# comfrey for broken ones



## kwooten (Feb 3, 2005)

has anyone used it ?


----------



## kwooten (Feb 3, 2005)

i mean broken 'bones' - sorry not typing very well atm !


----------



## halfpint (Jan 24, 2005)

I have used comfrey for bruises and clean cuts (I was told not to use it on dirty ones as it won't allow the dirt to work it's way out), but not for broken bones. For a break with a cast, how would you get the comfrey to the area? 

Dawn


----------



## goatsareus (Jun 23, 2007)

I feed it to the goats on a regular basis.

I have/had a friend who swore it healed his broken leg. He said he packed comfrey and his leg in a trash bag. Sorry, he is dead now or I would get the details....


----------



## chamoisee (May 15, 2005)

I have used it for burns (myself and children) and open wounds (top of a goat's head pretty much stripped of all the hide when a vet did surgical dehorning). I've found it to be pretty effective. I wouldn't rely on it to heal broken bones unless there was absolutely no doctor or EMT or whatever, available for miles around.


----------



## Audrey (Jun 19, 2002)

The old time name for comfrey is knitbone. I've never used it for that though. I read to use an infused oil applied 3x day on the area. But I don't know how you would apply it if there was a cast. I imagine in olden times before casts they would have used splints. I bet it would be great for broken fingers or toes!

Audrey


----------



## culpeper (Nov 1, 2002)

To make a comfrey plaster:

Pour boiling water over large Comfrey leaves to soften them. Wrap several around the fracture and leave to dry. It forms a kind of plaster, but also hastens the healing process. 

An ointment made from Comfrey leaves and applied externally will also help, as will rubbing in some essential oil of Comfrey. Also drink 1 cup per day of a tea made by stewing Comfrey roots in water for several minutes. (Note: the prescription of Comfrey for internal use is illegal in some countries.)

Let me tell you, however, that once the 'plaster' dries, it will be very prickly! So if you're going to try it, put some gauze next to the skin before applying the comfrey. 

I haven't tried it myself (though I have used a comfrey poultice for bruises etc), and I think if I broke a bone I'd prefer to have expert attention. In the case of an animal, I think that's a vet's job.


----------



## kwooten (Feb 3, 2005)

thanks for all the advice ! I just broke my arm pretty badly in a 100% all my fault accident, unloading a horse from a trailer. i put myself in a highly dangerous position and was pinned in a confined area while the horse charged me ( accidentally - she was completely panicked ) several times. i am extremely happy to just have the broken arm. i was straight to er, and am going back tuesday to see if it needs to be pinned etc. 

but here's the thing - the new casts they're using are a long length of plaster-in-lint that lines the arm all along one side, loops back behind the elbow and then carries on the other side of the arm. it is laid on dry, then set, then bandaged in place. so, now it's set, i am allowed to unbandage it, wiggle my fingers, wash my hand etc then re-bandage ... and the cast itself stays in place supporting the injury even when the outer bandage is off. so i can actually get to all the skin underneath it. kind of hard to descibe - the injured arm is sandwiched inside the cast, not wound around and around by it like the old ones. neat cos you can get in to scratch an itch !

so that's what i was thinking - i could apply temporary poultices direct to the area of the break a couple of times a day without even interfering with the traditional current treatmen - it's win-win isn't it ? im just wondering whether a root based poultice or a steamed leaf type of wrap would be best. ill be picking it fresh from the garden.

p.s. apologies for the lack of capitalisation and dodgy punctuation, i think you can probably forgive !


----------



## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

Kwooten, I'm so very sorry to hear you're out of commission for a while. I do know of the type of cast you have, the test pilot went through several one fall. Did you know they can easily be modified to play hockey and rope calves with the aid of a kitchen knife and a rasp? I do hope your recovery is quick and it's probably best to not modify the cast, play hockey or rope calves till it's fully healed


----------



## Lannie (Jan 11, 2004)

If it were me, I'd use the chopped fresh root. It seems to be more potent than the leaves. I've never had a broken bone, but I get plenty of bumps and bruises, and the root always keeps an injury from swelling or bruising. Plus it's not prickly.  

~Lannie


----------



## oberhaslikid (May 13, 2002)

I have used comfrey to make salve and it works pretty much like neosporin.


----------



## kwooten (Feb 3, 2005)

thanks wr ... this first cast is staying on (well, i take it off quite a lot .. ) but when i get the shorter half-cast next week i should be able to get out and about more. i can already pick up light things and grip just a little bit. im thinking wait at least a week and the see if joePony is feeling cooperative - he's a one-rein kinda pony 

so, now, with the comfrey root - how shall i process the roots to make the tea ? i guess erring on the side of caution is the thing ... hmmm ... well i think i'll just go give it a try small piece at a time ... i'm planning on a miravulous recovery cos summer in tennessee is far too good to waste ...


----------



## Lannie (Jan 11, 2004)

To make the root tea, just put a few slices in a small pan of water and bring to a boil, then cover and let cool a bit. You can get double duty out of your roots by drinking the tea, then putting the root pieces on the site of the break with a hot, moist cloth. Alternatively, you can just put some root pieces in water and let them sit for a few hours. The result is the same as the heated method, but it takes longer (and although I have no proof of this, I just feel that more of its essential "goodness" is preserved). Either way, the liquid will be thicker than water. The darker it is, the stronger it is. It also makes a great skin lotion.  

~Lannie


----------



## kwooten (Feb 3, 2005)

ok, i'll go soak some overnight. ive put some soaked leaves over the break this afternoon and started feeling sick straight away - but it could be coincidence as im trying my first day off the pain meds [ and im going to cave any minute now!!]


----------



## Ole Man Legrand (Nov 15, 2003)

Kwooten , Be sure and take your Calcium pills dailey. A lack of calcium causes the break to heal slowly. Jay


----------



## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

Hope taht arm is mending quickly!!!
If taking Calcium keep your Sodium intake down otherwise you are just wasting money. Sodium attaches itself to Calcium and is then eliminated.


----------

