Comfrey Leaf & Stalk

Type: Nourishing

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Properties: Soothing, astringent, vulnerary, anti-inflammatory, cooling, anodyne, demulcent, emollient, hemostatic.

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Part Used: The flowering stalk with its leaves.

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Preparation and Dose: Infusion of 1 ounce dried herb by weight in 1 quart boiling water in a tightly lidded container, steeped for 4-10 hours. I have drunk as much as 5 quarts a week when healing from massive injuries, but as a rule, for heart health, I drink 4-6 quarts a month.

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Comfrey contains: Vitamin B12 (minute amounts), C, carotenes; calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc; allantoin, asparagine, inulin, lysine (essential amino acid), mucilage, protein (20 times more by weight than soy beans), rosmarinic acid, steroidal saponins, tannins

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Cautions: I feel safe when pregnant and lactating women drink comfrey leaf infusion. In fact, I encourage it. Are you shocked? Controversy has swirled around comfrey ever since its pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) were found to congest the venous return from the liver.

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• PAs are most concentrated in the roots, so I don’t use them.
• PAs are more concentrated in Symphytum officinalis, a wilder, smaller variety than the one that is grown in most gardens. I don’t grow it and I doubt that it is being sold commercially; the herb is mislabeled so far as I can determine.
• PAs are concentrated in tinctures, so I don’t tincture comfrey; I prepare comfrey in a water base for internal use, and in an oil base for external use.
• PAs are most available from fresh comfrey; I always make infusion from dried leaves.
• Leaves from garden-grown comfrey, when examined for PAs, were found to have none. (The leaves from a plant in Colorado had 1 part per trillion.)
• I know the bag says: “For external use only” when you buy comfrey leaf by the pound, and there may be a warning in stores. I ignore it, when it comes to comfrey leaf (but not the root). I have consumed 1-2 quarts of comfrey leaf infusion weekly, usually made from comfrey bought from Frontier Herb, for the past 25 years.

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Comfrey leaf infusion strengthens and tones the heart. It aids the functioning of the valves.
Comfrey also strengthens and tones the interstitial tissues of the heart and pericardium.
Comfrey weaves a web of wholeness, tying together the heart and lungs and blood vessels so they work together in the best possible way.

Comfrey mends broken hearts, whether the wound is caused by love’s arrow or the surgeon’s scalpel. There is no finer herb for promoting prompt healing after any kind of trauma. Infusion may be drunk freely and the spent plant material used to poultice the healing area. Slow down and chill out” is the message comfrey send overheated, overexcited hearts. Comfrey gets to the heart of the matter for Type A personalities with its unique ability to soothe and tone at the same time. It relaxes nervous tension in the cardiac system while directly strengthening the heart muscle itself.

Comfrey heals ulcers in the kidneys, as well as those in the stomach and intestines. Comfrey the Comforting spreads her cooling, healing presence where ever she is needed.

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Comfrey builds flexibility and power. The infusion increases the ability of the heart and blood vessels to withstand stress and helps them become more adaptable. Regular use stabilizes heartbeat and lessens the intensity of emotionally-provoking incidents.

Comfrey can deepen the heartbeat of your garden, too. According one of my favorite organic (biodynamic) gardeners: “Comfrey outperforms manure, compost, and many liquid feeds for concentration of nutrients. Just throw it in a bucket of water and let it rot.” If it’s that good for the plants, just think how great it is for you.

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