Although you can purchase dried comfrey leaves from many cosmetic and herbal suppliers it’s easy to grow. You can prepare an ointment from the root of the comfrey to apply on sick areas. Simply put, a comfrey poultice is moist ground up comfrey (usually leaves but sometimes root as well) applied to a wound and covered with a cloth. My husband has two broken ribs, one week ago he broke them, falling off a ladder. Freezing herbs allows you to store your garden fresh herbs even longer, making your harvest more interesting and versatile than ever before! After more research, I decided to make a poultice of comfrey leaf and plantain and apply to the broken toe several times a day. It produced leaves, blossoms, and then fruited. The beauty of this type of juicer is that it separates the comfrey juice from the pulp. How long of a period of time do I leave it on him. Reply . Its long leaves have been used for centuries to treat sprains, brakes, infections, and boils. You can use fresh leaves from your garden or purchase dried comfrey leaves at your local health store. A boiled-water extraction of the root is for occaisional internal use. Comfrey may be used topically -- as a salve or poultice -- on cuts, bruises, abrasions, and burns. Comfrey leaves should be harvested right before the flower blooms and be used dried or fresh. Comfrey is a perennial plant that has unusually long roots and is able to mine minerals from as deep as twenty feet. It can help broken bones to heal. Comfrey Root has been used internally and externally in traditional in Japanese and Balkan medicine for more than 2,000 years to treat a variety of aliments including gastrointestinal issues, inflammatory concerns, wound healing and musculoskeletal conditions. Using comfrey as a poultice or simply by using its dried leaves on the skin, you may find relief from pains relating to conditions like ankle sprains, muscle aches, arthritis and fibromyalgia. Medicinal Uses. I used the leaves I cut for comfrey tea to pour around the fruit tree drip line; for dried plants that I powdered and sprinkled into tomato planting holes; and chopped up in my compost pile. Anyone can grow comfrey in their garden for use when needed. Benefits of using a poultice over, say, a ... prolonged contact so that the beneficial constituents of the herbs can be absorbed by the skin over a longer period of time; and a very simple list of ingredients. In fact, just try to stop it: it takes no work whatsoever to grow this virtually indestructible perennial. Posted by Pat . Make a poultice by boiling leaves, cooling and then bandaging ontothe required area for a maximum of eight hours. It’s best to use new green leaves before the plant begins putting out too many flowers. But this has helped. Recipe 1: you should get 100 grams of comfrey root, chop it in small pieces, put the chopped comfrey in a bowl and pour 1 liter of boiling milk over it. What Is Comfrey? It can be made into a tea, decoction or tincture and is a common ingredient in may topical ointments, creams and salves. Most health regulatory agencies in the Western world have banned the internal use of comfrey due to the pyrrolizidine alkaloids found in this plant, which are known to harm the livers of animals fed diets consisting largely of comfrey leaves. They can be collected in separate containers if you prefer. Since I’d had this type of injury before, I knew that it often took several weeks at least to heal and that the pain often lasted this long. Make sure to leave plenty of room for it to grow. Using homegrown to make comfrey oil . Comfrey is not ever safe for ingestion, as it contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids that are extremely dangerous to the liver. Comfrey Ready to Apply. Setting a poultice of comfrey over the site of broken bones can help in the healing process, say some, as the herb’s ability to stitch together cells and aid in the speeding of natural processes can certainly come in handy. Making a Comfrey Poultice. I use a cold-press juicer to crush fresh comfrey leaves when preparing a comfrey poultice. Check this shit out… 1. A soothing salve or poultice made from the leaves of the comfrey plant may promote the healing of closed wounds and bruises or soothe breast pain in nursing mothers, reports the Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine 2 3. I looked at the different techniques and decided to get witchy with it myself. Your poultice has many, many, very powerful herbs and everyone can react a little differently. I use it fresh. Freezing Herbs Whole. Frankly, I’ve come up with the Creme de la Creme of Healing, Soothing Poulticessssss. A foot soak or a poultice of comfrey can bring relief and help speed up the healing process. How Long Can I Leave the Poultice On? It can grow up to 5 feet tall. The longer the poultice is in contact with our skin, the more hydrated our skin becomes and the better the penetration. It loves to grow at humid places. Fuzzy mullein (Verbascum thapsus) leaves can be steamed for a hot poultice. This natural healing method has been used for a very long time and is not limited to comfrey. just an anecdote, but it really seemed to help everything heal up very quickly. Even in our sustained high summer heat above 105 degrees for weeks at a time, as long as I gave the comfrey some water it continued to grow. How to Make a Comfrey Poultice. If you’re new to comfrey, check out this article. Juice and pulp. Other than that, definitely change it when it dries out! 1 bed sheet cut into 10cm wide strips cut across the width of the cloth. It is a wonderful first aid herb to have on hand in case you or someone you know twists their ankle. The comfrey is a fast growing plant that gets long leaves already early in spring. Comfrey is the best herbal remedy against problems with the bones. Place the comfrey leaves in a zip lock and crush them with a rolling pin until they become mushy and release their juices. That makes using comfrey oil on your skin safe, as long as it’s not put on open wounds or sores. Although comfrey has been taken internally in the forms of teas and tinctures throughout time, it’s internal use is no longer recommended. Comfrey poultices are fine to use with animals, too. Add the hot water slowly during this process to get the correct consistency. Leave the poultice on the skin for as long as necessary. The pain was almost not-noticeable after week. I researched online the various benefits. (5 minutes) Place the poultice directly to skin in the area of the bone fracture. Much has been said about it’s ability to heal sprains and even fractures. The fruit ripened on schedule. They make a poultice of the leaves and plantain of comfrey and apply it to their broken tone a few times per day. The fresh, raw leaves are for external use. The second week, they could wear whatever shoes they wanted and believed in the benefits of comfrey. Roll into individual bandages. What about topical (skin) use? Once the comfrey was growing vigorously, I grabbed more leaves and made a “comfrey poultice” completely around the trunk. Even long term use of very small doses can be harmful, as the damage is cumulative and the damage is irreversible. The leaves at the base of the plant can be a foot long and get progressively smaller toward the top of the stem. The Comfrey Poultice Supplies: Cut fresh leaves close to the ground to include the whole leaf and stem. Thanks for the info, it is really appreciated. use HUGE organic leaves such as rubbed mullein or comfrey leaves or chards to. Photo courtesy of Rita Heikenfeld. I forgot, I do add plantain also. See the Precautions and Contraindications section for more details. Comfrey poultices are excellent for wounds, sores, bruises, bites, pain, arthritis, and even broken bones. However, you should not use comfrey on a deep puncture wound. Do NOT mash the comfrey leaves in a bowl that will be used for food preparation. We mulched the tree with comfrey and continued to add comfrey to the area around the trunk all summer long. When it’s cooked, leave the mixture for 6 hours and then strain it. And the tree revived. But comfrey must be used with caution and respect. Photo by LongTimeMother. I do this with healing clays as well. Dr. Kirschner describes in his article how to prepare comfrey leaves and roots for home use. Also, some of Symphytum officinale’s close relatives (commonly mistaken for Comfrey) have even higher levels. Bell-shaped flowers can be white, pink, or purple. How to use comfrey to heal broken bones. What is Comfrey? I usually recommend a minimum of 30 minutes, but an hour or more is sometimes necessary, depending on the severity of the condition being treated. It is also very good for skin problems. The only problem is it’s very messy! Recalling comfrey’s anti-inflammatory effects when applied externally, I decided to make a quick poultice from the steeped comfrey leaves. Making a comfrey poultice is pretty easy. It is such an excellent and speedy wound-healing remedy that it actually should not be used on deep wounds or lacerations. Five to ten large leaves should suffice. my hands to remove the bristles. This is the season when many leaves and flowers are most potent, and drying these herbs in bunches or laid flat on screens is one easy way to preserve summer’s bounty for later. I wild craft it from the field. hold the poultice in place. Comfrey’s curative properties are due to a substance called allantoin, which aids in growth and longevity of new cells. Concerning poultice advice as to how long to leave it on, that's a tough call. What I do is use my thumb to mark the top of the dried comfrey in the jar before I add the oil, then add about 1/2 inch above that. Comfrey should never be taken internally. If I need to use the leaf right off the plant I first bruise it, and rub it in . Comfrey root will stay at the bottom so it’s easy to tell how much to add, but comfrey leaves float so it’s a bit more challenging. Internal preparations of comfrey have been banned in some Western countries. It should be noted that comfrey’s active ingredient, the aforementioned allantoin, is found in many skin moisturizers and other such products. I didn't bother with making a proper poultice, I just used comfrey leaves as bandages by taping them over my wounds. You may also crush them in a food processor. Though there are more than 30 species of comfrey, the most frequently used for medicinal purposes are common comfrey and Russian comfrey. Comfrey is a shrub that grows in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America. Is Comfrey Hazardous? It takes twice per day, for 2 days to notice the reduction of pain in their toes. Also, you may need someone to help you secure it onto the injured area like your shoulder. To create the comfrey poultice: Mash the comfrey leaves using a heavy wooden spoon or pestle until it has formed a thick paste. Could he wear the poultice through the night while he sleeps? You seem to be in touch with your body and I believe you'll instinctivley know when you should change it. Today I began the comfrey poultic. I also used honey as an antibiotic ointment. Comfrey contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), poisonous compounds that can harm the liver. I have been told that comfrey can close a wound before the inside is healed. Generally speaking, the root has higher levels of these molecules than the leaves. A comfrey poultice. Then, leave it on medium heat for 20 minutes. 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