Growing Comfrey

We had been hearing about the numerous helpful properties of comfrey and wanted to plant some in our garden.  As if reading our minds, a friend of ours gave Tricia some comfrey they had in their garden.  It was dug up by the roots and wrapped in a paper towel and my wife brought it home.  By the time I got home in the afternoon, the plant had wilted and looked terrible.  I promptly took it out to the garden, planted it, and watered it, hoping to revive it so that it would grow, but after a few days, I noted the time of death and sadly mourned the passing of our comfrey plant. I remember going inside and asking the Queen of Our Maker's Acres Family Farm to make sure to water bare root plants in the future so that they don't die - like our ill-fated comfrey.

Imagine my surprise (and shame) when a month later I saw green growth coming up out of the ground in the location by the compost pile where I had planted the comfrey!  It's ALIVE!! The comfrey grew back from the roots and it has flourished. Here's a picture of the plant:

Comfrey flourishing by the compost pile

Now to the things that comfrey can be used for.  First, comfrey contains a chemical compound called allantoin.  Allantoin moisturizes and promotes in cell growth.  It is a healing aid to help with swelling or inflammation, soreness or in relief of rashes or blistering of the skin.

A poultice can be made by boiling the fleshy, leathery leaves in water and then wringing out the leaves and then putting the warm, softened leaves into a cloth and applying it to the injured part. We've not done this yet, so I cannot give a review of the results, but we intend to and I'll let you know our thoughts.

Healing Leaves

In the articles that I read on comfrey like this article HERE, I learned that comfrey is a liver toxin and as a result, it isn't to be taken orally, applied to broken skin, or fed to livestock - so there's that note of caution!  Comfrey has been used throughout the ages for its healing properties and I was surprised to learn that it was once called, knitbone, or boneset, for its ability to help mend bone fractures.

Image Credit

Another one of the good aspects of comfrey is that it is known as a 'miner.'  It sends out a root system that can go down 10 feet.  This brings up nutrients that might not otherwise be accessed by other plants in the garden and allows those nutrients to be used.  Additionally, comfrey, when mixed in the compost pile, is said to aid in the decomposition of the pile, similar to what manure does.  Some people use it as a soil conditioner or fertilizer and lay the leaves in the ground when planting potatoes.   

Healthy comfrey

Comfrey can be harvested by simply cutting it all down to about two inches above the soil level and it will grow back in a month, allowing you to harvest again.  The leaves can be dried and stored so that you can use them later.  We're new to growing comfrey, so stay tuned and we'll report back our experience using it.