clean the wound well with antibacterial herbal washes before wrapping it in comfrey! Comfrey does it’s job so well and it does it fast!!!
When my first child was born, I had severe tears and had to be sewn back together, but a daily sitz bath of an infusion of comfrey root (after cleaning first with calendula, lavender and rose), brought a speedy recovery with no scarring, and I had no tears from my second child’s birth!
Let me just say, in short, that the power of this herb should not be underestimated!
Have you ever made comfrey tea for your garden by soaking the leaves in water for a few days? If so, you will never forget the smell, but that stuff works miracles on your plants, just like it does on us. And holy moly is it great fodder for animals!!!"
Mary is a wealth of information on plants and herb gardening. You can find more of her writings on our blog, including this article on Medicinal Herb Gardening for Beginners:
https://chestnutherbs.com/medicinal-herb-gardening-for-beginners/
You can also follow Mary on Instagram for more magical photos and plant praises: https://www.instagram.com/herbmountainfarm/
*Comfrey is best used as a topical remedy. Although some herbalists use it internally, comfrey contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which can damage the liver. Please research any new herb and consult your health care providers for possible drug/herb contraindications and precautions before ingesting. Be sure of your identification before ingesting any plant or mushroom.
Photo by Mary Plantwalker.