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Symphytum officinale
| Common name: |
Comfrey |
Family: |
Boraginaceae |
| Author: |
L. |
Botanical references: |
17, 200 |
| Synonyms: |
|
| Known Hazards: |
This plant contains small quantities of a toxic alkaloid which can have a cumulative effect upon the liver. Largest concentrations are found in the roots, leaves contain higher quantities of the alkaloid as they grow older and young leaves contain almost none. Most people would have to consume very large quantities of the plant in order to do any harm, though anyone with liver problems should obviously be more cautious. In general, the health-promoting properties of the plant probably far outweigh any possible disbenefits, especially if only the younger leaves are used. |
| Range: |
Europe, including Britain, south and east from Scandanavia to Spain, Siberia and Turkey. |
| Habitat: |
Damp, often shady localities, in meadows, woods etc, especially near streams and rivers[9, 17, 244]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
4 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 5 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| S. officinale ssp. uliginosum[B,P]
S. officinalis[Sn1,Ss]
S. patens[H]
S. uliginosum[B,P]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Ass Ear [H], Blackwort [H], Boneset [H], Borraja [E], Bourrache [E], Bruisewort [H], Buyuk Karakafesotu [E], Comfrey [E,H], Comfry [H], Common Comfrey [H,B,L,MS,P], Consolida [H], Consoude [E], Consound [H], Consuelda [E], Gewone Smeerwortel [D], Gum Plant [H], Healing Herb [H], Hirehari-So [E], Knitback [H], Knitbone [H], Liane Chique [E], Slippery Root [H], Yalluc [H], |
| Epithets: | From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets |
|
officinale = sold as an herb
|
| Systematics: | From a USDA Plants Database |
|
Order: Lamiales. Borage family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
China
Dominican Republic Europe Haiti Spain Turkey Us(Co)
|
Physical Characteristics
Perennial growing to 1.2m by 0.6m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from May to June, and the seeds ripen from June to July. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees.
We rate it 4/5 for edibility and
5/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.
It requires moist soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Hedgerow, Woodland, Cultivated Beds, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge.Edible Uses
Leaves
Tea.
Young leaves - cooked or raw[2, 4, 5, 9, 46, 61]. The leaf is hairy and
the texture is mucilaginous. It may be full of minerals but it is not
pleasant eating for most tastes. It can be chopped up finely and added to
salads, in this way the hairiness is not so obvious[183, K].
Young shoots can be used as an asparagus substitute[46]. The blanched stalks
are used[183].
Older leaves can be dried and used as a tea[26].
The peeled roots are cut up and added to soups[183].
A tea is made from the dried leaves and roots[183].
The roasted roots are used with dandelion and chicory roots for making
coffee[183].
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Anodyne
Astringent Demulcent Emollient Expectorant Haemostatic Homeopathy Refrigerant Vulnerary.
Comfrey is a commonly used herbal medicine with a long and proven
history in the treatment of various complaints. The root and the leaves are
used, the root being more active, and they can be taken internally or used
externally as a poultice[4, 222]. Comfrey is especially useful in the
external treatment of cuts, bruises, sprains, sores, eczema, varicose veins,
broken bones etc, internally it is used in the treatment of a wide range of
pulmonary complaints, internal bleeding etc[4, 238, K]. The plant contains a
substance called 'allantoin', a cell proliferant that speeds up the healing
process[4, 21, 26, 165, 222, 238]. This substance is now synthesized in the
pharmaceutical industry and used in healing creams[238].
The root and leaves are anodyne, astringent (mild), demulcent, emollient,
expectorant, haemostatic, refrigerant, vulnerary[4, 21, 26, 165, 222]. Some
caution is advised, however, especially in the internal use of the herb.
External applications and internally taken teas or tinctures of the leaves
are considered to be completely safe, but internal applications of tablets or
capsules are felt to have too many drawbacks for safe usage[238]. See also
the notes above on toxicity. The leaves are harvested in early summer before
the plant flowers, the roots are harvested in the autumn. Both are dried for
later use[238].
A homeopathic remedy is made from the fresh root, harvested before the plant
flowers[232]. This has a very limited range of application, but is of great
benefit in the treatment of broken bones and eye injuries[232]. We have a more details factsheet on the history and medicinal use of this plant. Email webmaster@pfaf.org for details.
Other Uses
Biomass
Compost Gum.
The plant grows very quickly, producing a lot of bulk. It is tolerant
of being cut several times a year and can be used to provide 'instant
compost' for crops such as potatoes. Simply layer the wilted leaves at the
bottom of the potato trench or apply them as a mulch in no-dig gardens. A
liquid feed can be obtained by soaking the leaves in a small amount of water
for a week, excellent for potassium demanding crops such as tomatoes. The
leaves are also a very valuable addition to the compost heap[26, 200].
A gum obtained from the roots was at one time used in the treatment of wool
before it was spun[100].
Cultivation details
Tolerates most soils and situations but prefers a moist soil and some
shade[1, 4]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Best grown in an open sunny site
in a deep rich soil if it is being grown for compost material[200].
Plants can be invasive, often spreading freely by means of self-sown seed.
The root system is very deep and difficult to eradicate, even small fragments
of root left in the soil can produce new plants.
Propagation
Seed - sow spring or autumn in a cold frame. When they are large enough
to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in
the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent
positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
If you have sufficient seed you can try an outdoor sowing in situ in the
spring.
Division succeeds at almost any time of the year. Simply use a spade to chop
off the top 7cm of root just below the soil level. The original root will
regrow and you will have a number of root tops, each of which will make a new
plant. These can either be potted up or planted out straight into their
permanent positions.
Suppliers
Plants For A Future is working with the following groups to try and make these plants easily available. Parts of the proceeds will be donated to so please mention us when ordering.
- Wildwood Nurseries
-
Lower Manor Cottage
Thornbury
Holsworthy
Devon
EX22 7DD
Email: lorna@macace.co.uk
Phone 01409 261324
Fax 01409 261324
Distribution: UK
How to order: Direct from Wildwood by email/phone
Last Updated: March 03
Item:
Symphytum officinale
(comfrey)
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [V] Images
from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A& M Bioinformatics Working Group.
- [B] Data
(Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [C] Taxon data.
from the CalFlora database.
- [PHARM] Phytochemical Data
(common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
References for Symphytum officinalis (a possible synonym).
References for symphytum officinale (a possible synonym).
References for the family Boraginaceae.
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[5] Mabey. R. Food for Free. Collins 1974 ISBN 0-00-219060-5
Edible wild plants found in Britain. Fairly comprehensive, very few pictures and rather optimistic on the desirability of some of the plants.
[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
[26] Hills. L. Comfrey Report. Henry Doubleday Research Ass.
A small booklet giving a fairly comprehensive guide to the uses of comfrey.
[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
[100] Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969 ISBN 0192176218
An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.
[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
An excellent small herbal.
[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
[232] Castro. M. The Complete Homeopathy Handbook. Macmillan. London. 1990 ISBN 0-333-55581-3
A concise beginner's guide to the subject. Very readable.
[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
[244] Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs Pan Books Ltd. London. 1990 ISBN 0-330-30725-8
Deals with all types of herbs including medicinal, culinary, scented and dye plants. Excellent photographs with quite good information on each plant.
Readers Comments
Symphytum officinale
Unknown
Thu Nov 29 00:53:10 2001
About the TEXT:
It's really NOT a comment about the plant, rather regarding an apparent
spelling error. In "Known Hazards" the text beginns by saying:
This plant contains small quantities of a toxic alkaliod,
(should this not read: "alkaLOID"??), which can have a cumulative
effect upon the liver. ...
Not being facetious, just trying to help, honest.
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