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The long dark taproot (highest in pyrrolizidine alkaloids), growing up to 6 feet long, can be harvested in the spring or fall, and if any root remnants are left behind, another comfrey plant most likely will spring up.ĭried root as a salve, fresh or dried as root a poultice. Early spring harvests reveal the highest alkaloid content and leaves harvested later in the season having much smaller amounts. Known hazards of Symphytum officinale: This plant contains small quantities of a toxic alkaloid which can have a cumulative effect upon the liver. It is important to note that the pyrrolizidine alkaloid content of the leaf varies throughout the season. The leaves and buds are best harvested when the flowers just start to bud. This herb has been utilized in folk medicine throughout Europe and North America and has been widely cultivated as a garden medicinal specifically for its reputation for healing various internal and external wounds. It is native to Europe, growing in damp, grassy places, and is locally frequent throughout Ireland and Britain on river banks and ditches.Ĭomfrey root and leaf have been used since Roman times, dating back thousands of years. It is used as a fertilizer and as an herbal medicine.Ĭomfrey is a perennial herb of the family Boraginaceae with a black, turnip-like root and large, hairy broad leaves that bears small bell-shaped flowers of various colours, typically cream or purplish, which may be striped. non (Kern.) Nyman, Symphytum uliginosum auct. It has the following synonyms: Symphytum officinale L. This page contains potential references in modern medicine, Ayurveda, and other local traditions or folk medicine. The incredible healing action this plant has on broken bones and wounds comes from a constituent contained in the leaf and root called allantoin. is the name of a plant defined in various botanical sources.
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There are up to 35 species, known by the common name comfrey (pronounced / k m f r i /). Comfrey species are important herbs in organic gardening. The botanical name, Symphytum, means to unite. Symphytum is a genus of flowering plants in the borage family, Boraginaceae. True Comfrey is the original herb as detailed in all the. Comfrey, Symphytum Officinale,Medicinal Seeds, 4in potted plant, Organic, GMO Free, Comphrey, Organic Heirloom Medicinal Plants, OrganicĬomfrey (also comphrey) is a common name for plants in the genus Symphytum. Comfrey, True (Symphytum officinalis) potted plant, organic.
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