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- COMFREY (Symphytum x uplandicum) 5" Pot
COMFREY (Symphytum x uplandicum) 5" Pot
Common Name: Comfrey
Scientific Name: Symphytum x uplandicum
Family: Boraginaceae
Description: Comfrey has a very long history as a medicinal plant and its use has been documented for over 2,000 years. The word comfrey, derived from the Latin word for "grow together", reflects the early uses of this plant and why is it also known by other names such as Great Comfrey, Boneset, and Knit-bone.
History: One abstract, published by the US National Library of Medicine, in the National Institute of Health in their Phytotherapy department states
“Comfrey has a centuries-old tradition as a medicinal plant. Today, multiple randomized controlled trials have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of comfrey preparations for the topical treatment of pain, inflammation, and swelling of muscles and joints in degenerative arthritis, acute myalgia in the back, sprains, contusions, and strains after sports injuries and accidents.”
Researchers believe a chemical compound allantoin found in comfrey is principally responsible for the wound-healing effects. Allantoin is a common botanical extract often chemically synthesized in the pharmaceutical industry and used in a variety of ointments and creams designed for healing wounds.
Yield: Roots and leaves are harvested throughout the growing season. Here in North Texas, comfrey will leaf out after frosts and die back in direct sun.
Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
Leaf Type: Deciduous
Cultivars/Varieties: Russian Bocking 14
Growth Rate: Full size, large plant in 8-10 weeks.
Light: Optimal growth is dappled shade.
Moisture: Medium
Growing: Tolerates poor soils. Higher yields when planted to protect from the Texas sun. Foliage will die back with the first frost. Divide and harvest roots after one year of continuous growth.
Propagation: Grown best from root division.
Maintenance: Minimal. This plant has almost no pests.
Uses: This is a very abridged list of some of the comfrey’s many uses.
MEDICINAL:
- Use as a tea, poultice, infused oil, or crushed freshly
- Expectorant - promotes the secretion of sputum by the air passages, used especially to treat coughs.
- Antiseptic - substances that prevent the growth of disease-causing microorganisms
- Demulcent - relieving inflammation or irritation.
- Emollient - having the quality of softening or soothing the skin
- Vulnerary - of use in the healing of wounds.
- Anti-Inflammatory - used to reduce inflammation
SOIL BUILDER: soil tests confirm that soil nutrients increase in the presence of comfrey even when it is not used as mulch, side dressing, or liquid fertilizer, but just allowed to grow.
- Deep mining roots. Dynamic Accumulator,
- Compost activator
- Green Manure
- Liquid Compost/Foliar Feed
- Accumulates in soil: N, K, P, Ca, Mn, Mg, Cu, Na, S
- Potassium, Nitrogen, Calcium, Phosphorus, Manganese, Magnesium, Copper,
FOOD:
- Vitamin B
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin A