words by Angela Jones
Comfrey has been used for medicinal purposes since the middle ages. It was known as the knit-bone herb, and an ointment made from the leaves is still used today for bruises and skin ulcers.
A tea brewed from the freshly picked leaves makes a mixture to ease coughs.
It can be used as a vegetable but its rather bitter in taste and it would be a long way down my list of green veg to have with my Sunday dinner.
I use Comfrey in my garden as a compost accelerator, I have a bush by my compost heap and add a layer of leaves every now and then. A few leaves soaked in a bucket of water and left for a while can be strained and used as a garden liquid fertilizer.
It grows locally in verges and ditches and can be seen along the roadside at Taits Hill but I would encourage you to buy a plant rather than take too much of it from the wild sources.
Comfrey featured large in our recent herb walk. If you’d like help in getting to know your local plants, like comfrey, come and join a herb walk. Herb walks take place on the first Saturday of every month, check the calendar for details of where to meet.
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