[Judith]

Sorry Dan, I should have mentioned that.  However, we have the comfrey officinale and it is so much prettier than the Bocking!  It has lovely pink and blue flowers and I really love it but it does spread, and spread, and spread......................  We also have another, low growing comfrey that I cannot remember the name of which has pretty cream flowers tipped with pink sometimes and that really does want to take the world over!  It makes super ground cover in an out of the way place though.

Judith

[Wanda L. Wood]

This is all so VERY interesting , regarding comfrey!! I have a couple questions.

1. We used to live in Bandon, Oregon ( Town was named after Bandon, Ireland) Anyway it is on the Oregon's west coast. We had Comfrey all over there and i used to use it to make tea for bladder infection. I know from the history of Bandon, that the Comfrey was brought to Bandon from Scotland. could you tell me what variety it most likely is? I can not find that out here. It grew to be around 36 inches tall with pink flowers. About a year ago, the United States put out a warning regarding Comfrey. They said it could be very toxic.

2. Also, in Bandon we had Gorst (sp) thorns ALL over it with yellow flowers. I was one of a million that happens to be allergic to it. I love the coast but can not visit only in August and September. Does anyone know the special tea made that helps you NOT to react to the Gorst. I would love to try it, as I do not have an allergy to the Comfrey.
Thanks so much!
A lot of people here in the states put chicken manure on their compost piles. We use only horse and steer. Only because we do not have very many people here with chickens. We hope to be changing that next year.

[Drystonewall]

i used to use it to make tea for bladder infection.

I thought Comfrey was poisonous!!

Am off to Google it!

* I'm back.  I was half right!

"This herb is highly regarded for its healing properties but users should note that there have been formal warnings from both British and American regulatory bodies to manufacturers about the toxicity of compounds called pyrrolizidine alkaloids in the comfrey root if taken internally. These substances can damage the liver, affect the circulation and have also been linked with an increased risk of cancer in rats.

The experience of most herbalists is that a tincture of infusion of comfrey leaves is safe and beneficial for conditions such as stomach ulcers when prescribed by a qualified professional and used for limited periods of time (a maximum of six weeks is advisable). Applying comfrey externally in the form of oil, tincture, ointment, cream or a poultice of chopped leaves has not provoked such warnings."

[welshdragon]

We have used comfrey for many years for sprains and broken bones with very good results. As for drinking comfrey tea, I have not found the taste particularly nice but by the same token nettle tea is not the most endearing in flavour. Having said that steamed nettles are a regular feature on our dinner plates particularly in springtime as they clear the body very nicely. Nettle roots are nice and they have supposed benefits to those who suffer from enlarged prostrate glands.
We feed comfrey to our chickens and feed chicken muck to the comfrey and it works out just fine. Strangely the pigs leave the comfrey alone - I wonder why?

[Malc]

I've never got around to trying comfrey, but will definitely look into it.

However, I have been lining potato trenches with torn-up newspaper and shredded documents (wet them first) for years and always get good crops.

I also recycle my beer!

[Rosemary]

So does Dan.

[Fluffywelshsheep]

can we have a different topic for herbal rememdes?

[rustyme]

hello everyone,
                   regarding comfrey and the pigs not eating it....I grow comfrey and feed it to my horses who love it . You have to cut it and let it wilt for an hour or two though as the hairs on it, that can make some people itch a bit, put off some animals from eating it. Once it has wilted for an hour or so the horses really go for it big time and it really makes thier coats shine. I think pigs are the same , they hate the hairs, but otherwise they will eat it very well. You may have to ease it into thier diet though . 
        On the subject of it being poisonous, tests have been done that show it would take an average bloke drinking 40 cups of comfrey tea a day for more than a lifetime , to get any ill effects from it . In other words he would die of old age before the comfrey got to him . No real proof that it is very harmful has been put forward as yet. It is one of those things , if you are worried about it , don't eat it , put it on the compost heap . But it is a very good protein  source for stock feed ,and will supply huge amounts if cut again and again, 5 times a year easily. I am at present , still increasing my comfrey plot . I now have 50+ large plants,(bocking 14),and about the same number from root cuttings this year, ready to go in the bed in the spring. I shall also be able to take hundreds of  root cuttings this season, so will have a good sized bed . Free food for the animals....along with the good old mangles 20lb + each and any spare veg and grains , I hope to be almost feed self sufficient for the pigs when I get them .
 
cheers
 
Russ

[Rosemary]

I tried my horse on comfrey but he wouldn't eat it. Maybe I didn't wilt it for long enough. He'd eat it now, I bet, given the lack of grass!

[robert693]

Many newspapers are now printing with soy based ink. This is not for environmental concern but for the fact that soy ink does not smear and get on a readers hands the way that petroleum based inks do. You should be able to compost this just fine.

Robert

[Fluffywelshsheep]

ohhh so you can eat them now lol