Comfrey, Symphytum officinale, is a plant that was used by the Greeks over three thousand years ago. During the Middle Ages, comfrey was a popular remedy for broken bones. In fact, it earned the nickname knitbone because its leaves, when applied as a poultice to reduce the swelling around fractures, did a good job of healing those fractures.
Comfrey grows in wet meadows from Newfoundland south to Georgia, and west to Ontario and Louisiana.
It is also a common plant in Europe. Comfrey is a large, hairy perennial plant that can grow up to 5 feet high. The narrowly oval, alternate dark green leaves grow on the erect, upper branching stem, with downy, pale yellow to purplish bell-shaped flowers that bloom from May through September. The rootstock of comfrey is black on the outside, fleshy and cream colored on the inside, and contains a glutinous juicy substance. Comfrey s properties are anodyne, astringent, demulcent, emollient, expectorant, hemostatic, refrigerant, and vulnery.