Comfrey

Plant Specifications

Symphytum officinale. Perennial. Filtered Sun. Height: 24” Spreads to a clump of 2’-3’
A Spreading plant with hairy, rough-textured pointed leaves up to 10” long. Slowers spikes of purple to white, tubular flowers bloom in Spring.

In the Garden

This plant needs moisture, particularly in hot weather. Grows pink/lavender flowers when in bloom and runs tubers out to spread the plant. The leaves can be cut back to the ground to encourage new growth. Leaves are jam pact with lots of nutrients and highly recommended for adding to composts. This plant propagates by root division, spreads rapidly and can become invasive.

Plant Uses

An ancient medicinal herb. While having been used for centuries for medicinal purposes, it has been found that comfrey contains small amounts of alkaloid that can cause liver damage. We at Nature’s Herb Farm do not recommend it for internal use. Still, its one of the best herbs for external healing by crushing the leaves into a “poultice” and applying directly to wounds or insect bites. A dual-use plant, everyone should have one of these in their garden.