Description
Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) is a vigorous, deep-rooted perennial herb celebrated for its medicinal history, regenerative garden uses, and extraordinary soil-building properties. Native to Europe and parts of Asia, comfrey thrives in full sun to part shade, preferring rich, moist, well-drained soils, but it is highly adaptable and can tolerate periods of drought once established. In Australian gardens, it is a key species in permaculture and organic gardening practices.
Comfrey’s broad, hairy leaves grow in dense clumps, and it sends down a strong taproot that mines minerals and nutrients from deep within the soil, making them available at the surface. These nutrient-rich leaves can be cut several times a year for use as green manure, compost activator, liquid fertiliser (“comfrey tea”), or as high-potassium mulch for fruit trees and heavy-feeding vegetables.
Medicinally, comfrey has a long history of traditional use for healing wounds, sprains, and broken bones, leading to its nickname “knitbone.” However, ingestion of comfrey is no longer recommended due to the presence of pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which can be toxic to the liver if consumed in large amounts. Topical applications (such as poultices and salves) remain common in herbal traditions, although caution is advised.
In permaculture gardens, comfrey is an essential multifunctional plant: serving as a dynamic accumulator, living mulch, compost booster, pollinator attractor (with its bell-shaped flowers), and a powerful soil-regenerator. Russian Comfrey hybrids (Symphytum × uplandicum) are commonly used for non-invasive, sterile planting options.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.