Comfrey Leaf
A broad, rough-textured leaf with a long history in folk herbalism, comfrey has been dried and steeped as a tea for centuries across Europe and Asia.
What It Is
Comfrey is a fast-growing perennial herb native to Europe and temperate Asia. The leaves are large, lance-shaped, and slightly bristly, and they dry to a dark, earthy green. Traditionally, dried comfrey leaf was brewed as an herbal tea and used in poultices and folk remedies going back to the Middle Ages. It has a mild, grassy, slightly mucilaginous quality that makes it a common ingredient in herbal tea blends.
Note: comfrey contains naturally occurring compounds called pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Most herbalists and regulatory bodies today recommend limiting internal use, particularly over long periods. It is more commonly used externally in modern practice.
What To Do
Comfrey leaf is most often used to make a simple herbal infusion. Pour hot, not quite boiling, water over a small amount of dried leaf, about one teaspoon per cup, and steep for five to ten minutes, then strain well. It blends quietly with other herbs like nettle, mint, or oatstraw.
Given the note above about internal use, many people today keep comfrey on the external side: steeped as a strong tea and used as a rinse or compress. Store dried leaf in a sealed container away from light and heat, where it will keep its color and scent for about a year.
