Why You Should Grow Comfrey

Last spring I ordered comfrey roots, something I'd planned to do for a long time. 
I'm growing Russian comfrey Bocking No. 14. Russian comfrey doesn't grow from seed, it has to be grown from root cuttings. I bought mine online from Rise and Shine Rabbitry. Planting it was an amusing story which you can read here... but I don't recommend that you do what I did!
My four plants came up early this spring and withstood several frosts. They've grown very fast in just a few weeks and look strong and healthy. 

They are already too big for the washtub where I planted them last year, but it was just a temporary nursery for them. I'll need to transplant them to other places this year. 
Comfrey has many benefits and is certainly worth the space it takes up in the garden. You can buy the dried herb at a health food store, but you might want to grow your own. Here are a few of its uses:

Medicinal

Comfrey is also known as "knitbone" and "bone-set". It contains allantoin which heals connective tissue. It's also amazing medicine on cuts, scrapes, swelling and rashes. 
I've made salves, adding comfrey to the usual plantain/yarrow/lemon balm infused oil that I've used in the past. One year I used a comfrey-infused oil (without beeswax so it wasn't a salve) to rub on one of the horses where she'd cut her face; it healed up without a scar. Later I also used that oil on one of my cats, Bullet, who has a persistent sore behind one ear. Whenever it begins to heal, he scratches it again with the claws on his hind foot, opening the sore again and starting the process all over. The comfrey oil has made great improvements on this wound, and "sticks" better to fur than salve or ointment does.

Compost accelerator

Throw a few comfrey leaves in your compost pile, or better yet, make some comfrey tea and add it to your soil or compost heap.

Mulch

Lay comfrey leaves on the soil around your plants. It will enrich the soil while it blocks weeds.

Soil enriching

Comfrey sends its long roots deep into the soil and mines the minerals that lay deep below the surface, bringing them up where your other plants can access them.

Livestock feed

Some people say that their goats don't like comfrey, but mine fight over it, both fresh and dried. It's also a good feed for sheep, pigs, cattle, chickens, ducks, horses and other animals. Dried comfrey has a very high protein content. There is some controversy that comfrey taken internally might affect the liver, so do some research on this subject before deciding how much comfrey to give your livestock.

Comfrey is certainly an excellent plant to grow on your homestead. Do you already have a comfrey patch, or is it on your to-plant list?


Disclaimer: I am not a doctor nor a vet. You are responsible for your own health and for that of your animals. Comfrey is not to be used by pregnant or nursing women, and should not be taken internally by humans. Please research this or any other herb or essential oil before using.

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