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What are the benefits of comfrey tea?
Comfrey Tea Health Benefits wound healing. relief from excessive menstrual flow. scar reduction. burn relief. treatment of bronchitis. treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. treatment for rashes or insect bites. treatment of broken bones, sprains, strains.
Is comfrey illegal in the US?
Comfrey is no longer sold in the U.S., except in creams or ointments. The United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and Germany also have banned the sale of oral products containing comfrey. The dangerous substances in comfrey are also absorbed through the skin, so harmful amounts may build up in the body.
Is comfrey tea good for bones?
Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) acts as an anti-inflammatory to promote healing of bruises, sprains, and open wounds when applied topically. The roots and leaves of this plant contain the protein allantoin, which stimulates cell proliferation and promote wound and bone healings.
Which comfrey is medicinal?
For over 2,000 years, comfrey root and other parts of the herb have been used to treat a variety of ailments. The plant (Symphytum officinale L) belongs to the family Boraginacea and has been valued in traditional medicine for its anti-inflammatory, analgesic and astringent properties.
Is comfrey tea safe to drink?
When taken by mouth: Comfrey is LIKELY UNSAFE for anyone when taken by mouth. It contains chemicals (pyrrolizidine alkaloids, PAs) that can cause liver damage, lung damage, and cancer. The FDA has recommended that all oral comfrey products be removed from the market.
How long should comfrey tea steep?
You can also try a quick-steep method, which is similar to how you might make tea for drinking. Just pour boiling water over comfrey leaves and let the concoction sit for up to 24 hours.
Why is comfrey illegal?
The pyrrolizidine alkaloids in comfrey can cause severe liver damage, liver cancer, mutagenicity, and even death. [8,9] For this reason, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has banned the sale of oral comfrey products in the United States.
How do you make comfrey tea?
Instructions Add 1 teaspoon of dried comfrey leaves to a teapot or infuser. Heat 1 cup of water to just shy of boiling. Pour water over the tea leaves. Allow steeping for at least 10 minutes. Strain the tea and use appropriately (only consume if approved by your doctor).
Is comfrey safe externally?
Comfrey is perfectly safe to use externally and is a first choice remedy for fractures and slow healing wounds.
Is comfrey good for teeth?
A small ball of the steamed leaves, placed in the mouth against the infected tooth gave temporary pain relief. The chemical constituents of comfrey are at once useful and a cause for caution. The compounds thought to help heal tissue and relieve pain include allantoin, mucilage and rosmarinic acid.
Does comfrey heal broken bones?
Comfrey may not be an obvious choice, but it has always been such a kind plant to the garden that it should come as no surprise that is kind to the body, too. Once known as knitbone, Symphytum officinale has a long history of wound healing, particularly broken bones, torn muscles, sprains and aches.
What does comfrey do for hair?
It is the backbone of the soothing and anti-inflammatory component of comfrey and actually makes hair softer. Comfrey is helpful for hair growth because it has gamma linoleic acid, a omega-6 fatty acid, that helps stimulate skin and hair growth, which is why many cosmetic companies use comfrey.
How do you use comfrey for healing?
To make a comfrey compress, you start by first steeping the comfrey leaves in hot water to make a “tea”. Take two large handfuls of dried comfrey leaf and place them into a large, heat-proof bowl. Pour 2 quarts of nearly boiling water over the comfrey leaves, cover with a plate and let steep for 15 minutes.
How do you use comfrey medicinal?
To use comfrey externally, it may be made into a strong tea and used as a wash or it can be dried and used in an ointment or salve. If used fresh, the bruised, fresh leaf is applied directly to the skin, and the cleansed, crushed root can be applied to a minor wound if desired.
Can comfrey cure asthma?
In addition to the ability to knit bones together, comfrey claims a relief of asthma and arthritis, relieve skin irritations, ringworm, and athletes foot by using ointments that contain comfrey.
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.
Which comfrey is best?
Garden comfrey has a higher nutrient content than the common wild comfrey, and its leaves can be cut several times in a season. Our research found that the ‘Bocking 14’ variety is the best. Available from The Organic Gardening Catalogue, Garden Organic members get a 10% discount.
Why does comfrey stink?
Some comfrey tea recipes will tell you to add water at this stage, but that method will result in an almighty stink as the plethora of bacteria and microorganisms in the water get to work on digesting the comfrey and fart out all sorts of waste gases.