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All about
- Comfrey -
Borage - Peppermint -
 
This well known showy plant is a member of the
Borage and Forget-me-not tribe, growing 2 to 3 feet high with a leafy stem. The plant is erect in habit and rough and hairy all over. It has clusters of drooping flowers, either creamy yellow or purple growing on short stalks.
Comfrey is in blossom most of the summer months, the first flowers opening at the end of April or early May.
Country people formerly cultivated Comfrey in their gardens for its virtue in wound healing, and the many local names of the plant testify to its long reputation as a vulnerary herb. For instance, in the Middle Ages it was a famous remedy for broken bones.
Cultivation
Comfrey thrives in almost any soil or situation, but does best under the shade of trees. Propagation may be effected by division of roots in the autumn. The roots are very brittle and the least bit of root will start growing again. The plant is very easy to grow but difficult to eradicate once introduced into gardens The roots grow very deep but the plant itself is not invasive, taking only a few feet either side.
Medicinal use
The root and leaves are used generally, the main constituent being mucilage in great abundance. It contains a large proportion of Allantoin which is employed in the treatment of chronic wounds, burns, ulcers, etc.
Comfrey leaves are much used as an external remedy for sprains, swelling and bruises, and as a poultice to severe cuts, boils, abscesses and ulcers.
It is useful in any kind of inflammatory swelling.
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