Comfrey – Healing Effects and Uses

The Common Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) is a borage family plant native to Eurasia. From west to east, it is found in the countries from Spain to China, and from north to south, you can find it in Great Britain to Italy. It is rare in Southern Europe and only introduced in Northern Europe.

Comfrey prefers to grow in sunny locations, but it can also tolerate light shade. It indicates a nitrogen- and nutrient-rich soil. The thirsty plant thrives in moist areas such as clay soils, floodplain forests, and peat meadows.

Even the ancient Romans relied on the pleasant effects of comfrey – for bone fractures. Its name reveals what it has been used for in Germany for centuries. As a medicinal plant, it is currently approved for issues with the musculoskeletal system, bruises, contusions, and strains. Hildegard of Bingen referred to Common Comfrey by the Latin name Consolida, which translates to "grown together."

Its dried roots, herb, and leaves are found for external use in ointments, oils, and tinctures. In this form, you can purchase comfrey. Due to its toxicity, it is strongly advised against using it internally.

Comfrey contains several beneficial substances: Allantoin, choline, tannins, rosmarinic acid, and mucilage. Its toxicity arises from alkaloids. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are liver-damaging and potentially carcinogenic, but are only minimally absorbed through the skin when used externally.

The Common Comfrey is a hardy, perennial herbaceous plant that grows between 30 and 60 centimeters tall and can live up to twenty years. Both the stems and leaves are tough and bristly. The alternately arranged, oval foliage leaves can be up to 25 centimeters long.

From June to August, it blooms white, pink, or violet. The flower clusters hang bell-shaped in racemes and are about two centimeters large. Due to their shape, only bumblebees with their long proboscis can pollinate them.

Comfrey is not only a medicinal plant but also an excellent fertilizer plant. Its leaves contain a lot of nitrogen and potassium.