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July 10, 2003
Comfrey revisited
Comfrey not only has medicinal properties it is also edible, writes Zahrah Nasir
The importance of Comfrey, ‘Symphytum officinalis’, as the backbone of my own organic garden has become increasingly obvious as time goes by and, as such, I feel that readers may like to know more about this incredible herb.
Known as a medicinal herb for well over 2,000 years the plant is native to Asia Minor, Europe, Iran and Syria, but has been introduced to many other countries around the world over the years, and is farmed commercially in places including Japan, New Zealand, Kenya, South Africa, UK and America.
It is not, to the best of my knowledge, indigenous here in Pakistan but does incredibly well if proper care and attention is given to it throughout the year.
I started off with a single plant just over five years ago and, through off-shoots, now have well over 100 here, plus I have sent plants to Nathia Gali, Kohistan, Quetta and Islamabad. The plants are reported to be doing well in all locations, though they do require both shade and water during hot weather. As they took temperatures in the mid 40’s in Islamabad, I feel confident that they will survive in Karachi too.
The medicinal properties of Comfrey aside for the moment, let me concentrate on the organic gardening uses of this miraculous plant.
Comfrey roots penetrate over 10ft down into the sub-soil and thus bring up many, otherwise unavailable, nutrients into their large leaves. These food-rich leaves can be dug freshly into the soil in order to raise soil temperatures so that you can plant seeds at least three weeks earlier than otherwise.
Obviously this is an important factor in the cool northern areas but is not so applicable elsewhere. The leaves also feed the soil and are an excellent ‘fast food’ for all types of plants, trees and grass.
I chop up leaves into small pieces and methodically scatter them around the base of growing plants. Leaves can also be added to your compost bin or, alternatively loosely packed into a large drum which should then be filled with water, left to stand for at least three weeks, stirring daily (be warned it stinks!) and the resultant liquid fertilizer, diluted 1 part comfrey liquid to 9 parts water, used throughout the garden.
I harvest my two comfrey patches on an alternate basis every two or three weeks from March through to November/December depending on weather conditions.
The plant, which is perennial, does die back and take a well deserved rest for two or three months during the winter. It takes a shorter break in warmer climates but wakes up with a vengeance. The tubular flowers, pink, blue or white are much loved by bees and other beneficial insects.
An analysis of dried Comfrey leaves, as performed by the Henry Doubleday Research Association in UK found the following.
Standard Analysis:
Moisture 13.42%,
Fat 2.22%,
Protein 22.30%,
Carbohydrates 37.62%,
Crude Fibre 9.38%,
Ash 15.06
Carotene .170 parts per million.
Equivalent to Vitamin A 28,000 International Units per 100 grams.
Mineral Analysis:
Iron .016%,
Manganese .0072%,
Calcium (calculated as calcium oxide) 1.7%
Phosphorous (calculated as Phos. Anhydride) .82%
Amazingly Comfrey is one of the few plants which is known to extract Vitamin B12 from the sub-soil, making it an important food plant as well as one with medicinal properties.
Analysis has shown that it contains B Group and other vitamins in measurements of milligrams per 100 grams as: Thiamin B1 0.5, Riboflavin B2 1.0, Nicotinic acid 5.0, Pantothenic acid 4.2, Vitamin B12 0.7, Vitamin C 100, Vitamin E 30, Allantoin 0.18.
If you cook Comfrey leaves in exactly the same way as spinach, you won’t be able to tell the difference and it is excellent for your skin, hair and general well being.
It is widely grown as both human and livestock fodder, and if fed to dairy animals on a regular basis increases their milk production dramatically.
I estimate that I harvest at least 500kgs a season from approximately 100 plants, an awful lot of ‘spinach’ for two people and six dogs to consume I can tell you.
Obviously much of what I harvest is used as fertilizer for the rest of the garden, though I do extract Comfrey Oil, used externally for skin problems and also dry some leaves for use as a medicinal tea.
As a point of interest, you may like to know that yield per acre in the UK and Japan is over 60 tons and over 120 tons in Kenya.
Henry Doubleday (1813 - 1902), whose Research Association is still hard at work, had a great dream that Comfrey could be used to solve world famine he would, I’m sure, be happy to know that whilst his dream is not, at the moment, a reality, the use of Comfrey as a medicinal crop, animal fodder and human food crop continues to grow on an annual basis.
If you have room for half a dozen plants in your garden, or a field full for posterity, then this is one plant’s really worth growing.
The variety I grow is known as ‘Russian Comfrey’ but there are over 20 other varieties in use around the world. As it is notoriously difficult from seed which, if you are lucky enough to get it to germinate, takes years to reach harvestable size, it is much better if you can locate a root cutting or two and propagate from these.
Once established, a single plant will produce over a dozen off-shoots per season which you can keep or pass on to friends or other deserving people.
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