Comfrey

(Symphytum officinale)

Basic Product Information Sheet – Please conduct your own research as appropriate.

We have many reasons for growing Comfrey, here are some:

1. They are easy to grow. They practically grow themselves. A small portion of root and some soil is about all it takes.
   • How they reproduce – method 1 – from the rhizome (root). From the original root the leaves will grow as they harvest the sun’s energy they create additional roots and spread that way. Unlike sunchokes and bamboo, the roots generally stay packed closer to the original meaning it is possible to remove all of the root and plant should you change your mind about growing them.
   • How they reproduce – method 2 – Most of my comfrey are a Russian variety which does not produce seed. Native comfrey in Virginia would produce seed and can be much more difficult to inhibit the spread of the plant.
   • How to propagate – I dig up some of the rhizomes each fall and store them in a cool dark place like the garage. When spring comes, I plant them in areas where I want more comfrey, which is pretty much everywhere.
2. They are Beautiful. I mean all plants are, so what makes this one beautiful? Well the leaves are typically broad and dark green while the lead steams are lighter. They spread low to the ground making them excellent for shading and out competing weeds and grasses. When they flower they have small purple flowers.

1. They can be eaten. I am pretty sure this is discouraged by authoritative medical and governmental recommendations, so please do so at your own risk. (Perhaps I can do a future post about it, here or you can research it). I think there would be no contrary opinion to the statement that it is nutritionally dense and many people feed it to certain livestock, again please research for yourself.
2. Other uses.
   • The leaves are frequently cut to use as mulch. With a high nitrogen content and an ability to grow back after a severe scalping comfrey could be used just for that purpose
   • It has been used in traditional herbal medicines even getting the name “boneknit” at some point. Like any powerful healing product there are rules and guidance for how to do so and some risks if you throw caution to the wind. Research and evaluate for yourself as appropriate. We have processed the comfrey into a salve which we share with some family and friends, they were impressed with some of the pain relieving benefits they experienced as a result. (picture)

Here is some research.

Today, multiple randomized controlled trials have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of comfrey preparations for the topical treatment of pain, inflammation and swelling of muscles and joints in degenerative arthritis, acute myalgia in the back, sprains, contusions and strains after sports injuries and accidents, also in children aged 3 or 4 and over. 

Staiger C. Comfrey: a clinical overview. Phytother Res. 2012 Oct;26(10):1441-8. doi: 10.1002/ptr.4612. Epub 2012 Feb 23. PMID: 22359388; PMCID: PMC3491633.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3491633/

Healthcare professionals, herbalists and sports therapists may therefore wish to consider using or recommending external preparations of comfrey for reducing pain in musculoskeletal conditions and for speeding abrasion wound healing.

R. Frost, H. MacPherson, S. O’Meara,
A critical scoping review of external uses of comfrey (Symphytum spp.),
Complementary Therapies in Medicine,
Volume 21, Issue 6,
2013,
Pages 724-745,
ISSN 0965-2299,

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229913001672

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