Once used as a medicinal herb, Comfrey has a new calling in your garden! Long-loved for its ability to help heal sprained or broken bones, sores and other ailments, Comfrey is one of the hottest green composting trends this season. Long, deep-reaching roots absorb nutrients that are found far below the depth that many other plants’ roots stretch to, and are then stored in the plants many, broad leaves. Yielding lots of large, nutrient-rich leaves from just a few plants, these energetic growers thrive in wet, shady areas and aren’t too picky about the type of soil they’re given. When firmly established, Comfrey leaves can be gathered repeatedly throughout the season, much like Basil. The leaves break down quickly when harvested and can be added directly to your compost pile, to a sealed container and left to decompose to make a liquid fertilizer, or just scattered about your garden. Especially beneficial to tomatoes and fruiting plants, Comfrey can also improve the health of your houseplants when made into a compost tea. Comfrey is very high in Potassium and contains two to three times more than livestock manure which is commonly used as fertilizer. Go green and try adding Comfrey rather than manure to your garden, which will also reduce the risk of polluted runoff.
Comfrey Compost Tea
Materials:
- Fresh Comfrey Leaves (as many as you want, or have room for!)
- 1 5-Gallon Bucket with a Sealable Lid
- A Brick, Rock or Broad, Heavy Object
1) Fill your bucket with as many fresh Comfrey leaves as you would like
2) Lay your brick or heavy object on top of the leaves to weigh them down. Compressing them will speed up the decomposition process and give you more “tea” in a very quick manner
3) Seal the bucket tightly. If there is a spout on the bottom or side of the bucket, make sure it is sealed as well. (This can make pouring your compost tea a bit easier later on…think of it as the gardener’s version of a teapot)
4) Some recipes call for water to be added to the leaves as well. You can add water if you would like, but this will dilute your tea, making it weaker, and it will also begin to smell really badly once the leaves break down. They can decompose on their own with less smell.
5) Keep the bucket sealed for about six weeks or so to allow the leaves to fully break down.
6) Drain off the dark brown liquid that has accumulated in the bottom of the bucket and you can add the rest of the leaves directly to your garden or compost pile to help activate the soil and encourage the health of your garden or houseplants.
You can continue to “brew” your “tea” all season long to keep your plants healthy and happy!
Glad to hear Comfrey has made a comeback! Combine it with Borage and you’ll have super compost. I’m a member of the Northern KY Herb Soc., so we are interested in all herbs and their uses.
We LOVE Comfrey here, Grace! What an all-around wonderful herb! Thanks for the tip on combining it with Borage, we’ll have to try that. We’d love to hear more about your herb society, too, and if you guys ever need any advice or growing info, please let us know!
Thanks for the comment!
My mother just informed me she got the herb in a dream the used Comfrey for her healing. Never new about this plant. Heading to home depot or Lowes to purchase this herb, I hope it’ll be there. Thnx.
I hear and see conflicting reports on comfrey being toxic and others safe. What is in comfrey that someone would say that it is toxic? Can we eat the leaves, blossoms, stem, and roots? Can we make tea and drink the tea made from any part of the plant?
Thank you!
There is noticeably a lot to know about this. I believe you made some nice points in features also.
You’ve really impressed me with that answer!
i have used it for my cancer.
Hi Mary! Although I’m very sorry to hear about your health, I am glad that you’ve found a natural remedy that your body will respond to. I’m very interested in how you’ve been able to use Comfrey for your cancer. How has it helped? Thank you so much for reading and for your feedback, we look forward to hearing more from you.
I see Mary has used Comfry for cancer. My mom used this in our home to help cancer patients and people who had tumors and difficulty healing. Mom is deceased and I dont remember “how” she prepared the comfry. Id like to know if someone can speak on this from experience?
I have a fractured heel due to an automobile accident 20 months ago. I would like to try
comfrey to complete my healing. Can I use
dry leaves to make a poultice or do I need to use fresh leaves? If I need to use fresh leaves can I grow them indoors successfully in the winter under lights? Or is there any place I can purchase the plant leaves in the winter. Does any body have any success stories using comfrey to heal themselves?
Yes, you can use green leaves and stems. I mash them with hammer on cutting board. I am very generous with them. Make a thick poultice It will get slippery and start to turn dark. Apply this on tumors and or broken bone and or infected sores. Leave in for at least 4 hours. Make new poultice for over night.
You will feel the “pull” of the poultice and know it’s working. I assume you know the best way to hold the poultice in place. I like to us a whole leaf to put the mashed comfrey on . Then it doesn’t dry out against the cloth.
I forgot to mention that I bring in a root or two to pot for winter use. It grows quite fast. You can use the root for poultice as well. I believe it’s stronger but harder to prepare.
You can reconstitute dry comfrey with water. I put it in a blender whether fresh or dry to make a gelatinous poultice. I used it on my wrist after a severe bone break and after 10 months of wearing a cast. My surgeon was socked at how well I healed!
Hi All I read about comfrey in Maryjanes mag.it had a salve recipe and i lost it . if someone has it could you please send it to me. Thanks Rudy
Hi, I have used comfrey almost all my life for sore muscles & muscle spasms. It’s an old remedy of putting fresh comfrey leaves in rubbing alcohol and letting it set until it turns a deep dark green color. Born & raised in Pa. comfrey grew wild in the woods right in our back yard. Now living in Az. I’m glad I found the plants to grow my self. Hope this helps others. Thanks, Joanie
Joanie,, have you planted your Comfrey yet in AZ? I live in the Phoenix area and would love to hear other’s experiences growing it. How’d it do? Full sun? Watering? Average harvests? As you know, our conditions can alter plant’s growth – sometimes for the best and not always bad…just ask my fig and jujube trees! They love these high temps, and I’m hoping comfrey does too
Shannon I grow Comfrey in zone 6 in Shenandoah Valley Virginia. It grows and spreads very easily here and on Long Island in New York where I have grown it in the past. Be careful where you plant it because once in the ground it WILL keep coming up and growing. It does wilt in the afternoon Sun, but other than that EXTREMELY HARDY. Attracts bees and my dog eats it. NOT GOOD TO INGEST. I have heard different things, but my dog gets very sick with BAD diarrhea afterward. Good luck add it to your compost for wonderful results!!
I saw on another site. To use this Comfrey for your healing, put leaves in. Mason jar fill it up with boiling water. Leave for four hours or longer. Drink when cooled off. I would
Iike to know if I can buy Comfrey seeds?Thanks Donna
Comfrey normally doesn’t “go to seed”. The best way is propagate it is by root.
I would be glad to send you some.
I would like to buy a couple of rooted comfrey plants.
Ruby, would you consider sending me some?
Donna I found seeds from England online and that’s how I grew my plants here in Va. Before that , I had a slip from my sister that took off and was great for my compost when I lived on Long Island. I could only find borage plants in my area in VA, so I went the online seeds route.
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