Comfrey
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martin.... that site you pointed to states
Comfrey root as far as I'm aware is now banned in Canada and has some tight restrictions in the EU for the health food / herbal tea market.
In ye olden day, comfrey was like a miracle cure all..... today it is falling out of fashion due to the alkaloid build up in the humana body and the damage it does to the liver. Herbalists sometimes perscribe it for short periods of time as a tea, but only in small daily amounts. It is still used alot as a poltice, but rarely on open wound 'to stop bleeding', and if it is, it is usualy only used for a couple of days.
Be very careful when researching herbal medicine on the internet..... there is alot of unintended misinfomation. Be careful with herbs in general.... know what you are doing before you go and poison yourself ;-)
Ed
Do you know if this is correct? I was told that there was more in the young leaves when the sap was rising freely from the roots and can contain over 10 times more pyrolizidine alkaloids than mature leaves.
Comfrey root as far as I'm aware is now banned in Canada and has some tight restrictions in the EU for the health food / herbal tea market.
In ye olden day, comfrey was like a miracle cure all..... today it is falling out of fashion due to the alkaloid build up in the humana body and the damage it does to the liver. Herbalists sometimes perscribe it for short periods of time as a tea, but only in small daily amounts. It is still used alot as a poltice, but rarely on open wound 'to stop bleeding', and if it is, it is usualy only used for a couple of days.
Be very careful when researching herbal medicine on the internet..... there is alot of unintended misinfomation. Be careful with herbs in general.... know what you are doing before you go and poison yourself ;-)
Ed
Ed.
Comfrey is not a plant I have done any detailed research on as yet. I've seen it various books (including Food for free) but none have given any warnings about alkaloids. I posted the link because of the warnings, maybe I should have been clearer on that. As to the question of which leaf contains more alkaloids, that I can't answer.
Personally I never eaten this plant, (because I had not researched it yet) and after seeing the warnings never will!
Hope this clears things up a bit.
Comfrey is not a plant I have done any detailed research on as yet. I've seen it various books (including Food for free) but none have given any warnings about alkaloids. I posted the link because of the warnings, maybe I should have been clearer on that. As to the question of which leaf contains more alkaloids, that I can't answer.
Personally I never eaten this plant, (because I had not researched it yet) and after seeing the warnings never will!
Hope this clears things up a bit.
found this quote in a book called " Welsh Herbal Medicine" by David Hoffman He's quoting Gerard (? medieval herbalist I think)
" The slimie substance of the root made in a posset of ale, and given to drinke against the paine in the back, gotten by any violent motion, as wrestling, or over much use of wommn, does in fower or five daies perfectly cure the same, although the involuntary flowing of the seed in men be gotten therby"
Moving swiftly on.... I seem to remember that Compfrey makes a very good, if smelly organic liquid fertiliser
" The slimie substance of the root made in a posset of ale, and given to drinke against the paine in the back, gotten by any violent motion, as wrestling, or over much use of wommn, does in fower or five daies perfectly cure the same, although the involuntary flowing of the seed in men be gotten therby"
Moving swiftly on.... I seem to remember that Compfrey makes a very good, if smelly organic liquid fertiliser
Sid
I don't know how effective it is for all the various teas and medicines etc. But it makes one of the best tomato feeds you'll get.
Fill a barrel with water, add as much Comfrey as you can fit in to it and leave it for a couple of weeks. Then use the resulting liquid to feed growing tomato plants with once every week or two.
Works well but smells a bit!
George
I don't know how effective it is for all the various teas and medicines etc. But it makes one of the best tomato feeds you'll get.
Fill a barrel with water, add as much Comfrey as you can fit in to it and leave it for a couple of weeks. Then use the resulting liquid to feed growing tomato plants with once every week or two.
Works well but smells a bit!
George
i've used comfrey leaves a few times for sprains and swelling just by making a simple infusion by adding leaves to a bowl of warm water and then soaking the affected area in the bowl, seems to work pretty well for feet/ankles, could be a bit tricky with a leg or shoulder tho!! i've been told that comfrey works well as a poultice too but i've not tried that. important thing with any infusion is to make sure that the water isn't too hot as this can destroy any active ingredients.
stuart
stuart
Most cases of poisonings have occured in people who drink 10+ cups of comfrey tea a day, supplemented by capsules over a long period....
The occasional cuppa should do you no harm and it is a wonderful herb to use with fish..... complements it realy well ;-) You can also cook the leaves (boil em) like you do with spinach.......
Ed
I second George, Comfrey is loved by permaculture and Organic gardeners as one of the best natural fertilizers available. I have friends who swear by the stuff. Pretty much the same method as George suggest, just let it rot down in a barrel with a bit of water (urine helps to make it rot) tap a little off and dilute in your watering can.
Cheers
Rich
Cheers
Rich
Great in compost.
Fill a barrel with water and pack in lots of comfrey,makes wonderful plant feed
Fill a barrel with water and pack in lots of comfrey,makes wonderful plant feed
I can certainly back up the fertilizer use of comfrey, it works a treat in a water butt for a liquid feed.
The old name for Comfrey was 'bonebreak' as the uses mentioned before would attest. I've used it as a poultice on a badlay damaged shoulder a few years ago and it cetainly helped a lot. A spaniel taht I had then which had been limping heavily with a sprain for a couple of days promptly ate the remnants of the milk poultice (!) :shock: and seemed to improve a lot after it. Not scientific I know, and the dog may have got better of it's own accord, but it certailny didn't do it any harm. As with anything I'd be very careful of long term usage though.
The old name for Comfrey was 'bonebreak' as the uses mentioned before would attest. I've used it as a poultice on a badlay damaged shoulder a few years ago and it cetainly helped a lot. A spaniel taht I had then which had been limping heavily with a sprain for a couple of days promptly ate the remnants of the milk poultice (!) :shock: and seemed to improve a lot after it. Not scientific I know, and the dog may have got better of it's own accord, but it certailny didn't do it any harm. As with anything I'd be very careful of long term usage though.
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