Comfrey: controversial perhaps, but therapeutic nevertheless!

This page is about the effectiveness of comfrey as a salve to help with a variety of conditions, especially the itching, pain and inflammation caused by psoriasis.

Back in 1975, the famed herbalist Dorothy Hall said that “Russian comfrey and garlic could together, according to natural health usage, almost halve the present ills of western civilization.”

A rather big statement, perhaps even a little exaggerated, I think. Nevertheless, this is one interesting and controversial herb. Why controversial? Mainly because some people believe it's all right to drink comfrey tea...

The word “comfrey” comes from Latin and means “grow together”. This is because the ancient herb was used to help repair skin lacerations and heal wounds; it was even used as a herbal remedy to help repair broken bones! Far fetched, you think? Well, not so fast…

The plant contains tannins, proteins, vitamin B12, and mucilage. Mucilage is a glycoprotein which is produced by nearly every plant, and is believed to help store water.

Comfrey possesses the ability to cause cells to divide rapidly. Applied as a salve, it effectively helps heal burns, abrasions,and swelling (this is due to the allantoin is contains which promotes cell proliferation), while its mucilage moisturizes, soothes and promotes healthy skin.

Allantoin, which results from the oxidation of uric acid, possesses the ability to remove dead cells that simply "sit" on top of your skin, making it look drab and tired.

If you want to see if this herb can help heal a cut or skin inflammation caused by psoriasis, you may want to try some home-made comfrey oil; the recipe follows:

Use fresh comfrey roots. Wash and scrub them well under running water. Place them in a blender and add enough olive oil to cover them. Turn the blender on; make sure the lid is in place. (Obvious, but something which I often fail to do!) and grind the roots as finely as possible. After several weeks, use a piece of cheesecloth to filter the mixture, and apply to problem areas.

Please note: Like any other herb, it is difficult to achieve consistent therapeutic levels. As I mentioned somewhere else, a plant/herb is only as good as the earth that nourished it. In addition, some herbs will perform better in poor soil, thus making an already difficult situation worse.

For example, fresh comfrey leaves may contain 0.2% allantoin at best, while the roots may contain anywhere from 0.3 to 1.7% allantoin.

Our comfrey preparation will provide relief from red, inflamed skin caused by insect bites and psoriasis. Click on the specialty skin products link at the bottom of this page.

Comfrey and specialty skin products