Timeless Herb Secrets

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.

Hocus Pocus or Real?

There are many notions about herbal medicine and its effectiveness.

Some view it as hocus pocus - the product of primitive or magical thinking. If someone is cured by means of herbal medicine they see only two possible explanations. Either it was a placebo effect, or it was an accident. The fortunate result of hit-and-miss that the herbalist did not understand. People with this notion assume that current Western science and medicine have a unique handle on Truth - all else is superstition.

Then there is the more favourable but equally erroneous view of those who are deeply, and often justifiably, disturbed by many of the products of Western science and medicine. They assume that herbal medicine because it is felt to be more ancient, more spiritual, or more holistic, is also more "true" than Western medicine. This notion threatens to turn herbal medicine from a rational body of knowledge into a religious faith system. (Kaptchuk, 2000)

Both the above views clouds the subject. The first by uncritically undervaluing it, the next by setting it on a pedestal. Both of them are a barrier to understanding.

Another discomforting modern dynamic is created by the "marketplace" need for natural remedies. The rapidly growing industry addressing the material needs of natural therapies is a manifestation of market forces - it is not a healing modality or a "holistic" anything. It is merely an expression of the same rapacious economic forces that treat nature as a resource to control and profit from, and will only serve to obliterate cultural, biological and herbal diversity. (Hoffmann, 2003)

Another notion you need to be aware of is also the best "proof" that herbal medicine works and that it is alive and well. It is from the World Health Organization (WHO) which recognizes that herbalism is common to all cultures of the world and actively promotes the development of what it calls traditional medicine.

Finally there is also some proof from Scripture. Isaiah recommended a natural poultice of figs for healing King Hezekiah's boil. (Isaiah 38:21).

Now that you know that herbal remedies are real, what is keeping you from restocking your home pharmacy with herbal preparations?

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Butternut Soup

This is one of the easiest butternut soup recipes around. Serve it hot or cold. And let me know what you think.

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Butternut Soup

Servings: 4 persons

40 ml butter
1 onion, chopped
Pinch of ground cumin
500g butternut, peeled and cubed
300 ml chicken stock
15 - 20 ml lemon juice
125 ml cream
1 tbsp lemon thyme finely chopped plus a few sprigs for garnishing
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Sauté onion in butter until soft. Add cumin and sauté for another 30 seconds.
2. Add butternut to chicken stock and bring to the boil.
3. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes until the butternut is soft.
4. When butternut is soft, remove from the heat, add the lemon juice, cream and lemon thyme.
5. Blend until smooth in a food processor.
6. Season with salt and black pepper.
7. Garnish with a dollop of cream in the centre of the bowl, and a sprig or two of lemon thyme.
8. Serve with freshly made bread.