Comfrey - What a Wonderful Herb!

I would like to share with you the wonderful experience Ida from Pretoria had with Comfrey this past two months - emanating from not-so-nice circumstances.

In her own words:

"I fractured my left-hand ring finger rather badly on 7 December 2008 - the bone was completely fractured and the fracture also went into the knuckle joint, with a further dislocation of the finger at the middle joint. Well, off to hospital I went and had surgery, during which two K-wires were inserted just above the knuckle joint to stabilise the fracture. I woke up with my left arm in plaster-of-paris, from the elbow to my fingertips and was told that chances are good that I would loose partial use of the finger, in that it would probably become "stiff", due to the nature of the fracture and accompanying Extensor ligament injuries.

As I earn my living as a secretary, typing every day, this was devastating news and after sobbing for about the whole first day, I resolved that I was not going to take this lying down and decided to use herbs to try to save the situation. The first herb that came to mind, was Comfrey, due to its bone-heeling properties.

At first, I could not use any ointment, as the wound and fracture area was totally covered by the plaster-of-paris. So I bought some Comfrey tincture and used it at 10 drops twice a day. After two weeks, the plaster-of-paris was removed (which was only put on to keep my wrist from moving, so that the ligaments could join properly) and I could actually move the finger! I then started with Comfrey/Echinaceae ointment over the area, also where the ligaments were severed, and continued with the Comfrey tincture. Not only did the actual wound heal quickly (with very little scarring, considering the extent of the injury), but when I went to see the orthopaedic surgeon 4 weeks after the incident, he was amazed at how well I could move the finger AND the new bone growth as shown on the x-ray.!!

At 6 weeks, the K-wires were removed surgically and I was sent to an occupational therapist. After only TWO consultations, it was no longer necessary for me to see her, as I have 100% use of the finger and she was absolutely amazed at how quickly the finger healed and that no further therapy was required.

Not to take anything away from the orthopaedic surgeon, who obviously did an outstanding job, it is clear that the Comfrey helped to speed up things nicely and correctly. What a wonderful herb..!!!"

Now isn't this a prime example of how herbs and modern medicine can work together to speed up healing?

If you have any similar experiences with a herb(s) that you would like to share please share them below.

Comments

[Sage]

This is a great article.
It made me hungry for comfrey leaves though.
But I'll be sure and stop at 79.

[Ilse Lubbe]

How do I make a Comfrey ointment and for what can I use it? My Dougter has a ear infection. Will comfrey help?

[Ayurveda]

I always believe we should try some natural medicines also with usual treatment to speed up healing process. This is a great example.

[Paul]

Hi
Thanks for a great site - I wish I'd found it earlier.

I liked the article on comfrey but can you help me out on one thing please. I was recently told by my neighbour that I should be using a weak comfrey solution as a feed for my herbs (pots and garden grown) as it will ensure the plants mature at full strength. Any ideas if this will help please?

[Luxury & Style]

I used comfrey on my husband's badly broken leg years ago on just one of the surgical areas that had flared up. It healed it quickly and left a scar that was much less noticable than the other three scars. The surgeon couldn't believe the difference and even asked for some of the plant for himself!