comfrey/permaculture

I would be interested in the negatives, I have this plant for a number of reason's and while I will admit that its a space hog and that I'm given to understand that it will spread easily, the good in my mind far far outweight those ..

I can't imagine having treated my bruise without it..

I have a nice big row of it, I intend to add more of it to the farm, for me, I use it, for a number of things, brings up minerals from deep down, works very well as healing herb, brings and feeds the bee's, use in compost, use as a living green feed/ cut and drop, acts as a heat bringer to the compost piles etc etc.

Having said that, I am very much into finding things that I can grow and use from the farm to replace as many things that need to be bought commercially or off the farm as possible.

Comfrey is absolutely one of the great medicinals as wraps and tea ....and great food source for some kept animals. Used to be a prime source of protein and joint strengthener for racehorses in early 1900's in Europe.
Very important for compost piles as well.
One thing i learned some years ago from a master herbalist :
When needing comfrey for specific wounds or sprains in winter, one way to have it on hand is to carefully select the best-sized leaves just before full moon, and layer them in a way as to form a tight roll, stem down...without bruising... so they can be fit/twirled into a straight walled tallish jar . Add the best coldpressed extra virgin olive oil to the top .
Then that unique medicine will be on hand outside of its growing season and has retained almost all of its properties... plus the oil's. Just pull out one or more leaves as needed.

There are some strains which are preferable, and i don't remember them now, but in moderation via tea it has been considered far more help than speculated potential harm thru "overdosing."
30 yrs ago, I have personally healed a knee injury with wraps and ingested tea over 3-5 days when 2 doctors had recommended knee surgery. Today it is better than my other knee which i had injured similarly years later and was operated.

I have some growing around the farm. It spreads.

I've read that it is very useful both in wraps and other topical uses (Including broken bones), but can be dangerous to digest. It can also be used as a good fertilizer, as it helps release nitrogen into the soil.

Great chop and drop nutrient boost for the garden.

Found this:
In December 2003, Health Canada banned all products containing the medicinal herb comfrey (Symphytum spp.) because of reports that it contains liver damaging compounds called pyrrolizidines. Many herbalists feel that Health Canada over-reacted in banning products applied externally because pyrrolizidines do not penetrate the skin. Le Guilde des Herboristes in Quebec has organized a national protest to overturn the ban for externally-applied comfrey products.
http://www.richters.com/show.cgi?page=Issues/comfrey.html

I can honestly say that the comfry composts I used on my bruise was truly impressive in terms of helping to draw/break up the pooled blood.. If used correctly, it does appear to be very effective for certain things.

I grew it two times, first time the birds got it and it was gone (I grew in small amounts) second time, I got a so-so harvest, nothing great for the amount of time involved, and I had trouble using it..

If someone on the board has grown it successfully, with good results on amount back, not lost it to nature and can tell me how to harvest it in a way that it can be used successfully, I am all ears, till then, I have so many things I can grow that yield more, are tougher plants, and who's harvest, I can use successfully.

Heya,
Comfrey has been wonderful for my hands, more tired than sore I'll admit, from gardening. The owner here will offer her knowledge freely.
http://vauxhallgardens.ca/about/comfrey/

Thankyou Doe, a great resource!

I'm not ignoring anything that comfrey can do for us as a herb/medicinal. But what is its effect on livestock, specifically pigs and sheep? Can they eat it safely?

Does anyone know where to find a source of it in Southern Ontario (Niagara Region)? I've been unable to find a source of seed or root here. Being told it isn't offered because Health Canada has banned it because of some untested health product use of comfrey.

hi rws,

I could not believe my eyes when I spotted comfrey in the front yard of the vacant house next door. I had searched garden shops all over, and there it was, just a few feet away. Since then I have spotted another patch on my street, one a few blocks away and one in an alley in Lloydminster. So the moral of the story is look at pictures of the plant, then start looking around you, you'll find it. And if you really can't find any, I'll send you some next spring.

Agreed that this plant is really available, if one simply looks around. If you live in town, just walk or drive the back lanes where houses are more than 40 years old and soon you will find it peeking around corners, under fences, around utility poles. Out in the rural areas, just visit old farmsteads where the houses are long since disappeared. It will still be there..... Surviving.

If anyone in central Alberta is looking, I can probably point you in the right direction,

Health Canada has banned it for the same reason they have taken B17 off the shelf. Cause it works and they can't have you looking after yourself without the system 😯

Its a tricky one they have banned products that have comfrey in it, they have banned certain kinds of comfrey from sale's, but they have allowed common comfrey plants, and seeds still for sale, so its a part ban in and on only certain things.

http://www.richters.com/show.cgi?page=Issues%2Fcomfrey.html

In December 2003, Health Canada banned all products containing the medicinal herb comfrey (Symphytum spp.) because of reports that it contains liver damaging compounds called pyrrolizidines. Many herbalists feel that Health Canada over-reacted in banning products applied externally because pyrrolizidines do not penetrate the skin. Le Guilde des Herboristes in Quebec has organized a national protest to overturn the ban for externally-applied comfrey products. Click here to read the petition.

Note: Seeds and plants are unaffected by the ban. It is legal to grow your own comfrey for personal use. It is legal to grow comfrey commercially also. It is not legal to sell prepared comfrey products such as creams, ointments, pills and teas.

In a letter dated Jan. 21, 2004 Health Canada clarified the ban. The unsigned letter says that only two species of Symphytum are banned, S. asperum and S. x uplandicum; while the common comfrey, Symphytum officinale, and other species are not banned. The letter indicates that the pyrollizidine alkaloid, echimidine, is at the centre of Health Canada’s concerns and that comfrey products must be free of it. Click here to read the letter.

At the National Herb and Spice Conference in Guelph, Ontario, a top official of Health Canada’s Natural Health Products Directorate (NHPD) admitted to a member of the herb industry that the NHPD is unhappy about the way that the comfrey ban was implemented. The ban was imposed by a different branch of Health Canada, the Marketed Health Products Directorate (MHPD), virtually on the eve of the NHPD’s takeover of control of natural health products. The NHPD’s new Natural Health Products Regulations took effect on January 1, 2004. Sources say that the NHPD is powerless to overturn the action of the MHPD.

The current situation leaves industry in the difficult position of having to prove that their products are free of echimidine, the pyrollizidine alkaloid mentioned in Health Canada’s letter of Jan. 21. According to Peter Child of Investigative Science Incorporated, a Burlington, Ontario, consultancy specializing in laboratory testing, reference standards for echimidine are unavailable which makes it difficult for commercial labs to test comfrey products. As of Feb. 2004, at least one comfrey product manufacturer is trying to convince the NHPD to accept herbarium specimens (pressed dried samples of the plant) in lieu of echimidine analysis. But herbarium specimens may not be a reliable indicator of the absence of echimidine. The common and russian comfrey (S. x uplandicum) species are similar botanically and difficult to tell apart.

The current situation effectively means that comfrey products (except seeds and plants) are illegal to sell in Canada.