For more information visit our post How to Propagate, Grow and Use Comfrey theprovidentprepper.org/how-to-propagate-grow-and-use-comfrey/ ***As promised, here are a couple of links for Tom Bartel: You can watch Tom’s free video workshop at training.growfoodwell.com/thrive/ ***For those of you looking for Bocking 14 or Russian Comfrey (sterile variety so that the seeds don't make your yard into one giant comfrey patch), I recommend getting it from Seeds for Generations bit.ly/3lQXXlG You may also be interested in reading more at The Provident Prepper: Biointensive Victory Gardens: Higher Yields with Less Work theprovidentprepper.org/biointensive-victory-gardens-higher-yields-with-less-work/ How to Create a Survival Food Forest in Your Own Backyard theprovidentprepper.org/how-to-create-a-survival-food-forest-in-your-own-backyard/ Inexpensive Root Cellars: 13 Literally Cool Ideas to Chill With theprovidentprepper.org/inexpensive-root-cellars-13-literally-cool-ideas-to-chill-with/ Chillin’ in Our DIY Buried Freezer Root Cellar theprovidentprepper.org/chillin-in-our-diy-buried-freezer-root-cellar/ Poor Man’s Greenhouse - A Guide to Winter Seed Sowing theprovidentprepper.org/poor-mans-greenhouse-a-guide-to-winter-seed-sowing/ Thanks for being part of the solution!
Our 1-yr-old German Shepherd has claimed the comfrey along our back fence as his own. He doesn't eat them or dig by them, he just lays right down on them, snuggles in and hangs out there. It doesn't seem to bother the plants at all, they always just keep growing. :)
A friend gifted me a Comfrey plant 4 years ago, which I have kept going in a pot (not being a long history gardner lol) Recently I discovered one of my rabbits had possibly been attacked by another animal. He was down to skin and bone and had an eye infection and my prognosis was not good. I put him in a hutch to "wind down" with water and feed, and put some dried leaf Comfrey in his water and also left a branch of fruitless Mulberry, expecting to find his life gone by morning. He was only drinking water the first few days. It's been about two weeks and he just slephed off a half dollar size scab from under his chin - his neck had been torn open and I had not noticed. The neck is bald but beautifully closed. He's back to his sweet self and gaining weight . I believe it was the Comfey. 💯
@BreakmyWindows That poor rabbit must have been in so much pain. Perhaps a vet should have been called in to examine the wounded rabbit & administer something for pain as well as close the wound. Not sure how you overlooked it's throat being ripped open, a vet exam would have revealed the extent of injuries. I'm all for medicinal herbs, but there is a time & a place for using herbal remedies & this one sounds like a doctor should have been involved.
@@goldenyearsacres9163 Here in Spain, in the rural part where I live, farmers are much the same, they don't take their animals to the vet as we would, especially the small farmers. They wait to see what happens, leaving it to the elements, the universe or god to decide if it's time to go. A totally different attitude to what I've learned during my life before coming here. Took me a while, but I think I finally accepted it. Not everyone can afford vet bills unfortunately
My very best friend was an asthmatic. She could not go to barbques or enter a room where people smoked etc. she slept with her machine for help. She used to go to the gym. Jack Lalane’s. One day she finished exercising and on her way out she ran into Jack himself. He stopped her. Confirmed that she was whizzing and told her to drink comfrey tea and marched on. No hello no good bye. She had no idea what comfrey was. Where to get it etc. it took her dropping into the local health store and she was now making comfrey tea. She did not know how much to drink so she took a thermos full to work each day and drank it all. Soon no more whizzing. No more asthma. For years and years she drank that tea and one day she started to whizz again and realized she had stopped drinking her tea. So needles to say... she went right back to it. Lived to be 96 in terrific health!
Sadly, I believe they have now recommended that comfrey not be ingested, due to its potential to cause liver toxicity. I've just started growing it, and I need to know more about this concern.
Love your story about the asthma so many things they try to make us afraid of comfrey has been around for centuries and they've been using it for healing all that time Then Big Pharma tries to stop us from using it
@@stacyrosa6672 i read that too. they say it is bad for the liver. Alcohol is bad for everything and it is sold nice and easy to just about everybody, destroying lives. but they are warning against a plant. I wont say more in order for this not to be removed.
Comfry is also a natural insectacide. Thats probably why one of your commenters said that their german shepard liked to lie down in the comfry patch. 😄Smart dog!👍 Im betting he doesnt have a problem with fleas or ticks 😊
Used comfrey salve on 90 year old relative with Covid. Put salve on her chest, back and bottom of feet and placed on socks. She rested comfortably with less night coughs. Also healed much quickly from Covid.
Some things I've done with comfrey.. Made a salve with coconut oil. We use it on wounds, sore muscles and using it on my husband's leg (recently sprained it) Cut the tip of my finger to the bone, used the Comfrey salve and red light therapy. It healed in just a few days. Had a goat get a serious eye injury. The eye swelled up to over twice it's normal size. Couldn't get a vet to come look at it. Thought I was going to have to put her down when infection started coming out heavily and she was spinning in circles. Started feeding her comfrey and lemon balm leaves...LOTS of them. (Other herbs weren't helping). Not only did the eye heal, but is back to normal size and she has some sight in it. I now have new plants started with plans to start more. It's interesting that we are told people shouldn't consume comfrey and yet animals eat it like candy with no issues. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?
Yes, I read that also. My thoughts are if gov bans its use that must mean it works extremely well. It cuts the profits of big pharma. We can't have that !!
Roman and Greek warriors used it to heal broken bones, torn rotor cuffs, torn ligaments. It works. I also use the oil on my skin and nails. My nails went from nubs to long and strong nails in 3 weeks
I love using different herbs I saw comfrey in a nursery and bought it without knowing much about it. I was so disappointed to read on internet to be ver y careful using it don’t use it as tea. Do not consume at all be very careful with it. And will take over your garden if planted in it. I didn’t want to trow it out so I planted it in a pot but away from the grand kids.Now Ive been hearing all this good things about Comfrey but to weary to use it.
I bought a tiny plant 5-6 years ago,lol. I do love the plant, mine is not sterile, I now have it everywhere. A few years ago I was out watering plants and I noticed that my comfrey plant, (since I live out in the middle of nowhere, )I figured maybe wildlife was eating it, lol, what I was finally able to discover was, that when my dog wasn’t feeling well, she’d eat comfrey, it never hurt her. Thank you for sharing! Blessings
You can also eat it, I put young leaves in my smoothies or salads. Don't be put off by what they say about it being dangerous. It used be sold here in Australia years ago in tablet form. It was the Naturopaths' go to herb for many things. Just another natural item put on the banned list because it was SO good at treating so many ailments, THEY couldn't make money from it, so banned it.
Out here in the Australian outback, the soil is essentially just red clay and has almost no nutrients. Since i started growing comfrey, the area around it is the only place that i can see a darkening of the soil, even after years of composting and buying soil, the sun is just so powerful in the summer that it sterilizes the earth unless there is an already established tree hanging over it.
@@dogmeat7486 have you heard of Korean natural farming KNF? You can collect microbes IMO and add it to your clay/dirt and turn it into some great soil!
I make a comfrey root tincture. It is great as a compress for broken bones, bruises, and cuts in the skin. It also makes a wonderful foot soak for sore feet, just 2 or 3 tablespoons in a footbath is all you need. Comfrey is also one of my favorite herbs! It makes me happy just to look at it.
I found it wonderful for my back I have 35 metals screws brackets an 4 rods in my spine Ive made salve but it cost alot for me to buy dried confrey so I got a root today to try an grow my own ❤️❤️ God Bless Rebecca 70+
I was given a comfrey salve for an elbow injury that I didn’t have the money to go to the doctor about. The comfrey salve healed my elbow in 3 days. I want to grow lots of comfrey plants. 😊
I have an abundance of comfrey growing along the river at my farm. I’ve eaten many leaves while working in my garden. I LOVE them. I did research on herbal properties vs. commercial pharmaceutical for my naturopathic certification. which stated that it was the equivalence of 25 bushels of comfrey root were given to the rats to indicate liver toxicity. I never ate that much, hahaha.
Comfrey has helped with sunburn. Had one on my neck. Soaked the leaves in water maybe 5mins. Put the leaves on my neck. Could feel the leaves warming up. It was crazy! Burn did not bother me at all afterwards!
Comfrey is good for mending broken bones. In fact one of it's other names is knitbone. We have plenty comfrey in front next to the house. They are very decorative.
Yes i've heard about that! That's amazing. But on the same token it should not be used on cuts or lacerations because it will cause the wound to heal the incorrect order which can cause infections. I just learned that recently. Wounds are supposed to heal from the inside out, but comfrey can cause it to heal from the outside in.
@@mylittlerebornlove8851 I haven't used it on open wounds and I didn't realize it would heal from the outside in so it is good that I haven't used it that way. Thanks.
I KNOW THIS about comfrey: Once you plant that stuff, you will NEVER get rid of it, you will have it forever and it spreads like crazy!! Good thing that its so useful!!! I also use it as a green compost/mulch, it has a huge amount of nutrients to feed other plants. Keep on cutting and it keeps growing. Its WONDERFUL!!
Glad to see others enthusing about comfrey. I've been using it for many years. Incidentally; this may seem pedantic, but the name is Bocking 14 - no "L". Great video.
I bought a single comfrey plant from Azure Standard years ago and have been splitting it and planting it all over our homestead. If you’re patient you can divide one plant into many over the years, making it very economical. It’s under our fruit trees to bring up the deep minerals in the soil, and more recently around the perimeter of our garden. My hope is that it will deter grass creep into our vegetable garden and also will be in close proximity for chop and drop to enrich the soil. I’m really hoping that works cuz once you plant it you’re not getting rid of it 😂 We will also use it for chickens and medicinal purposes. Thanks for the video!
I have comfrey now but, it took me forever to find some. No nurseries around here carry it. I finally found some online and got these little tiny root pieces and thought they would never grow but they did of course. I have now given roots to my daughter in law. So glad I have it , now I have to get some mullien and other medicinal herbs.
I watched a video. The Nature Path related a story. A farmer in Australia's cow was deathly sick. His vet recommended he put the cow down. Farmer decided if the cow was going to die. It would not hurt to start feeding the cow comfrey. After a few days the cow was not dead but was better. Long story short. The cow recovered.
I've had comfrey going for 40 something years in my garden. I have it everywhere it is even taken off to the woods. In the spring I offer it to friends or anyone who would like some and there is still more in the garden. It's one of my favorite plants.
Well I'm located in Maine I live in the woods and I have no car to get it to the post office. I offer it for free if somebody wants to come and dig it up themselves.
Love this video! I am self-studying herbalism, and I have always wanted to have comfrey. I will be growing it this spring! This is timely because just last night my daughter burned her arm in the kitchen… I reached for my frankincense and lavender oil roller ball, as well as my honey/comfrey ointment. This morning the welt has receded by over half and has no pain. Amazing!
My son told me yesterday that I have 'stacks' of comfrey growing under my Granny Smith apple tree. He told me it was good for placing nitrogen in the soil. "How did it get there?" I haven't go a clue. Thanks for your video.
When I was small we had a little garden. We considered comfrey as a weed then, which was hard to get rid of, because it was almost impossible to dig out all the roots and it was always growing back. But I remember my mom making a syrup from those roots we were trying to get rid of as good medicine for everything.
A few years ago I got a. Brown recluse spider bite on the side of my right wrist ...I completely healed it by interchanging 3 different poultices...2 of which contained comfrey as one of the ingredients
I'm curious, what were the other 2 herbs used in your poultices? It would be very helpful to myself and others to have that documented in a herbal journal . Thanks for the heads up on nasty spider bites....I appreciate it☺️
I just found you and thoroughly enjoyed this narrative and photos! I'm a victory garden prepper of sorts and planted comfrey in a circle around each of my fruit trees, and one at the end of each of my raised garden beds (4 x 10 each) to make it easy to chop and drop all summer long :) My chickens however, are not interested until the barren end of summer when there is not much else fresh green to eat. They free range among the comfrey and haven't destroyed it after 5 years. My medicinal use is for a salve and also I make a poultice whenever I've strained a muscle. It really works to relieve the pain and heal faster!
I am glad to hear from you about Comfrey. I have split one plant into three years ago. Then last year I split one into 20. It's so good to hear how it will enrich the soil it is in. That's so good to hear. I've learned about the manure tea of comfrey and nettles. But it was good to hear so much about it. I do use it in my salve (comfrey, yarrow, plantain, calendula and something else I've forgotten. Thanks again.
Thank you! This was such a helpful video regarding Comfrey. As a mom and pediatrician, I truly see the value of all the ways that Comfrey can be used for health, wellness, sustainability, and through the garden. Many blessings to you.
Hello! I love your channel! Would you be interested in collaborating on a video with us? Reach out to me at theprovidentprepper.org/contact-us/ if that sounds interesting to you :)
We loved growing in school gardens. The kids would take a leaf and tear it up and use it for a “garden badge”. So cute to see the kids wearing their comfrey badges all day!
Love my Comfrey! 40 years of using it. I eat a few young leaves in salads during the growing season and use the rest as a liquid feed along with nettles, dandelions and plantain. Love from Geordie land xx
I'm feeling that you might not realise, we are not supposed to consume Comfrey orally. It is known to double cell growth. Good for ointment and as a compost, but not good for stomach or people who may be susceptible to bowel cancer
Comfrey poultice and salve heals very fast, so be sure you have no infection or dirt in the cut before you use it, because it will close the wound and grow a scar in one day.
Hi there, thank you for enlighten me about Comfrey. I have lots of them. Some with purple and some with white flowers. I use them as mulching or just spreading shredded leaves around my plants. I also use them as an accelerator for my compost. I too enjoy watching beneficial pollinators hoping from one comfrey flower to another. I have just learned that you can make a balm with comfrey too. This is my next task. Thank you. Yacoob from UK.
I wholly support everything said here. I’m a big fan of what we call in the U.K. as the “Chelsea chop”. It’s as good as composting. I rescued my crop from the side of a footpath in the village where there was a Roman settlement - they would have known the value of it. I use it to shelter other plants from serious summer heat, which was valuable this year..didn’t know chuks love it. Thank you. What an enjoyable video.
last spring I got a little comfrey start, it grew and grew and was so pretty. But you said it would be OK at -40 but this one just melted down in the first hard frost. I sure hope its OK, can hardly wait till spring which is slow getting up here.
BTW it's Bocking 14 comfrey (not blocking.) It's named after the place in England where research on the 20 different comfrey varieties was done. Found this while googling - "the term "Bocking" refers to a village subdistrict, in Braintree district, Essex in England. The term was applied to comfrey by Lawrence D. Hills who chose it during his research simply because it was the location of his research." Both Bocking 4 and Bocking 14 are non spreading. Everyone can do their own research by googling, but yes Bocking 14 sounds the best to use it for multiple uses. I think Bocking 4 is used more for live stock feed only, though I am no expert. One can purchase the regular comfrey that is very invasive, so it IS very important to make sure you are getting Bocking 14 comfrey. Thanks for educating people on that!
@@user-22- lol if it’s gone too far, yes a dentist is best. You’re dead wrong about plants though - where do you think pharma gets all their medicine bases from?… actually if we just trusted God meant what He said about how vegetation was made to help us instead of trusting in man, we would not get sick or deficient to begin with.
I have tons of comfrey. It is very invasive so plant it where you can control it. I have used the rhizome for sprains and bumps on myself and children.
As long as you understand that what is discussed in the video is a specific variety of comfrey called Bocking 14 that is not invasive, non spreading. Bocking 14 comfrey only reproduces from root cuttings.
My comfrey does not propagate by seed but the roots do expand every year just like many perennials but not as bad as mints. So I just dig out the expanded portion, usually about 6 inches from the center root and either divide and transplant or put the extra roots in my burn pile - NOT the compost or even the smallest root piece will sprout wherever it travels :)
@@rockjockchick Organic market farmers and Homesteaders pay a lot of attention to making "hot compost" but I doubt your average suburban gardener manages that very well, myself included, lol.
Also, I grow a lot of comfrey (the woodchucks leave it alone!) It’s great to know that I can introduce it to bunnies. I’ve been rescuing rabbits for 24 years and never saw that on a safe greens list. Thank you!
My Dad called it knitbone and I brought some to this house 33 years ago. He used it as a compost plant and so do I. I don't know if the seeds grow as I've never left them to try, I'm happy with the plant I've got. I never knew the roots went that deep.
Wow! Your video is so succinct-- a compact, straight to the point wealth of helpful information and encouragement. Will definitely grow this! Thank you 👏😃
Comfrey is the bone knitting herb as well as a contact healer, internally and externally. While it's not recommended to ingest comfrey, I know others who have had no problems. I would be cautious about how much I took internally to make sure there isn't an overdose issue with minerals. When placed over an injury, like a sprain, it eliminated bruising by breaking up the dead red blood cells so the body can carry them away and eliminate them. It also reduces swelling. I was visiting my sister 25 years ago 1700 miles away by plane and fell off of a four-foot landing one morning breaking my ankle. I went into shock at the time it happened and heard all the ripping, tearing of the ligaments as well as the loud pop. My sister packed my ankle in a comfrey poultice for two days while elevated changing the poultice every 8-12 hours. I had to get on a plane to travel home again after two days, and when we took all the dressings off to get ready to go, there was absolutely no bruising or swelling. I could bear a little weight on it and somehow made it home. After I arrived home, a little bruising showed up after breaking open some of the blood vessels below the surface with hobbling around on it in the airport, but I stayed off of it at home wheeling around the house in an office chair keeping it wrapped in an elastic bandage. lol What a fiasco, but I never went to the Dr. over it and it healed up all on its own after that. I adore my comfrey plants!!! I will be dividing them up again this year and planting them all around in the edible forest plan I'm creating. I'm also tilling up a large, freeform area that gets a fair amount of sun in order to cultivate a lot of medicinal herbs I want to be able to have access to in the future, like mullien, valerian, echinacea, stinging nettle, purslane, hops, more lavender, lobelia, etc. I already have a raised beds with a lot of other herbs which are both medicinal and culinary...I love my lemon balm patch and have just introduced borage and the ever invasive peppermint...lol The bee balm is in with the oregano, basil, cilantro, chives and another comfrey plant...I don't think the comfrey likes the bee balm...they seem to repel each other and the leaves on both plants which are next to the other turn ugly yellow and brown. I'm planning to move the bee balm out and put it with the other mint family plants.
When i was a kid, every time the siblings of my family experienced stomach ache, this plant used to cure in s minute time and we have this plant in our garden for 15 years and it is proven effective. Im from philippines anyway.
Years ago, when my kids were young, and we had a hobby farm, I dried Comfrey and crumbled/ground it, along with many other dehydrated veggies, and used it all in soups, stews, and any other dishes I could get it into. My family was eating very healthy.........didn't suspect a thing, and it didn't hurt a bit! I wish it grew well in pots indoors because I would have one in my apartment right now if I could. I have three worm farms in my apartment and I would use the leaves and flowers in them as food and bedding. I would also use it for myself to eat in my different dishes.....and tea! I Would love to hear if somebody knows how to grow up well indoors! Thank you so much for the video!
My comfrey is outside in the bucket in all weathers. It probably doesn't get as big as it would in the ground but it gets tall and flowers. I pick the leaves that brown off and put them around the garden. 🌻
When I moved into my apartment, I planted a tiny comfrey plant from my old home - just a tiny plant in a plastic cup. I only have a small strip of flowerbed in front of my apartment and wow! That comfrey plant grew to 3ftx3ft the next summer. I'm going to have to take it out, as it completely overtook my nice plants. It doesn't get full sun, so that may be why it developed a white powdery mold.
I have comfrey in my garden that was given to me by grandmother. It is not sterile because I have small plants that pop up around it so it must be seeding itself. It is very difficult to get rid of, especially if you let it grow to full size. I have used the root on sprains and bumps and it takes the swelling down. I have cut the leaves and placed them over my garden beds in the fall. I think next spring I will cut the leaves and put them around my young plants.
Don't do that! Comfrey contains toxins that damage liver, and are potentially carcinogenic. Use it topically, on skin - as salves, balms and compresses. After two years I hope you are still OK.
Propagating comfrey can be as simple as chucking a section of root (even a couple of inches) where you want it to grow, even the smallest piece of root that you wouldn't think has a chance will often grow. This will, of course, be slower than deliberately planting properly cut up root cuttings, but if you want low effort and don't mind it taking a while, you can just chuck bits of root around. I'm looking to plant a row of comfrey along a swale that is up-slope from my greenhouse, then I can cut and drop the leaves into the swale ditch, which fills with water when I get enough rain and slowly seeps under the greenhouse beds (which are raised beds with a hügelkultur base). Hopefully, this will help to pass nutrients from deep in the soil under my greenhouse beds.
Thanks for sharing this knowledge, I now know where to plant it in my garden. It will be a pollinator and planted next to raspberries and my annual vegetable plot. I am learning more and more thanks to those on RUclips who continue to share.
Some physios use comfrey to help heal broken bones. It used to be called “knit bone” and the leaves need to be laid on the break area for about 15 mins. each day.
Once had a goat attacked by dogs, bites all over, I made comfrey poultice and applied to wounds, within weeks they had healed up with little scarring. 😊
Your video is fabulous! I wrecked my left rotator cuff in a stupid fall and had to undergo mayor reconstructive surgery to reattach my biceps, several tendons and ligaments almost a month ago and am still not permitted to use my shoulder! Thankfully, there is almost no pain now. I am very interested in acquiring some miracle comfrey to speed up my healing and full recovery. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
I need RC surgery and hoped I could just wear a bunch of comfrey leaves wrapped around it to heal it rather than surgical repair 🤪... half kidding, but I might actually try it...
I bought some Bocking 14 about 10 years ago and planted it in different places at the edge of my garden and lawn. I just dug up 2 plants, replanted a piece in the original spaces and then planted 33 other pieces of those original plants at the edge of my gardens and the side of my house. I want it to stop the encroachment but I also will use it for chop and drop and Jadam fertilizer tea. The new planted areas will keep me from having to chop it and put it in a wheel barrow to spread it in my garden. I make Jadam (Korean) comfrey tea by chopping up a bunch of comfrey and stuffing it into a 32 gallon black garbage can. I pack the comfrey tight up to about 3/4 of the garbage can. I throw in some leaf mold and sea salt, wait about three months and mix the solution 1 part tea to 10 parts water. You can keep adding the comfrey and water. It's freeze proof over the winter. It works and you will never run out of the stuff. The Russian Bocking 14's NPK is 1.8 - 0.5 - 7. Buying it was one of the smartest things I've ever done for my garden and my back.
@@TheProvidentPrepper I think you may be confusing his microorganism mix using starches. That only takes about 3 days and must be applied at it's peak bubbling. Hope this helps.
Thanks for responding! Of course! I couldn’t even imagine letting a bunny in the garden. I rescue domestic bunnies and only keep them inside. I have a lot of woodchucks on my property so growing a garden is a challenge. They even eat more than bunnies. I appreciate all of your sharing. It’s great to see how your entire family has grown and shared together.
I just bought 20 comfrey starts. I've got them potted and starting to sprout up. I'm planning on planting them around my fruit trees and my chicken coop
I got part of a plant with its root in fall. I’m in zone 3. Wasn’t sure I could plant so late and have it grow next season, but it came back strong. I put it around two new apple trees. Looking forward to harvest and dry it.
I've used it my whole life. I know it makes an injury heal faster. If used to help a bone injury that injury doesn't ache years later in bad weather. And I've also heard, from my dad it can CURE stomach ulcers. I've recommended it to a older gentleman who complained of stomach problems, but also to do his own research. He told me he ate a little bit in his eggs in the morning for 2 days in a row and on the third day he was cutting some of it up for his breakfast eggs and he just stopped because he realized his stomach hasn't felt that good in 30 years. Or so he told me, and I believed him, his whole disposition was way more upbeat and genuinely seemed more happy. I'm hoping to learn more uses from you. Oh, we gather the fresh leaves and let them soak in a large mouth jar in rubbing alcohol for 3 days minimum before use then either rub the liquid on the injured area or soak a clean rag and ring it out over the jar till its mildly damp to slightly wet and bandage it on the injured area plus I've put on my legs wen I had "growing pains" when I was very young and it always seemed to help🙂 thanks
Lovely and informative video! I was looking for information on how to propagate my comfrey plant for a friend, and I am just pleased as punch to have found your channel! Looking forward to learning from you. Many blessings to you and your homestead!
I have just discovered this plant, just only a few days ago, I'm going to get the front garden sorted this week to start growing it, but just now I bought dried comfrey root & herbal tea pot and I bought comfrey ointment for my sore hip. I only started tonight!
We just moved into our house this winter. I've heard about comfrey and it's awesomeness before but didn't really know what it looked like until I had this plant come out of no where in full glory that I identified it. I'm so glad to have it and know I know how to propagate it, thanks!
I just started some from seed and have several seedlings coming along. Very excited to see them growing. . We are trying to create some great soil at our place and think they will help.
Somebody planted comfrey here 40 years ago and it’s still going strong but not always where it was planted …not as bad as oregano which is now endemic , covering acres and spread by lawnmowers . I suggest you find an out of the way spot for your comfrey planting
We have grown comfrey in our garden for the last 20 years. We don't have the non-speading kind but my husband keeps it in check with the lawnmower and his potato fork. The pollnators do love it! I have made salve with it. I've been told by people I respect that you should never use comfrey on an open wound as there is a compound in comfrey that can travel through your blood stream and affect your liver. I make plantain salve to use where there is a question about comfrey. Thank you for this post.
I heard that the reason to not use comfrey on an open wound is bc comfrey heals so quickly that it will heal the top of the skin quicker and seal in infection underneath skin where healing is slower. I personally know someone that this happened to. Wound had to be reopened.
What a wonderful plant and l thank you for all the information you imparted.l never knew anything about comfrey,and l am really excited to look more into this.Thank you so very much.Kind Regards.
Great video , thank you . A friend gave me a plant 2 years ago and it's just huge . Concidering the times we are in and my accident prone nature , I'm going to chop the plant and dry in the shed . The new balm .
Great video - Here is the Southeast I struggled with the "simple planting". Just putting a root in the ground that is mostly clay and not watering regularly did not work out well. I did a trial and found that if you put in a well established area with good soil and constant water then it will root, but with most plants you need to baby it the first year until that tap root can get deep in the ground. Maybe not everywhere but surely here in the south of US. Thanks again for the informative video.
When we moved to our property in 1974, there was a gorgeous Comfrey plant behind the shop area. When we got rabbits, I'd feed some leaves to the rabbits; and, yep, the chickens loved the Comfrey. Over the years, that Comfrey died out -- I have no idea how long it grew on the property before we bought the land. About 10 or so years later, I heard and read health alerts about using Comfrey -- I don't remember what the worries were about, back then. .... I'd like to get some more Comfrey.
From what I understand, scientists found that too much can be toxic and they started banning comfrey in ingestible forms. Of course they left out the part where they were basically giving rats a diet that was almost entirely comfrey! That wouldn’t be healthy for anyone. They were obviously trying to make it look bad because it’s one of many remedies that challenges the pHARMa industry. Similar studies have been done with other things like salt, where rats were given 3x their body weight in salt daily, so now we know how bad salt is for you and we buy low sodium products.
For more information visit our post How to Propagate, Grow and Use Comfrey
theprovidentprepper.org/how-to-propagate-grow-and-use-comfrey/
***As promised, here are a couple of links for Tom Bartel:
You can watch Tom’s free video workshop at training.growfoodwell.com/thrive/
***For those of you looking for Bocking 14 or Russian Comfrey (sterile variety so that the seeds don't make your yard into one giant comfrey patch), I recommend getting it from Seeds for Generations bit.ly/3lQXXlG
You may also be interested in reading more at The Provident Prepper:
Biointensive Victory Gardens: Higher Yields with Less Work
theprovidentprepper.org/biointensive-victory-gardens-higher-yields-with-less-work/
How to Create a Survival Food Forest in Your Own Backyard
theprovidentprepper.org/how-to-create-a-survival-food-forest-in-your-own-backyard/
Inexpensive Root Cellars: 13 Literally Cool Ideas to Chill With
theprovidentprepper.org/inexpensive-root-cellars-13-literally-cool-ideas-to-chill-with/
Chillin’ in Our DIY Buried Freezer Root Cellar
theprovidentprepper.org/chillin-in-our-diy-buried-freezer-root-cellar/
Poor Man’s Greenhouse - A Guide to Winter Seed Sowing
theprovidentprepper.org/poor-mans-greenhouse-a-guide-to-winter-seed-sowing/
Thanks for being part of the solution!
Our 1-yr-old German Shepherd has claimed the comfrey along our back fence as his own. He doesn't eat them or dig by them, he just lays right down on them, snuggles in and hangs out there. It doesn't seem to bother the plants at all, they always just keep growing. :)
GSDs are the best! 🙂
It’s Comfrey. 😂
Is it because the comfrey plants help to keep him cool?
They retain moisture
@@teresajeffrey6165 I didn't think of that, but that's possible, yes.
A friend gifted me a Comfrey plant 4 years ago, which I have kept going in a pot (not being a long history gardner lol) Recently I discovered one of my rabbits had possibly been attacked by another animal. He was down to skin and bone and had an eye infection and my prognosis was not good. I put him in a hutch to "wind down" with water and feed, and put some dried leaf Comfrey in his water and also left a branch of fruitless Mulberry, expecting to find his life gone by morning.
He was only drinking water the first few days.
It's been about two weeks and he just slephed off a half dollar size scab from under his chin - his neck had been torn open and I had not noticed. The neck is bald but beautifully closed.
He's back to his sweet self and gaining weight .
I believe it was the Comfey. 💯
So good to know. Glad your rabbit made it.
Get homophathics kit
@BreakmyWindows That poor rabbit must have been in so much pain. Perhaps a vet should have been called in to examine the wounded rabbit & administer something for pain as well as close the wound. Not sure how you overlooked it's throat being ripped open, a vet exam would have revealed the extent of injuries. I'm all for medicinal herbs, but there is a time & a place for using herbal remedies & this one sounds like a doctor should have been involved.
@@goldenyearsacres9163 Here in Spain, in the rural part where I live, farmers are much the same, they don't take their animals to the vet as we would, especially the small farmers. They wait to see what happens, leaving it to the elements, the universe or god to decide if it's time to go. A totally different attitude to what I've learned during my life before coming here. Took me a while, but I think I finally accepted it. Not everyone can afford vet bills unfortunately
@@goldenyearsacres9163 are you sure about that? Doctors tend to bury their mistakes.
My very best friend was an asthmatic. She could not go to barbques or enter a room where people smoked etc. she slept with her machine for help. She used to go to the gym. Jack Lalane’s. One day she finished exercising and on her way out she ran into Jack himself. He stopped her. Confirmed that she was whizzing and told her to drink comfrey tea and marched on. No hello no good bye. She had no idea what comfrey was. Where to get it etc. it took her dropping into the local health store and she was now making comfrey tea. She did not know how much to drink so she took a thermos full to work each day and drank it all. Soon no more whizzing. No more asthma. For years and years she drank that tea and one day she started to whizz again and realized she had stopped drinking her tea. So needles to say... she went right back to it. Lived to be 96 in terrific health!
Amazing ❤❤
Sadly, I believe they have now recommended that comfrey not be ingested, due to its potential to cause liver toxicity. I've just started growing it, and I need to know more about this concern.
Love your story about the asthma
so many things they try to make us afraid of comfrey has been around for centuries and they've been using it for healing all that time
Then Big Pharma tries to stop us from using it
@@stacyrosa6672 i read that too. they say it is bad for the liver. Alcohol is bad for everything and it is sold nice and easy to just about everybody, destroying lives. but they are warning against a plant. I wont say more in order for this not to be removed.
I would love to know about the tea. how strong, how often, etc. Please and thank you.
Comfry is also a natural insectacide. Thats probably why one of your commenters said that their german shepard liked to lie down in the comfry patch. 😄Smart dog!👍
Im betting he doesnt have a problem with fleas or ticks 😊
Used comfrey salve on 90 year old relative with Covid. Put salve on her chest, back and bottom of feet and placed on socks. She rested comfortably with less night coughs. Also healed much quickly from Covid.
Some things I've done with comfrey..
Made a salve with coconut oil. We use it on wounds, sore muscles and using it on my husband's leg (recently sprained it)
Cut the tip of my finger to the bone, used the Comfrey salve and red light therapy. It healed in just a few days.
Had a goat get a serious eye injury. The eye swelled up to over twice it's normal size. Couldn't get a vet to come look at it. Thought I was going to have to put her down when infection started coming out heavily and she was spinning in circles. Started feeding her comfrey and lemon balm leaves...LOTS of them. (Other herbs weren't helping). Not only did the eye heal, but is back to normal size and she has some sight in it. I now have new plants started with plans to start more.
It's interesting that we are told people shouldn't consume comfrey and yet animals eat it like candy with no issues. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?
Yes, I read that also. My thoughts are if gov bans its use that must mean it works extremely well. It cuts the profits of big pharma. We can't have that !!
Sure does!
@@eileendarling1093 Exactly!
Roman and Greek warriors used it to heal broken bones, torn rotor cuffs, torn ligaments. It works. I also use the oil on my skin and nails. My nails went from nubs to long and strong nails in 3 weeks
How do you make the oil?
Nice. How do you make the oil?
I love using different herbs I saw comfrey in a nursery and bought it without knowing much about it. I was so disappointed to read on internet to be ver y careful using it don’t use it as tea. Do not consume at all be very careful with it. And will take over your garden if planted in it. I didn’t want to trow it out so I planted it in a pot but away from the grand kids.Now Ive been hearing all this good things about Comfrey but to weary to use it.
I bought a tiny plant 5-6 years ago,lol. I do love the plant, mine is not sterile, I now have it everywhere. A few years ago I was out watering plants and I noticed that my comfrey plant, (since I live out in the middle of nowhere, )I figured maybe wildlife was eating it, lol, what I was finally able to discover was, that when my dog wasn’t feeling well, she’d eat comfrey, it never hurt her.
Thank you for sharing! Blessings
You can also eat it, I put young leaves in my smoothies or salads. Don't be put off by what they say about it being dangerous. It used be sold here in Australia years ago in tablet form. It was the Naturopaths' go to herb for many things. Just another natural item put on the banned list because it was SO good at treating so many ailments, THEY couldn't make money from it, so banned it.
Out here in the Australian outback, the soil is essentially just red clay and has almost no nutrients. Since i started growing comfrey, the area around it is the only place that i can see a darkening of the soil, even after years of composting and buying soil, the sun is just so powerful in the summer that it sterilizes the earth unless there is an already established tree hanging over it.
I bet it’s packed with nutrients, just not good for roots!
@@nunyabiznass4702 I'm about to try dragon fruit, I hope it likes the clay more than I do.
@@dogmeat7486 have you heard of Korean natural farming KNF? You can collect microbes IMO and add it to your clay/dirt and turn it into some great soil!
I make a comfrey root tincture. It is great as a compress for broken bones, bruises, and cuts in the skin. It also makes a wonderful foot soak for sore feet, just 2 or 3 tablespoons in a footbath is all you need. Comfrey is also one of my favorite herbs! It makes me happy just to look at it.
how do you make a compress?
Yes amen indeed glory luv it impt.
My father-in-law made a solution with rubbing alcohol for compresses. I didn't know it had other uses.
How many bones do you break?
I found it wonderful for my back I have 35 metals screws brackets an 4 rods in my spine Ive made salve but it cost alot for me to buy dried confrey so I got a root today to try an grow my own ❤️❤️ God Bless Rebecca 70+
So sorry about your back! That sounds miserable! I hope the comfrey helps.
Did the comfrey grow for you, and did it help your pain?
Watch your blood pressure over time !
I was given a comfrey salve for an elbow injury that I didn’t have the money to go to the doctor about. The comfrey salve healed my elbow in 3 days. I want to grow lots of comfrey plants. 😊
It works the same on cuts,think that's why they call it "stitchwort".
Free mulch that breaks down into fertilizer and a soil builder. It's the #1 plant to have.
@King Yusuf this is scam
@@joshuavazquez5534 no u r a acam
I have an abundance of comfrey growing along the river at my farm. I’ve eaten many leaves while working in my garden. I LOVE them. I did research on herbal properties vs. commercial pharmaceutical for my naturopathic certification. which stated that it was the equivalence of 25 bushels of comfrey root were given to the rats to indicate liver toxicity. I never ate that much, hahaha.
@@TheProvidentPrepper maybe too amazing now that we know what they are doing to food supply. They found eggs to be bad for you, remember?
In college we injected Coffee that was reduced to a thick gel into rats and discovered caffeine kills them.
Hi all, any success remedies for post shingles?
Comfrey has helped with sunburn. Had one on my neck. Soaked the leaves in water maybe 5mins. Put the leaves on my neck. Could feel the leaves warming up. It was crazy! Burn did not bother me at all afterwards!
Comfrey is good for mending broken bones. In fact one of it's other names is knitbone. We have plenty comfrey in front next to the house. They are very decorative.
Yes I used it when I was 19 to knit my bone back together in just 3 weeks my cast came off.
Yes i've heard about that! That's amazing. But on the same token it should not be used on cuts or lacerations because it will cause the wound to heal the incorrect order which can cause infections. I just learned that recently. Wounds are supposed to heal from the inside out, but comfrey can cause it to heal from the outside in.
@@christydurham5464 That's awesome.
@@mylittlerebornlove8851 I haven't used it on open wounds and I didn't realize it would heal from the outside in so it is good that I haven't used it that way. Thanks.
@@christydurham5464 Wow, good to know. Can you please explain what to do?
I KNOW THIS about comfrey: Once you plant that stuff, you will NEVER get rid of it, you will have it forever and it spreads like crazy!! Good thing that its so useful!!! I also use it as a green compost/mulch, it has a huge amount of nutrients to feed other plants. Keep on cutting and it keeps growing. Its WONDERFUL!!
Russian comfrey is not invasive.
You missed the part where she said this variety is sterile. I'd try to eradicate what you have now and replace it, where you want it, with Bocking 14.
Also known as bone knit. I use it by bruising the leaves and wrapping it around the injury. It used to be planted by horse stables for this use.
Grass disease I think its called. Horses suffering crippling effects from the spray on the grass or what ever?
Glad to see others enthusing about comfrey. I've been using it for many years. Incidentally; this may seem pedantic, but the name is Bocking 14 - no "L". Great video.
I bought a single comfrey plant from Azure Standard years ago and have been splitting it and planting it all over our homestead. If you’re patient you can divide one plant into many over the years, making it very economical. It’s under our fruit trees to bring up the deep minerals in the soil, and more recently around the perimeter of our garden. My hope is that it will deter grass creep into our vegetable garden and also will be in close proximity for chop and drop to enrich the soil. I’m really hoping that works cuz once you plant it you’re not getting rid of it 😂 We will also use it for chickens and medicinal purposes. Thanks for the video!
How do you use comfrey with your chickens?
@@gracec1665 they eat it
@@lydiahubbell6278 Awesome! Thank you.
If it's near the garden, won't it invade the garden just like grass?
I have comfrey now but, it took me forever to find some. No nurseries around here carry it. I finally found some online and got these little tiny root pieces and thought they would never grow but they did of course. I have now given roots to my daughter in law. So glad I have it , now I have to get some mullien and other medicinal herbs.
I think Rare Seeds aka Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds might have Mullein.
I got mine from etsy, and it's doing well so far.
I watched a video. The Nature Path related a story. A farmer in Australia's cow was deathly sick. His vet recommended he put the cow down. Farmer decided if the cow was going to die. It would not hurt to start feeding the cow comfrey. After a few days the cow was not dead but was better. Long story short. The cow recovered.
I've had comfrey going for 40 something years in my garden. I have it everywhere it is even taken off to the woods. In the spring I offer it to friends or anyone who would like some and there is still more in the garden. It's one of my favorite plants.
Can I buy some starts from you?
@@barbaragage657 im looking for some also
I would be interested in buying some from you too! I'm in North Carolina. Zone 7.
I'd like to buy some from you, please.
Well I'm located in Maine I live in the woods and I have no car to get it to the post office. I offer it for free if somebody wants to come and dig it up themselves.
Love this video! I am self-studying herbalism, and I have always wanted to have comfrey. I will be growing it this spring!
This is timely because just last night my daughter burned her arm in the kitchen… I reached for my frankincense and lavender oil roller ball, as well as my honey/comfrey ointment. This morning the welt has receded by over half and has no pain. Amazing!
I am in Africa we used to eat it as spinach people still do
Great video! Right to the point (thank you!!), no music while you’re talking and awesome information! I’ll be back :)
My son told me yesterday that I have 'stacks' of comfrey growing under my Granny Smith apple tree. He told me it was good for placing nitrogen in the soil. "How did it get there?" I haven't go a clue. Thanks for your video.
When I was small we had a little garden. We considered comfrey as a weed then, which was hard to get rid of, because it was almost impossible to dig out all the roots and it was always growing back. But I remember my mom making a syrup from those roots we were trying to get rid of as good medicine for everything.
A few years ago I got a. Brown recluse spider bite on the side of my right wrist ...I completely healed it by interchanging 3 different poultices...2 of which contained comfrey as one of the ingredients
I'm curious, what were the other 2 herbs used in your poultices? It would be very helpful to myself and others to have that documented in a herbal journal . Thanks for the heads up on nasty spider bites....I appreciate it☺️
I would love to know the recipe also! Maybe make a video?
Make it 3. I'd love to have the recipe.
I just found you and thoroughly enjoyed this narrative and photos! I'm a victory garden prepper of sorts and planted comfrey in a circle around each of my fruit trees, and one at the end of each of my raised garden beds (4 x 10 each) to make it easy to chop and drop all summer long :) My chickens however, are not interested until the barren end of summer when there is not much else fresh green to eat. They free range among the comfrey and haven't destroyed it after 5 years. My medicinal use is for a salve and also I make a poultice whenever I've strained a muscle. It really works to relieve the pain and heal faster!
A friend of mine had a sour on his leg for years made a poltice it healed in 3 days hasn't been back since been years. He is a believer
I am glad to hear from you about Comfrey. I have split one plant into three years ago. Then last year I split one into 20. It's so good to hear how it will enrich the soil it is in. That's so good to hear. I've learned about the manure tea of comfrey and nettles. But it was good to hear so much about it. I do use it in my salve (comfrey, yarrow, plantain, calendula and something else I've forgotten. Thanks again.
Thank you! This was such a helpful video regarding Comfrey. As a mom and pediatrician, I truly see the value of all the ways that Comfrey can be used for health, wellness, sustainability, and through the garden. Many blessings to you.
Hello! I love your channel! Would you be interested in collaborating on a video with us? Reach out to me at theprovidentprepper.org/contact-us/ if that sounds interesting to you :)
We loved growing in school gardens. The kids would take a leaf and tear it up and use it for a “garden badge”. So cute to see the kids wearing their comfrey badges all day!
Love my Comfrey! 40 years of using it. I eat a few young leaves in salads during the growing season and use the rest as a liquid feed along with nettles, dandelions and plantain. Love from Geordie land xx
I'm feeling that you might not realise, we are not supposed to consume Comfrey orally. It is known to double cell growth. Good for ointment and as a compost, but not good for stomach or people who may be susceptible to bowel cancer
Ingestion not recommended, or very sparingly if needed, as it has both liver damage and cancer-causing properties.
I just got 5 comfrey root cuttings and I'm so excited to grow it to reap the benefits of the plant.
Comfrey poultice and salve heals very fast, so be sure you have no infection or dirt in the cut before you use it, because it will close the wound and grow a scar in one day.
Hi there, thank you for enlighten me about Comfrey. I have lots of them. Some with purple and some with white flowers. I use them as mulching or just spreading shredded leaves around my plants. I also use them as an accelerator for my compost.
I too enjoy watching beneficial pollinators hoping from one comfrey flower to another. I have just learned that you can make a balm with comfrey too.
This is my next task. Thank you.
Yacoob from UK.
I wholly support everything said here. I’m a big fan of what we call in the U.K. as the “Chelsea chop”. It’s as good as composting. I rescued my crop from the side of a footpath in the village where there was a Roman settlement - they would have known the value of it. I use it to shelter other plants from serious summer heat, which was valuable this year..didn’t know chuks love it. Thank you. What an enjoyable video.
What is chunks?
@@Thisisit120 chickens - chuks (chooks)
last spring I got a little comfrey start, it grew and grew and was so pretty. But you said it would be OK at -40 but this one just melted down in the first hard frost. I sure hope its OK, can hardly wait till spring which is slow getting up here.
BTW it's Bocking 14 comfrey (not blocking.) It's named after the place in England where research on the 20 different comfrey varieties was done. Found this while googling - "the term "Bocking" refers to a village subdistrict, in Braintree district, Essex in England. The term was applied to comfrey by Lawrence D. Hills who chose it during his research simply because it was the location of his research." Both Bocking 4 and Bocking 14 are non spreading. Everyone can do their own research by googling, but yes Bocking 14 sounds the best to use it for multiple uses. I think Bocking 4 is used more for live stock feed only, though I am no expert. One can purchase the regular comfrey that is very invasive, so it IS very important to make sure you are getting Bocking 14 comfrey. Thanks for educating people on that!
Please, how do I use comfrey root? My bones and teeth hurt a lot! Shall I boil it and drink it as tea?
I would see a dentist, forget about plants, they will do nothing.
or try toothache plant
@@fa..4983 that can work or buy a tincture and rub it on topically with your fingers. I would definitely see the dentist as well.
@@user-22- lol if it’s gone too far, yes a dentist is best. You’re dead wrong about plants though - where do you think pharma gets all their medicine bases from?… actually if we just trusted God meant what He said about how vegetation was made to help us instead of trusting in man, we would not get sick or deficient to begin with.
I have tons of comfrey. It is very invasive so plant it where you can control it. I have used the rhizome for sprains and bumps on myself and children.
As long as you understand that what is discussed in the video is a specific variety of comfrey called Bocking 14 that is not invasive, non spreading. Bocking 14 comfrey only reproduces from root cuttings.
My comfrey does not propagate by seed but the roots do expand every year just like many perennials but not as bad as mints. So I just dig out the expanded portion, usually about 6 inches from the center root and either divide and transplant or put the extra roots in my burn pile - NOT the compost or even the smallest root piece will sprout wherever it travels :)
@@curiouscat3384 if your compost gets hot enough it should kill the roots, but I know sometimes it’s hard to get even temps. There is an art to it!
@@rockjockchick Organic market farmers and Homesteaders pay a lot of attention to making "hot compost" but I doubt your average suburban gardener manages that very well, myself included, lol.
Also, I grow a lot of comfrey (the woodchucks leave it alone!) It’s great to know that I can introduce it to bunnies.
I’ve been rescuing rabbits for 24 years and never saw that on a safe greens list. Thank you!
My comfrey is always covered in all kinds of bees. It's very vigorous. Will try drying some and making a salve with it.
My Dad called it knitbone and I brought some to this house 33 years ago.
He used it as a compost plant and so do I.
I don't know if the seeds grow as I've never left them to try, I'm happy with the plant I've got. I never knew the roots went that deep.
The Root is the best part.
@@loladennler571 Right? Okay.
Wow! Your video is so succinct-- a compact, straight to the point wealth of helpful information and encouragement. Will definitely grow this! Thank you 👏😃
Just ordered the seeds and can't wait to grow them. Ty for you work and knowledge. ❤️❤️❤️
Comfrey is the bone knitting herb as well as a contact healer, internally and externally. While it's not recommended to ingest comfrey, I know others who have had no problems. I would be cautious about how much I took internally to make sure there isn't an overdose issue with minerals.
When placed over an injury, like a sprain, it eliminated bruising by breaking up the dead red blood cells so the body can carry them away and eliminate them. It also reduces swelling.
I was visiting my sister 25 years ago 1700 miles away by plane and fell off of a four-foot landing one morning breaking my ankle. I went into shock at the time it happened and heard all the ripping, tearing of the ligaments as well as the loud pop. My sister packed my ankle in a comfrey poultice for two days while elevated changing the poultice every 8-12 hours. I had to get on a plane to travel home again after two days, and when we took all the dressings off to get ready to go, there was absolutely no bruising or swelling. I could bear a little weight on it and somehow made it home. After I arrived home, a little bruising showed up after breaking open some of the blood vessels below the surface with hobbling around on it in the airport, but I stayed off of it at home wheeling around the house in an office chair keeping it wrapped in an elastic bandage. lol What a fiasco, but I never went to the Dr. over it and it healed up all on its own after that.
I adore my comfrey plants!!! I will be dividing them up again this year and planting them all around in the edible forest plan I'm creating. I'm also tilling up a large, freeform area that gets a fair amount of sun in order to cultivate a lot of medicinal herbs I want to be able to have access to in the future, like mullien, valerian, echinacea, stinging nettle, purslane, hops, more lavender, lobelia, etc. I already have a raised beds with a lot of other herbs which are both medicinal and culinary...I love my lemon balm patch and have just introduced borage and the ever invasive peppermint...lol The bee balm is in with the oregano, basil, cilantro, chives and another comfrey plant...I don't think the comfrey likes the bee balm...they seem to repel each other and the leaves on both plants which are next to the other turn ugly yellow and brown. I'm planning to move the bee balm out and put it with the other mint family plants.
Why does it not like higher than zone 9? Too hot?
Thank U Terri for sharing
Can comfrey be planted in pots inside. I live in an apartment
@@trudycash94 We started our in pots but they really need room.
Don't till! Tilling ruins the soil.
Chickens love it. Ducks seem to love it even more!
I use it to cure wounds on horses. Crunch fresh leaves, apply directly and bandage accordingly to the area you are treating❤️
Put of curiosisty. Does hair regrow where you use this on your horse?
@@annishiaeskew7323 yes if kept moist with aloe Vera or burnt motor oil.
When i was a kid, every time the siblings of my family experienced stomach ache, this plant used to cure in s minute time and we have this plant in our garden for 15 years and it is proven effective. Im from philippines anyway.
Years ago, when my kids were young, and we had a hobby farm, I dried Comfrey and crumbled/ground it, along with many other dehydrated veggies, and used it all in soups, stews, and any other dishes I could get it into. My family was eating very healthy.........didn't suspect a thing, and it didn't hurt a bit! I wish it grew well in pots indoors because I would have one in my apartment right now if I could. I have three worm farms in my apartment and I would use the leaves and flowers in them as food and bedding. I would also use it for myself to eat in my different dishes.....and tea! I Would love to hear if somebody knows how to grow up well indoors! Thank you so much for the video!
Maybe a small aquaponics system
I've got one growing in a 20litre bucket. It's been growing in there for couple of years, it's doing well
@@lynnelliot7256it doesn't try to dig a tap root through your bucket?
My comfrey is outside in the bucket in all weathers. It probably doesn't get as big as it would in the ground but it gets tall and flowers. I pick the leaves that brown off and put them around the garden. 🌻
When I moved into my apartment, I planted a tiny comfrey plant from my old home - just a tiny plant in a plastic cup. I only have a small strip of flowerbed in front of my apartment and wow! That comfrey plant grew to 3ftx3ft the next summer. I'm going to have to take it out, as it completely overtook my nice plants. It doesn't get full sun, so that may be why it developed a white powdery mold.
Very well done! Thanks for taking the time to make and share. I've grown comfrey for years but learned a lot about it from your video.
I have comfrey in my garden that was given to me by grandmother. It is not sterile because I have small plants that pop up around it so it must be seeding itself. It is very difficult to get rid of, especially if you let it grow to full size. I have used the root on sprains and bumps and it takes the swelling down. I have cut the leaves and placed them over my garden beds in the fall. I think next spring I will cut the leaves and put them around my young plants.
This is an amazing plant. Plant anywhere and It will thrive.
I have comfrey growing in my yard now. Thank you for the propagation information. God bless you! ❤
Comfrey is especially good for viscose veins you make a tea and drink it several times a day
Was very informative, thanks for the video.
I use comfrey as a tea, though it isn't very good tasting so I add ginger in the brew.
Don't do that! Comfrey contains toxins that damage liver, and are potentially carcinogenic. Use it topically, on skin - as salves, balms and compresses. After two years I hope you are still OK.
Propagating comfrey can be as simple as chucking a section of root (even a couple of inches) where you want it to grow, even the smallest piece of root that you wouldn't think has a chance will often grow. This will, of course, be slower than deliberately planting properly cut up root cuttings, but if you want low effort and don't mind it taking a while, you can just chuck bits of root around.
I'm looking to plant a row of comfrey along a swale that is up-slope from my greenhouse, then I can cut and drop the leaves into the swale ditch, which fills with water when I get enough rain and slowly seeps under the greenhouse beds (which are raised beds with a hügelkultur base). Hopefully, this will help to pass nutrients from deep in the soil under my greenhouse beds.
Great tutorial!!! Love learning about herbs and healing plants. All the best!
Kylene,
I would love a start! I just found your channel! It is amazing! Thanks so much for sharing your profound knowledge, Linda
My comfrey is currently flowering in zone 8! So pretty!
Thanks for sharing this knowledge, I now know where to plant it in my garden. It will be a pollinator and planted next to raspberries and my annual vegetable plot. I am learning more and more thanks to those on RUclips who continue to share.
Do you have recipes for the oil and salve that you make with this? I am interested in this.
Just another outstanding video. Info to editing you y’all got PhDs is awesomeness 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Some physios use comfrey to help heal broken bones. It used to be called “knit bone” and the leaves need to be laid on the break area for about 15 mins. each day.
Once had a goat attacked by dogs, bites all over, I made comfrey poultice and applied to wounds, within weeks they had healed up with little scarring. 😊
Your video is fabulous! I wrecked my left rotator cuff in a stupid fall and had to undergo mayor reconstructive surgery to reattach my biceps, several tendons and ligaments almost a month ago and am still not permitted to use my shoulder!
Thankfully, there is almost no pain now. I am very interested in acquiring some miracle comfrey to speed up my healing and full recovery. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
I need RC surgery and hoped I could just wear a bunch of comfrey leaves wrapped around it to heal it rather than surgical repair 🤪... half kidding, but I might actually try it...
I bought some Bocking 14 about 10 years ago and planted it in different places at the edge of my garden and lawn. I just dug up 2 plants, replanted a piece in the original spaces and then planted 33 other pieces of those original plants at the edge of my gardens and the side of my house. I want it to stop the encroachment but I also will use it for chop and drop and Jadam fertilizer tea.
The new planted areas will keep me from having to chop it and put it in a wheel barrow to spread it in my garden.
I make Jadam (Korean) comfrey tea by chopping up a bunch of comfrey and stuffing it into a 32 gallon black garbage can. I pack the comfrey tight up to about 3/4 of the garbage can. I throw in some leaf mold and sea salt, wait about three months and mix the solution 1 part tea to 10 parts water. You can keep adding the comfrey and water. It's freeze proof over the winter. It works and you will never run out of the stuff.
The Russian Bocking 14's NPK is 1.8 - 0.5 - 7. Buying it was one of the smartest things I've ever done for my garden and my back.
@@TheProvidentPrepper I think you may be confusing his microorganism mix using starches. That only takes about 3 days and must be applied at it's peak bubbling. Hope this helps.
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Very educational. Thanks for the video
Love comfrey, and it’s in my garden.
Thanks for responding! Of course! I couldn’t even imagine letting a bunny in the garden. I rescue domestic bunnies and only keep them inside.
I have a lot of woodchucks on my property so growing a garden is a challenge. They even eat more than bunnies.
I appreciate all of your sharing. It’s great to see how your entire family has grown and shared together.
I just bought 20 comfrey starts. I've got them potted and starting to sprout up. I'm planning on planting them around my fruit trees and my chicken coop
I got part of a plant with its root in fall. I’m in zone 3. Wasn’t sure I could plant so late and have it grow next season, but it came back strong. I put it around two new apple trees. Looking forward to harvest and dry it.
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I've used it my whole life. I know it makes an injury heal faster. If used to help a bone injury that injury doesn't ache years later in bad weather. And I've also heard, from my dad it can CURE stomach ulcers. I've recommended it to a older gentleman who complained of stomach problems, but also to do his own research. He told me he ate a little bit in his eggs in the morning for 2 days in a row and on the third day he was cutting some of it up for his breakfast eggs and he just stopped because he realized his stomach hasn't felt that good in 30 years. Or so he told me, and I believed him, his whole disposition was way more upbeat and genuinely seemed more happy. I'm hoping to learn more uses from you.
Oh, we gather the fresh leaves and let them soak in a large mouth jar in rubbing alcohol for 3 days minimum before use then either rub the liquid on the injured area or soak a clean rag and ring it out over the jar till its mildly damp to slightly wet and bandage it on the injured area plus I've put on my legs wen I had "growing pains" when I was very young and it always seemed to help🙂 thanks
Lovely and informative video! I was looking for information on how to propagate my comfrey plant for a friend, and I am just pleased as punch to have found your channel! Looking forward to learning from you. Many blessings to you and your homestead!
I started comfry this winter in a pot, took about 4months for it to sprout! Now im thinking about where to plant it in my yard!
Dried comfrey for salves. Fresh comfrey for tinctures. Got it!
I have just discovered this plant, just only a few days ago, I'm going to get the front garden sorted this week to start growing it, but just now I bought dried comfrey root & herbal tea pot and I bought comfrey ointment for my sore hip. I only started tonight!
We just moved into our house this winter. I've heard about comfrey and it's awesomeness before but didn't really know what it looked like until I had this plant come out of no where in full glory that I identified it. I'm so glad to have it and know I know how to propagate it, thanks!
Thank for info😊
@@Nannette-x4lw
I just started some from seed and have several seedlings coming along. Very excited to see them growing. . We are trying to create some great soil at our place and think they will help.
Be warned they are very invasive. Do not plant amongst flowers.
I have had to transplant mine to prevent it from overtaking other plants!
@@firepatriot42 as an organic farmer I need as much as I can get.
Was it difficult to grow from seed? Please let me know. Thank you
It is so giving.
Somebody planted comfrey here 40 years ago and it’s still going strong but not always where it was planted …not as bad as oregano which is now endemic , covering acres and spread by lawnmowers . I suggest you find an out of the way spot for your comfrey planting
We have grown comfrey in our garden for the last 20 years. We don't have the non-speading kind but my husband keeps it in check with the lawnmower and his potato fork. The pollnators do love it! I have made salve with it. I've been told by people I respect that you should never use comfrey on an open wound as there is a compound in comfrey that can travel through your blood stream and affect your liver. I make plantain salve to use where there is a question about comfrey.
Thank you for this post.
Could I purchas some roots from you? I live in Texas.
I heard that the reason to not use comfrey on an open wound is bc comfrey heals so quickly that it will heal the top of the skin quicker and seal in infection underneath skin where healing is slower. I personally know someone that this happened to. Wound had to be reopened.
I love my bocking 14 plant. My ducks and geese love eating the leaves. I use fertilizer tea for all my plants❤
What a wonderful plant and l thank you for all the information you imparted.l never knew anything about comfrey,and l am really excited to look more into this.Thank you so very much.Kind Regards.
Great video , thank you .
A friend gave me a plant 2 years ago and it's just huge . Concidering the times we are in and my accident prone nature , I'm going to chop the plant and dry in the shed . The new balm .
Thank you, it’s on my list to plant this year!!
Great job!
Very informative and organized...and I love your passion!
I just got comfrey today. I’m so excited!
i am growing comfry and didnt know it. this is the second year. ty for video. now i know what to do with it ha
Bocking 14 ;) Developed in Bocking, England by L.D. HIlls.
Great video - Here is the Southeast I struggled with the "simple planting". Just putting a root in the ground that is mostly clay and not watering regularly did not work out well. I did a trial and found that if you put in a well established area with good soil and constant water then it will root, but with most plants you need to baby it the first year until that tap root can get deep in the ground. Maybe not everywhere but surely here in the south of US. Thanks again for the informative video.
When we moved to our property in 1974, there was a gorgeous Comfrey plant behind the shop area. When we got rabbits, I'd feed some leaves to the rabbits; and, yep, the chickens loved the Comfrey. Over the years, that Comfrey died out -- I have no idea how long it grew on the property before we bought the land. About 10 or so years later, I heard and read health alerts about using Comfrey -- I don't remember what the worries were about, back then. .... I'd like to get some more Comfrey.
There’s no money in healthcare if you are taking care of your own health! They cannot regulate your garden, Lord God willing.
@@rebeccafarmer4074 I 100% agree! Scare tactics really do work…look at 2020, Fauci, the flu. Ugh People should follow the money.
Yes,I've heard that you have to be careful in using too much, as it can be toxic if over used.
From what I understand, scientists found that too much can be toxic and they started banning comfrey in ingestible forms. Of course they left out the part where they were basically giving rats a diet that was almost entirely comfrey! That wouldn’t be healthy for anyone. They were obviously trying to make it look bad because it’s one of many remedies that challenges the pHARMa industry.
Similar studies have been done with other things like salt, where rats were given 3x their body weight in salt daily, so now we know how bad salt is for you and we buy low sodium products.
Excellent presentation very informative, appreciate you.
Wow, I learn something from every video. Thanks.
Very informative! Thank you for all the tips and tricks! Best, Albert
I've not grown it, but now I'm going to try. Saludos desde Costa Rica :)