Comfrey Plant to Oil

COMMON COMFREY (SYMPHYTUM OFFICINALE)

Common Comfrey grows as high as 1.5m and is  commonly found  growing wild in the midlands countries of Ireland  in ditches and damp locations, its  also known as bone knit,  Comfrey was  used in traditional medicine as a treatment for arthritis and other bone ailments. The word Comfrey comes from the Latin Confervere meaning to heal. Symphytum is the Greek for  grow together derived from Symphyto meaning to unite, In Irish it is aptly known as Lun na gCnamh  mBriste – the plant for broken bones.

Comfrey can  be made into a poultice for healing broken bones  by using the finely chopped leaves place them into a cloth bag, cheese cloth, linen or muslin, steep in boiling water and when cooled place the poultice over the cleaned wound, scar etc. Cover with a plastic bag and a towel .For an inflamed area a cold poultice can be used to reduce swelling its impotent to note that Comfrey does not have any antiseptic properties so for this reason any breaks in the skin should be well cleaned otherwise the skin could heal but the underlying infection could cause problems.

I use it as an ingredient for a joint and muscle balm, the leaves are washed and dried for 3 days  then chopped and infused in a jar  with oil and stored in a dark cool place for two weeks, each day the jar is opened and pummeled for a few minutes, after  the two weeks the infusion is strained and I am left with a beautiful green Comfrey leaf  oil and ready for use directly onto the skin or with other ingredients.