About a week ago I burned my finger on top of the knuckle. Because of where it was located, every time I used my hands, the burned skin kept cracking open and I was left with a nasty open sore that wouldn't heal. Last night I had an “ah-ha!” moment and remembered I had just the medicine to help. Comfrey!
Two Springs ago, I visited my brother who lives west of Portland, and while on a walk near his home, I discovered some very lush comfrey plants. I had no idea what they were used for, but I was excited to learn, and since I knew this was a prolific wild plant, I didn't feel bad about digging a few to take home. As coincidence would have it, that summer I attended an herbalist conference in Williams, OR, and one of the workshops was being presented by an expert in Comfrey – Richo Cech - and I eagerly soaked in all he had to say. If you have a taste for learning more about comfrey, check out this video Richo does on comfrey.
Horizon Comfrey from Shari Hambleton on Vimeo.
Last year I created a tincture from the comfrey plants we now have growing in our backyard and had used it successfully to treat muscle strain, but I had yet to experience the power of its nickname: “knitbone.” I had learned that the medicinal properties of the plant have been used in folk medicine to heal broken bones and heal deep wounds, among other things. So, I cleaned my cut thoroughly (very important step, less you trap bacteria in the healing flesh...) and applied a couple drops of tincture and wrapped it in a bandage to keep it clean/saturated with tincture.
This morning I peaked under the bandage and was totally shocked! Seriously, my gaping cut was mended. For real. It was like I had used superglue (which was going to be my next step...) Truly amazing! Thank you, plant medicine!
Next time you're by the farm, ask to see our pretty comfrey plants! Not only do they sport amazing healing properties, they make an excellent plant-tea for boosting minerals in the garden. We'll be making both the raw plant material and tinctures available to purchase. Or, grab yourself a book, like I did, and go learn for yourself. :)
