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Certified Organic Plant

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Russian Comfrey

Name: Russian Comfrey - Kahikatea Farm Certified Organic Nursery and Permaculture Farm
Price: 8.50 NZD
Availability: InStock

Symphytum x uplandicum

$8.50

In stock

If you want the garden comfrey, read on! If you want comfrey purely for medicinal purposes, please refer to True Medicinal Comfrey.

A herbaceous perennial of the borage family, comfrey is a well-known companion plant and darling of permaculture gardens due to its multi-functionality. Native to Europe where it can be found in damp grassy areas, river banks and ditches, it has large coarse, hairy leaves and pretty lilac-pink bells in summer. Height to 75cm when in flower. Russian Comfrey is a naturally occuring hybrid which is sterile and does not spread by seed. However do make sure you plant it where you want it – it’s impossible to remove the deep chunky taproot! Winter dormant, frost hardy.

9cm pot. Contact us for pricing for bulk smaller grades (minimum 30 plants).

Cultivation

Tolerant of full sun through to quite deep shade but does best with some shade and definitely needs extra moisture if it is growing in full sun. Cut back hard 2 – 4 times a year to harvest the fabulous mulch or compost material.

Uses

Comfrey has a great balance of the major plant nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, but is known in particular for its accumulation of potassium. It also contains silica, magnesium, calcium and iron. These nutrients will be naturally cycled through the soil as it dies down each winter but a well watered and fertilised patch can be harvested 3-5 times a season. The leaves can be used to make a liquid fertiliser, added to the compost heap or wilted and used to line potato trenches. Comfrey can also be grown around fruit trees as a ground cover and slashed several times a season to mulch the tree. The flowers are excellent bee attractors.

The young leaves were said to be edible for humans – used raw or cooked. They are slightly hairy so need to be chopped up finely. Older leaves can be dried and used as tea, roots can be cut up and added to soups or roasted (and added to roasted dandelion and/or chicory roots if desired) and used as a coffee substitute. Recent scientific research however has shown comfrey appeared to cause liver damage and cancerous tumors in rats. In light of this, the regular consumption of comfrey is not advisable.

The fresh leaves make great chook fodder, are relished by geese (for relished read destroyed – and I mean totally!), and have been used as stock fodder for many years, but are preferably fed wilted.

Medicinal Uses

The roots and leaves can be used medicinally either internally, or externally as a poultice. Comfrey is particularly known for its healing properties for skin complaints such as eczema and for cuts, bruises and sprains. It is a common component of healing creams. It was once known as ‘knitbone’ for its role in healing broken bones, indeed the genus name comes from the Greek words symphyo meaning to grow together and phyton for plant as the plant was believed to help heal wounds. However, if you want comfrey purely for medicinal purposes, please refer to True Medicinal Comfrey.

History / Folklore / Further Info

Jo Says

We stock several species of comfrey. If you are after fodder, biomass or nutrient cycling, choose this one, the Russian comfrey, S. x uplandicum. If you are wanting it for medicinal use, please choose the true medicinal comfrey, Symphytum officinale. Or if you want a lower growing plant which is evergreen and provides early season flowers for the bees (from late winter), choose the dwarf evergreen varieties.

Shipping Advice

N.B. Shipping costs are added AFTER you have placed your order, you will then be emailed an invoice with bank details.

Smallest box rate:
This can fit up to 9 plants in 9cm pots.

Shipping a single tree can be expensive. We may be able to fit more in the box for the same price! See our shipping rates for single and multi tree boxes.

Combining sizes?
No problem, we will work out the best rate for you once you’ve placed your order.

Medical disclaimer

Jo has a passion for growing herbs but is not a qualified herbalist and has no medical background.

We are lucky to have Patricia Beagle working here at times, who is qualified, and some of her advice does appear on these pages, but herbs act differently for different people and can interact with other medicines. We therefore always recommend that you consult with your own qualified health-care practitioner before using herbal products, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing or on any medications.

Kahikatea Farm cannot take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of the plants or a plant not having the effect it is reputed to have.