Did you know that as well as being a vigorous, pretty plant that bees adore, comfrey is actually pretty useful for people too?
If you’d like to start using this plant but are unsure how, start with learning how to dry comfrey leaves. Trust me, you won’t look back!
What You'll Learn Today
How To Dry Comfrey Leaves
You don’t need tons of expertise or fancy equipment in order to dry comfrey leaves – it’s really simple and effective!
- Choose young, fresh comfrey leaves that have grown this season, for best results (older leaves may have higher concentrations of alkaloids, and be less effective).
- Lay them in a dehydrator set on low, ensuring that the leaves are not touching each other as this can cause mold.
- If you do not have a dehydrator you can simply string the leaves up and hang them around your house – again, make sure there is air space between the leaves.
- Keep the drying leaves out of direct sunlight and allow them to dry naturally by themselves.
- Some people dry comfrey leaves out in a very low oven, but this is not recommended as it can actually cook the leaves.
- When the leaves are completely dry they will be papery, crumbly and delicate – this should take about a week if you are hanging them.
- You can now either store the leaves in an airtight jar, or use them straight away in a recipe (comfrey oil, for example).
Here’s a useful video showing you a super simple way to dry your comfrey leaves:
What Can You Do With Dried Comfrey Leaves?
Comfrey is such a useful plant that we might wish to have it on hand all year around – but what do we do when the plant dies back in winter?
Having a store of dried comfrey leaves is a very useful thing; it’s convenient to store them, and easy to whip them out whenever you need them!
- Make comfrey oil. Comfrey oil is a great things to have in your medicine cupboard – easy to make and easy to apply.
- Make poultices. Simply pouring boiling water over the dried leaves and applying this to an injured spot will help immensely.
- Add to compost. Spreading comfrey leaves into your compost will help add nutrients to it, as well as helping to break down the organic material.
- Make fertilizer. Comfrey makes an excellent, nutrient rich fertilizer for your other plants – simply steep the leaves in water for a few weeks then apply to your plants.
- Make beauty treatments. Comfrey is great as a hair rinse and as a face cream – it’s super easy to make these things when you have your own store of dried comfrey leaves!
Storing comfrey leaves is as easy as air drying them for a week or so, then storing in an airtight container.
This means that you will always have comfrey on hand whenever you need to use it – no matter what that reason is.
How Do You Use Comfrey Leaves For Pain?
If you have arthritis, a bump or bruise, a sprain or even a broken bone, comfrey leaves can help enormously.
You can turn the leaves into a poultice and apply it to the area – this will not only help reduce the pain, but it can speed up the healing process.
Making a comfrey oil is a simple and convenient way to use comfrey leaves for pain – this can be applied to the affected area for relief.
A comfrey salve is very easy to make once you have got the hang of making the oil; this is an even more convenient way of using it as it is harder and easier to apply.
Comfrey has been used for many years as a pain reliever, an anti-inflammatory, and to help speed up bone healing (it’s not called “knit bone” for nothing!)
This is a good article, telling you all about the benefits of using comfrey leaves for pain.
What Is Comfrey Leaf Good For?
Comfrey has been used for centuries, and is considered a really great remedy for wounds, sprains and broken bones.
In times gone by, people would take comfrey orally – nowadays we have discovered that they contain something which can affect the liver, so this is discouraged.
However, comfrey is still a very good thing to apply topically to bumps, bruises, breaks and sprains!
Topical pain relief
If you have a broken bone, a sprain, arthritis or even an unknown pain, a comfrey poultice can help immensely.
Breaking up the soil
Because comfrey puts down long, very strong roots, they are often used to break up heavy soils.
Excellent fertilizer
You can use the goodness of comfrey to help other plants – a simple fertiliser made from comfrey leaves and water will give your other plants a great boost of nutrients.
Comfrey oil
This a great alternative to comfrey poultices – simply mix chopped leaves with oil and leave it for a few weeks, and voila!
Beauty treatments
Using comfrey oil or cream on your face occasionally is a great way to fight those pesky little wrinkles.
Is Comfrey Good For Hair?
The world is full of things that promise to make us look more youthful and beautiful, isn’t it? When it comes to comfrey, these claims might actually be true!
Comfrey, due to its mild cleansing properties, is a great tonic for hair, particularly if a lot of products have been used.
This unassuming plant is ideal for stimulating the scalp, and as such it is really good at reviving tired, lifeless hair.
Make a simple comfrey decoction, by roughly chopping some comfrey leaves and covering them with boiling water.
Leave this to steep for a while – the longer you leave it the more of the goodness of the comfrey will get into the water.
Once it is cooled, strain off the liquid and store it in a small bottle. The next time you wash your hair, use the comfrey liquid as a rinse – it will make your hair deliciously soft and shiny!
As you can see, dried comfrey leaves have a great and varied history and usage – they are very versatile and drying the leaves is super easy!
Now that you have the method under your belt, get drying those leaves and start making your own unguents, lotions and potions.
Can I dry Comfrey leaves outdoors in the sun?
The sun can strip the goodness from the leaves, so it is recommended that you dry them in a dark place, with plenty of airflow between the leaves. Another disadvantage of growing outdoors is the weather – you never know when a rain shower might appear just as your leaves are almost dry, and this is very frustrating!
I need comfrey tea for my garden in the spring before my comfrey plant can produce leaves. Can I freeze the leaves now in the fall and use them in the spring to make a tea for use in the spring garden ?