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How To Use Comfrey Leaves

You can use whole comfrey leaves as a poultice for sprains, arthritis, pain, and bruising. If you don’t want to walk around with a bandage of leaves sticking to you then you can make comfrey oil. Rub it onto the same injuries like a massage oil but avoid putting it on broken skin or wounds.

What can I do with comfrey leaves?

7 Best Uses for Comfrey Vigorous comfrey plants regrow after greens are harvested for compost or mulch. Garlic is tucked in with a double mulch of chopped comfrey and rotted hay. A comfrey root poultice can speed healing of sprains and bruises. Use dried leaves to make comfrey tea for houseplants.

How do you use comfrey for healing?

You can use dried or fresh comfrey leaves. If using fresh, gently bruise the leaves before steeping to help release their oils. You can also use dried and powdered comfrey root. If using comfrey root, use about 2 tablespoons for two quarts of water.

What part of comfrey is edible?

It isn’t eaten a lot, as it has a slightly hairy, rough texture as the leaves age, but the young leaves and buds are very tender and delicious in recipes such as Comfrey Leaf Lemonade Fritters. The leaves are used a lot as a herbal tea.

How do you prepare comfrey?

Fill a jar about 2/3rds full with dried comfrey leaves or dried comfrey root. Cover with a neutral oil, such as olive oil, and allow the herbs to infuse into the oil for about 4-6 weeks before straining. If you’re using fresh herbs, or trying to make comfrey salve in less than 4-6 weeks, try the heat infusion method.

Can you drink comfrey leaf tea?

While you can make comfrey tea at home, health experts do not advise that you drink the tea. 2 For that reason, some fans of the herbal treatment make comfrey tea, allow it to cool, and apply it topically to the skin or to areas of the body where aches and pains are present.

Can I eat comfrey leaves?

Historically, some people have eaten comfrey leaves as a vegetable. You can also drink dried comfrey root and leaves as tea. Today, eating or taking any form of comfrey by mouth isn’t recommended. It’s considered unsafe, due to the pyrrolizidine alkaloids that comfrey contains.

Is comfrey good for tomatoes?

Comfrey has very deep roots, which means it extracts large quantities of nutrients from far below the soil’s surface, inaccessible to other plants. It’s especially rich in potassium, making it the ideal feed to promote flowers and fruits in a range of plants, including tomatoes.

What is comfrey good for in the garden?

Use as a mulch. Chop up comfrey leaves with grass cuttings, and place a 5cm layer on the surface of the soil around all plants. This will slowly rot down to provide nutrients, and act as a mulch to keep in moisture and help control weeds. As they break down, the plant roots will access the potassium-rich fertiliser.

How do you use a comfrey poultice?

Snugly wrap the cloth around the injured limb. Wrap second cloth (or ace bandage or twine) around and tie to secure. Leave the compress on affected area anywhere from four to six hours. Refresh with fresh comfrey as needed.

Is comfrey good for inflammation?

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) is sometimes used on the skin to treat wounds and reduce inflammation from sprains and broken bones. Comfrey roots and leaves contain allantoin, a substance that helps new skin cells grow, along with other substances that reduce inflammation and keep skin healthy.

How do you cook comfrey leaves?

Cook the sliced onion gently in butter in a large saucepan until soft. Add potato and sauté. Add comfrey and sauté all together for several minutes. Add stock, bring to boil and then simmer gently until vegetables are tender. Mash potatoes with a potato masher or if you prefer a smooth consistency blend in a blender.

What does comfrey tea taste like?

Comfrey has a pleasant but mild cucumber-like taste, much like borage. Young comfrey leaves are quite good to eat. They’re slightly hairy and have a mucilaginous texture.

Is comfrey toxic to dogs?

But be warned, dogs should not eat or lick it, as it can be toxic to them and will cause gastrointestinal problems if ingested in large amounts. Although comfrey also contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, primarily on the root, which cause liver problems when ingested in large quantities.

What can I do with comfrey stems?

7 Best Uses for Comfrey Vigorous comfrey plants regrow after greens are harvested for compost or mulch. Garlic is tucked in with a double mulch of chopped comfrey and rotted hay. A comfrey root poultice can speed healing of sprains and bruises. Use dried leaves to make comfrey tea for houseplants.

How do you harvest and dry comfrey leaves?

Spread the leaves out evenly along the thread so that they get good air flow around them. Leave this to hang in the sun all day. Before the dew comes again in the evening take the leaves down and bring them inside where you will hang them up somewhere safe to finish the process.