A Walk on the Wild Side

Kelli O’Halloran, a medical herbalist, will be giving a talk at Rude Health (Main Hall, RDS, Ballsbridge) entitled ‘Health from the Hedgerows’ at 12 noon on Saturday 12th September.

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While walking on a coastal path in Wales last week, I spotted lots of Comfrey growing very happily. Annoying that it’s not as abundant in my garden, but how good to see that one of nature’s most potent healers grows better in the wild, than when carefully tended.

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Comfrey – also known as knitbone – is one of the best herbs for healing both hard and soft tissue. It’s growth habit and vigour tells us that this herb is made of stern stuff. Right now is a good time to go for a second cut – or even a first, if you didn’t get around to harvesting it a couple of months ago.

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The Irish Medicines Board has banned the internal use of Comfrey, although the use of the herb goes back millennia. The ban was based on research on rats that were fed an almost exclusive diet of Comfrey over a long period. The rats developed liver damage, which isn’t altogether surprising. An excess of any substance can be toxic after all!Â

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Because of this legal ban, I can’t recommend Comfrey for internal use, but a tea made from a leaf of the plant is unlikely to be as toxic as a glass or two of wine, or a couple of cigarettes!

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Both the leaves and roots of Comfrey have been used traditionally, but for home preparation, I’ll talk about the leaves. Rich in allantoin, the herb can be used externally as either a poultice, or a balm. Either way, it will speed up the healing of both skin and bones. Â

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Wear gloves for harvesting Comfrey, as its prickly stems will play havoc with your hands. Cut near the base. Just as I described with Horsetail, tie the stems together and suspend in bunches upside down in a warm, well-vented place. After a few days, remove the leaves from the stalks.Â

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To make a balm, roughly chop the leaves or crush between the hands. Place in a bowl and add double the volume of extra virgin olive oil. Leave in a warm place (a home brew heater mat is ideal) for anything up to two weeks. Strain off into another bowl through a fine muslin cloth. Warm this over a saucepan of simmering water. Add shavings of natural beeswax (about 20g to 100ml of oil). Stir until dissolved. Remove from the heat and add essential oil of Myrrh (5-10 drops per 100ml of base oil) as a preservative. Pour into sterilised jars. Leave to set.

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This balm will keep for several months in a cool place and will provide you with a wonderful healing agent for cuts, grazes, bone fractures and problems with joints, including arthritis.

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