Comfrey

Comfrey is an herb that promotes cell proliferation. It is very useful for injuries. You can drink tea or apply poultices for external use, such as to heal a sprain or break. It shouldn't be used on lacerations as it will make the skin heal right over the wound. Personal use example: A friend had rectal fissures, and nothing the doctors prescribed healed her or abated the pain. When all else fails you call the herb lady right? So I made her an herbal suppository "tea" which consisted of extra virgin coconut oil, comfrey, and aloe. I made it just like you would make tea with water. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, so I told her to put it in molds in the freezer for suppositories and it would basically melt on contact. I also sent extra comfrey leaves for the bath and tea drinking, and I don't think she drank any tea. Anyway, it worked like a charm and she told her doctor about it...think he tells his patients? It costs about $5 for a pint of "comfrey oil" and it's a nice massage oil for any sprain, muscle strain, etc. There are healing properties in the coconut oil as well.

Here is an excerpt from "The How To Herb Book" by Velma J. Keith and Monteen Gordon

"Comfrey has a strong history of being used as an external application by itself or in poultices for the mending of wounds and broken bones. Comfrey has been called the "bone-knitter".

-contact healer (relieves pain and starts healing on contact.) -cell proliferant (helps grow new flesh and bone.) Accelerates the healing process. The cell proliferant and active ingredient in Comfrey is called Allantoin. -reduces the inflammation of pulled tendons

Comfrey is such an amazing skin wound healer that it should not be used on deep cuts or wounds. Comfrey will cause the surface to heal over before the deeper wound can heal, resulting in an abscess. It is however EXCELLENT for quick healing of shallow wounds and GREAT for misquito and other insect bites.

Precautions

Comfrey ROOT Not for internal use. Not to be used while pregnant or nursing. Comfrey was widely used and recommended until the mid-1980s, when reports began to surface about the possibility of liver damage from the pyrrolizidine alkaloids that some plants contain. In 2001, the FTC and FDA combined to issue an injunction against products containing comfrey that were meant for internal use. In tests, comfrey root has been shown to contain nearly ten times the amount of PAs as the young leaves or stems. However, there is no suggestion of danger when comfrey root preparations are used externally or topically, though it's wise to avoid using comfrey root products on open or dirty wounds.

Comfrey LEAVES Not recommended for internal use. Not to be used while pregnant. Not to be applied to broken or abraided skin. Comfrey was widely used and recommended until the mid-1980s, when reports began to surface about the possibility of liver damage from the pyrrolizidine alkaloids that some plants contain. In 2001, the FTC and FDA combined to issue an injunction against products containing comfrey that were meant for internal use. This view has been countered by herbalists, who state that common comfrey, the plant most often used for medicinal purposes, contains only negligible amounts of those alkaloids. In fact, one laboratory study of three different sources of comfrey found no pyrrolizidine in one sample, and only negligible amounts in the other two. Still, many herbalists recommend that comfrey preparations should not be taken internally because of the possibility of liver disease and damage. Comfrey should also not be used by pregnant or nursing women.