I’m just bottling the comfrey oil I made in May. Comfrey oil is very good for cuts and bruises – in our house it is kept in a bottle labelled “Magic Oil” and every time a child gets into a scrape out it comes. It cleanses, softens and conditions the skin, as well as reducing puffiness. The kids are certain that their wounds heal twice as fast with comfrey oil.
To make your own, simply stuff a container (jam jar, etc) full of good comfrey leaves (I use medium sized, healthy-looking leaves). Pack the comfrey in and then pour over an oil of you choice (almond, wheatgerm, olive, etc) Leave on a sunny windowsill for three weeks, shaking occasionally. Strain into suitable magical-looking bottle. It does smell quite quite potent, but this only adds to the mystique!
Dab on liberally when needed. Also good rubbed onto abused gardener’s hands after a day toiling in the veg patch, or on dry knees and elbows. I have also added it, along with a marigold infusion, to my ‘Gardener’s hand-cream’.
(There’s no photo because our camera has died and I’m still waiting for the ‘new’ one I bought on ebay.)
Kate said
Nice idea, I have loads of comfrey in the garden. I just found your blog and will take more of a look around and come back again too. I grow lots of food in Australia and love reading blogs of other gardeners elsewhere in the world.
Moonwaves said
Thanks for this. I’m just about to leave the house I’ve been renting a room in for the last three years and one of the things I did last year was plant some comfrey to use for making a comfrey tea for my plants. I cut it back a few weeks ago and it has some fantastic looking new growth on it since then which sounds ideal for the above. And best of all I’ll be able to get it done before I leave for Germany at the end of the month.