Bone Healing Comfrey

Comfrey is an old herb that has been used for centuries to heal fractures. An old folk name for comfrey is knit bone, which is a reminder of how the plant was thought of as a potent healer that could help heal those with broken bones.

There is modern evidence that comfrey indeed has strong healing properties. Comfrey contains allantoin, a chemical that helps encourage the growth of muscle, cartilage, and bone.

The most common way to get allantoin to the muscle is by crushing the herb into a powder that is then applied topically over an injured limb. The allantoin is then absorbed through the skin and encourages the speedy healing of broken bones.

Comfrey baths were popular during the Middle Ages. These comfrey baths were especially popular with women who took them before marriage in order to repair the hymen and then supposedly restore virginity.

Herbalists say that Comfrey is slightly sweet, moist, and cool. Its chemical constitution includes insulin, vitamin B 12, proteins, mucilage, tannins, steroidal saponins, allantoin (this is mainly found in the plants flowering tops), tannins, and pyrrolizidine.

The aerial parts and the root of the comfrey plant are most commonly used for healing purposes. The leaves of the comfrey plant are especially rich in allantoin. The leaves and flowering tops of the plant are mostly used for external purposes. The flowering tops of the comfrey plant should be harvested in the early summer

These parts of the comfrey plant are often used to create ointments and infused oils that are used to treat arthritic pain, sprained joints, and other physical injuries.

The root of the comfrey plant is also widely used by herbalists. The root of the plant has many of the same properties as the leaves, but the root tends to be colder and nourishing in its actions.

Herbal remedies created from the root of the comfrey plant are often used to treat varicose ulcers. The root should be harvested in the spring or fall because this is when the allantoin levels in the root are at its highest.

There are many common ways to prepare comfrey. The plant can be made into a poultice. Traditional herbalists will puree fresh comfrey leaves and apply the mixture to minor fractures. These are fractures that would not need to be set in plaster such as broken toes, ribs, or a hairline crack.

Comfrey is often used in cream form. This makes it easy to spread over pained areas. Comfrey-based creams are often used to treat the symptoms of arthritis and any other form of muscle damage.

The aerial parts of the comfrey plant can also be made into an infused oil that is used to treat bruises, arthritic joints and pain, sprains, inflamed bunions and any other sort of traumatic injury.

Comfrey is for external use only.  If you are tempted to ingest some form of it, please note that it can cause liver damage.

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