Depends how strong the mix is as to how much to water it down by. It's not an exact science though. To make, I fill three carry bags, tie the tops and pierce the bags before submerging in an old bin 1/2 to 3/4 full and replace the lid.
6 wks later it's ready to bottle up, which is the smelly bit. I use litre milk cartons to store it in. Add half a litre to a full watering can and feed plants weekly. Flowers and veg love it.
Regarding storage. I try to use it in the same season it was made but was using last years brew in April and May with no adverse affects.
Comfrey tea, is a rawther nice bevvy, to be sure ! It is similar to nettle tea, and has a lot of herbal uses, as knit bane, or bone, for fractures, bruising, or large organised periostal haematomas, good for calves with the scours, etc etc ad nauseam...................... ectually ! Besides all this , my liver was buggered years ago on nettle beer and home made wine !!
Now I know comfrey was known as knit-bone but I had to look up periostal on Google and I still don't understand how you would use comfrey, especially as it is no longer recommended for internal use.
Comfrey has been used for centuries as a gut calmer for calves with the scours. Comfrey is really only 'DANGEROUS' to humans if you choose to eat a field of it. I don't really think I could manage a whole hedge ! Mind you, there IS another plant that dogs 'n' cats detest, and this is called appropriately, the 'Piss Off ' plant.I'm surprised no-one has thought of this one before !
All this dangerous type reports has come about since I first learned about comfrey some 40 years ago. and it was worshiped by the self sufficiency chappie, John Seymore, whos speciality was to write about self sufficiency, and get visitors to do all the hard work ! Canny bugger, that Seymore !
This is on the web, to perhaps alleviate any worries about it being used as medicinal porpoises. Read on dear reader..........Comfrey is used as a tea for upset stomach, ulcers, heavy menstrual periods,diarrhea, bloody urine, persistent cough, painful breathing (pleuritis), bronchitis,cancer, and chest pain (angina). It is also used as a gargle for gum disease andsore throat.
Therapeutic use of comfrey is limited because of its toxicity. A limited number of clinical trials show short-term efficacy of topically applied, alkaloid-free comfrey preparations in skin
abrasions and inflammatory conditions. Although not examined in clinical trials, comfrey may possess antifungal and anticancer activity. Comfrey Dosing
Oral
use of comfrey is not supported because of potential hepatotoxicity. Additionally, because externally applied alkaloids are well absorbed and detected in the urine, topical use of comfrey should not exceed an alkaloid exposure of 100 mcg/day. Limited trials have evaluated the efficacy of alkaloid-free preparations for topical use; however, these studies do not report on hepatic laboratory indices of study participants. Contraindications
Comfrey is not recommended for internal use because of the hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloid content. Patients with hypersensitivity or allergic reactions to the plant should avoid external use. Use is contraindicated during pregnancy and lactation, in infants, and in patients with liver or kidney disease.
Pregnancy/Lactation
Contraindicated because of documented adverse effects. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids have abortifacient effects and increase the risk of fatal hepatic veno-occlusive disease. Animal experiments have detected alkaloids in breast milk
Posts
Depends how strong the mix is as to how much to water it down by. It's not an exact science though. To make, I fill three carry bags, tie the tops and pierce the bags before submerging in an old bin 1/2 to 3/4 full and replace the lid.
6 wks later it's ready to bottle up, which is the smelly bit. I use litre milk cartons to store it in. Add half a litre to a full watering can and feed plants weekly. Flowers and veg love it.
Regarding storage. I try to use it in the same season it was made but was using last years brew in April and May with no adverse affects.
Comfrey tea ! I drank this for a season and grew 4 inches, or 10 cms, or was it 100mm ?
Peat, Was that before or after it buggered your liver.?
Comfrey is hepatotoxic if taken internally
Thanks Chaps, I've got comfrey just spouting, new seeds this season ready for cropping next year, my gramps used it on his plants.
It just seemed a shame to waste the stuff after he'd dragged it back from the beach, he was all for throwing it in the brown bin.... I think not MR!
Comfrey tea, is a rawther nice bevvy, to be sure ! It is similar to nettle tea, and has a lot of herbal uses, as knit bane, or bone, for fractures, bruising, or large organised periostal haematomas, good for calves with the scours, etc etc ad nauseam...................... ectually ! Besides all this , my liver was buggered years ago on nettle beer and home made wine !!
Now I know comfrey was known as knit-bone but I had to look up periostal on Google and I still don't understand how you would use comfrey, especially as it is no longer recommended for internal use.
Comfrey has been used for centuries as a gut calmer for calves with the scours. Comfrey is really only 'DANGEROUS' to humans if you choose to eat a field of it. I don't really think I could manage a whole hedge ! Mind you, there IS another plant that dogs 'n' cats detest, and this is called appropriately, the 'Piss Off ' plant.I'm surprised no-one has thought of this one before !
All this dangerous type reports has come about since I first learned about comfrey some 40 years ago. and it was worshiped by the self sufficiency chappie, John Seymore, whos speciality was to write about self sufficiency, and get visitors to do all the hard work ! Canny bugger, that Seymore !
This is on the web, to perhaps alleviate any worries about it being used as medicinal porpoises. Read on dear reader..........Comfrey is used as a tea for upset stomach, ulcers, heavy menstrual periods,diarrhea, bloody urine, persistent cough, painful breathing (pleuritis), bronchitis,cancer, and chest pain (angina). It is also used as a gargle for gum disease andsore throat.
Comfrey is applied to the skin for ulcers, wounds, joint inflammation, bruises,rheumatoid arthritis, swollen veins (phlebitis), gout, and fractures.
I believe that comfrey also supplies Vitamin B12 that vegetarians lack in their diet.
From drugs.com
ComfreyScientific Name(s): Symphytum officinale L., S. asperum Lepechin, S. tuberosum L., Symphytum x uplandicum Nyman. Family
: Boraginaceae (Borage)
Common Name(s): Comfrey , bruisewort , blackwort , knitbone , radix consolidate , Russian comfrey , slippery root
Uses of ComfreyTherapeutic use of comfrey is limited because of its toxicity. A limited number of clinical trials show short-term efficacy of topically applied, alkaloid-free comfrey preparations in skin
abrasions and inflammatory conditions. Although not examined in clinical trials, comfrey may possess antifungal and anticancer activity. Comfrey Dosing
Oral
use of comfrey is not supported because of potential hepatotoxicity. Additionally, because externally applied alkaloids are well absorbed and detected in the urine, topical use of comfrey should not exceed an alkaloid exposure of 100 mcg/day. Limited trials have evaluated the efficacy of alkaloid-free preparations for topical use; however, these studies do not report on hepatic laboratory indices of study participants. Contraindications
Comfrey is not recommended for internal use because of the hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloid content. Patients with hypersensitivity or allergic reactions to the plant should avoid external use. Use is contraindicated during pregnancy and lactation, in infants, and in patients with liver or kidney disease.
Pregnancy/LactationContraindicated because of documented adverse effects. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids have abortifacient effects and increase the risk of fatal hepatic veno-occlusive disease. Animal experiments have detected alkaloids in breast milk
.