Who would have known that this herbaceous plant with purple, blue, violet or white bell flowers is so beautiful and festive - very poisonous. Moreover, it, with a powerful root and a strong ribbed stem, covered from below with a hairy bristle, is able to put on a person's legs.

Meet Dr. Zhivokost. He's a comfrey medicinal, bone-breaking, vis-grass, horned cornflower, greasy root or spur. So many statuses have one God's herb, which heals and helps to regain lost health.

In the form of an ambulance, medicinal comfrey moved to us from the distant regions of Central Asia, the Caucasus, Western Siberia, China and settled in the forests and steppes of the European part of Russia. It is impossible not to notice it. Rising almost 2.5 meters above the ground, it greets the world with its oblong-ovoid, dissected leaves. Now it looks out of the thickets of bushes, then from the slopes framing streams and rivulets, then it is important to spread out on wet meadows.

A plant from the Buttercup family of the genus Delphinium (lat. Delphinium) blooms in May – June, but accumulates healing power in a brown root with white crumbling pulp by late autumn. It is he who is famous for his ability to heal fractures, help bone fusion, restore damaged ligaments, and relieve pain.

Collected spur for medicinal raw materials at the age of three years, when the roots turn black. Inside is white crumbling pulp that secretes mucus. In the old days, they knew that this was done on the New Moon in November.

Comfrey in the old days was an ordinary garden culture. The stems were peeled and used in pickles, soups, and seasonings. During religious fasts, he gave the body protein, essential vitamins and minerals.

Composition and healing properties

Like no other plant, the larkspur contains a lot of allantoin or glyoxylic acid diureide. It is rich in alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, plant mucus (water-soluble polysaccharide), vitamin B12.

It contains plant acids - phenolcarboxylic:

• oxycinnamic;
• lithosperm;
• neochlorogenic;
• chlorogenic;
• rosemary;
• coffee shop.

The healing plant contains a set of necessary human body tannins, proteins and triterpenes, phytosterols (stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, isobauerenol in the form of a glycoside, triterpene alcohol).

The list of useful substances is complemented by iridoids and inulin, choline and starch, and coumarins, monoterpene glycosides and traces of essential oil. Leaves and stems have organic calcareous compounds, solving problems with osteoporosis. The people respected the larkspur for its amazing healing properties. various diseases... Its most important purpose is to restore damaged bones. In addition, they were treated:

• joint pain and amputation stump;
• inflammation of the periosteum;
• osteochondrosis and phlebitis;
• arthrosis and arthritis;
• sciatica and gout;
• wounds and thrombophlebitis;
• frostbite and burns;
• chronic bronchitis and pulmonary tuberculosis and sore throat;
• osteomyelitis, stomatitis, periodontal disease and diathesis;
• mastitis and rheumatism;
• stomach and intestinal ulcers;
• enterocolitis and chronic colitis,
• internal bleeding and nose;
• dysentery and diarrhea;
• kidney disease and hemorrhoids;

Perennial helps reduce arterial pressure... Women use decoctions as a contraceptive. Comfrey gives the doomed a chance to defeat malignant tumors.

We repeat that the larkspur is a very poisonous plant. Alkaloids - Consolidin and Cinoglossin in large doses cause central paralysis nervous system.

So, having analgesic, anti-inflammatory and regenerating effects, medicinal herb works miracles of healing and gives health.

Zhivokost in traditional medicine recipes

The health fighter with its flowers, leaves and roots is used in decoctions, infusions, tinctures and ointments.

1. An old recipe of Transcarpathian herbalists for fractures, back pain, osteochondrosis. The rhizome is cleaned and pounded in a mortar (you can use a meat grinder). Poured 1: 3 only with moonshine (not vodka or alcohol). The container is removed in a dark place for seven days (shake 6 times daily). The tincture is effective as long as it is light, as it turns brown, you need to prepare a new portion. It is used for compresses and rubbing.

2. Recipes of the Siberian medicine man for old salt deposits. This nuclear weapon is used to lift people twisted by years of pain and suffering. The secret is simple. Peeled and crushed roots (1 part) are mixed with lard lard(2 parts). The ointment is rubbed into the places of salt deposits, with thrombophlebitis, helps with boils and abscesses, burns.

3. Roots with honey will drive salt from everywhere, and whoever needs it, and tuberculosis will be cured. Mix them in crushed form 1: 4 with honey. For two weeks, take the mixture a teaspoon before meals for half an hour. Break for 2 weeks and be treated again.

4. The washed roots are wrapped in clean paper and placed in the basement or lower compartment of the refrigerator. Take it out and clean it. In the morning, cut off a 1 cm piece, chew thoroughly and swallow the chaff to taste, like hay. Do this half an hour before breakfast. Further according to the scheme:

• 5 days of treatment - 10 days off;
• 10 days of treatment - 20 days off;
• 20 days of treatment - 30 break.

If the disease persists, repeat the course in the same sequence.

5. When diabetic foot... People suffering diabetes mellitus, can tolerate unbearable pain from cracks and wounds on the feet. Eventually, the disease can develop into gangrene. To prevent this from happening, a healing infusion is being prepared in the Caucasus.

6. Dry chopped root (2 teaspoons) is poured cold water- boiled and cooled (300 ml) for eight hours. Then the water is poured into a clean container, and the root is poured with boiling water (200 ml) and allowed to cool. The first infusion is added to the second and again kept for a day. The remedy is taken every 2 hours all day from 8.00 am to 20.00 pm, so until the healing of wounds and ulcers.

7. Ointment "Zhivokostovaya" for all bone diseases. One root is washed, but not peeled and crushed. Mixed with internal chicken or rabbit fat (1 teaspoon) and milk (3 tablespoons). All are heated to a hot tolerable temperature. Form cakes and apply to sore spots, fixing and insulating the compress for the night. Do until recovery.

After grinding, the root immediately turns brown, secreting mucus, which quickly thickens. Therefore, everything is done quickly and accurately when mixed with other components. Funds with this raw material are not boiled.

It is necessary to use drugs with a poisonous plant with extreme caution. For hypotonic patients before comfrey treatment, it is recommended to consult a therapist, as it lowers blood pressure. You can not take raw materials for pregnant women and children. And also if there is an individual intolerance.

Even before the great Avicenna, mankind turned to plants for help in diseases. Zhivokost is one of them. Today, this amazing medicinal herb has been undeservedly forgotten, and may completely disappear from our Earth. But folk wisdom raises layers of age-old traditions, telling us about the life-giving abilities of the surrounding green world.

There is medicinal plants, the popular names of which accurately characterize their useful qualities. One of them is the larkspur (or larkspur). The green healer helps with diseases and injuries of the spine, arthritis, bruises, sprains, promotes the rapid healing of bones in fractures.

Healing roots more than two thousand years ago, the Greeks used to heal wounds, used the advantages of the plant to treat fractures. The name "comfrey" (Latin Symphytum officinale) means "growing together" and indicates the main properties of the herb. It is mentioned in the famous treatise of Avicenna "Canon of Medicine" of the 15th century. In the Middle Ages, alchemists added larkspur to the "elixir of life".

In Russia, comfrey received the name "black grass", "goat", "slippery root" and was widely used to treat bruises, pain in the back and joints, fractures and sprains. In Soviet times, the industrial cultivation of comfrey was started due to its high protein content. The plant was planned to be used for livestock feed and as nitrogen fertilizer.

In medicine, larkspur is popular in Europe in the form of ointments, gels and infusions for external use. Comfrey has been one of the homeopathic medicinal ingredients for a long time.

Comfrey is common in Europe, Central Russia, the Carpathians, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Western Siberia. It chooses fertile and moist soils for growth, therefore it is more often found near streams, lakes, along the banks of rivers. Likes to settle near ditches (trenches), artificial or natural depressions of the soil, for which it got its name "comfrey".

A perennial from the borage family can reach a height of more than 1 m. The stem at the base is covered with hard hairs, the next leaves with a special cucumber smell have a rough surface. The root of an adult plant is powerful, black on the outside, sugar-white inside. When fractured, it releases a mucous substance. Comfrey blooms from May to June with flowers of blue, purple, purple, less often white.

The fruit is a pod with four nuts, which ripen from mid-summer to September. The plant reproduces well by self-sowing and, settling in personal plots, quickly conquers new areas. To remove it by the root is as difficult as horseradish: from the piece of root remaining in the ground, a full-fledged ground part will appear next year.

Comfrey has an unusual composition. In addition to vitamins, micro- and macroelements, tannins, essential oils, starch and resins traditionally present in the plant, the content of allantoin and alkaloids was revealed in the larkspur.

Allantoin is a non-toxic substance that stimulates the processes of regeneration (restoration) of bone, muscle and connective tissues in the body. Due to its presence in the root part, the listed properties are used in trauma practice to accelerate the healing of bones, damaged ligaments and soft tissues.

Alkaloids of the pyrrolizidine series (cinoglossin, lisiocarpine and consolididin) are dangerous components in the composition of the larkspur and the main reason for the presence of contraindications in this plant. These compounds are poisonous and can cause paralysis of the central nervous system, disrupting the transmission of impulses from the nerve node to the striated muscles.

At the end of the 20th century, experimentally in Germany, the carcinogenic, mutational and toxic properties of alkaloids were revealed, leading to oncological diseases, gene mutations and toxic hepatitis. This discovery identified contraindications for oral use of comfrey and sharply narrowed the scope of its application within the framework of official medicine.

Properties

Zhivokost exhibits unique healing properties when applied externally. It is used to treat trophic ulcers, furunculosis, bruising and bruising. Exhibits high efficiency in the treatment of long-term non-healing purulent wounds and fistulas caused by osteomyelitis.

In folk medicine, the medicinal qualities of the plant are used for fractures, injuries of soft tissues, ligaments. The ability of allantoin to stimulate the growth of bone cells, cartilage and muscle tissue gives a quick and lasting therapeutic effect in rib fractures, when a plaster cast cannot be applied.

The roots of the plant help relieve pain during sprains, radiculitis, osteochondrosis and arthritis. Quickly eliminate soft tissue edema, which is especially important in sports medicine and with domestic injuries.

Application

V traditional medicine contraindications for taking larkspur determine toxic substances in the composition. Therefore, the plant is used exclusively as a remedy for external use.

It is highly popular in Germany, where Dr. Comfrey Ointment is produced. Theiss ".

It is used in dental practice for rinsing and stimulating the growth of periodontal tissues.

In cosmetology, it helps to get rid of cracks, acne and dry skin with the help of washings and compresses with decoction from the roots.

Medicinal decoctions are prepared from crushed roots (10 g) and 250 ml of water. Boil over low heat for 10 minutes, filter.

Medicinal forms from fresh root

Juice from fresh roots is good for stopping bleeding from wounds and nose, and gruel in the form of compresses relieves joint pain and promotes healing of fractures. A dry powder prepared from a previously ground root has similar properties.

Home ointment

Pass 10 g of comfrey roots through a meat grinder and combine with 100 g of an ointment base or. Place in a water bath for 2-3 hours. Strain hot through cheesecloth. Keep refrigerated.

Use for furunculosis, purulent wounds, non-healing fistulas after osteomyelitis, for rubbing into the spine and joints in case of osteochondrosis and arthritis.

Infusion

For baths and compresses, an infusion is prepared, where the larkspur in the amount of 3 tbsp. l. pour 1 liter of boiling water. After 4 hours of infusion, filter.

Used for washing purulent wounds, preparing medicinal baths for skin diseases, compresses for sciatica and sciatica, pain in the stump after amputation.

Tincture

Pour 100 g of chopped fresh roots with 0.5 liters of vodka or 40% alcohol. Insist in a dark glass container for 14 days, shake occasionally. Use for rubbing or compresses.

Contraindications

The plant contains toxic substances and has contraindications for oral administration. The decision to use the medicinal effects of comfrey, even for external use, must be agreed with the physician. Absolute contraindications for admission:

• pregnancy;
• lactation;
• childhood.

Everything dosage forms comfrey require storage out of the reach of children.

Blank

The period of harvesting the roots of the plant is carried out all year round. The best time is spring and autumn, when the larkspur accumulates the maximum amount of nutrients in the root system. The dug root is washed under running water.

Lateral roots are separated from the mother plant, cut lengthwise and dried in the sun and draft. Drying the roots requires a shaded, ventilated place. To preserve all the healing properties, the drying temperature should not exceed 60 degrees. The medicinal comfrey roots are stored for 1 year in cardboard boxes or paper bags.

In traditional medicine for fractures, there are also recipes from herbs. Some plants are directly called larkspur. These include the famous delphinium and comfrey. Delphinium is used in the form of herbal compresses, and comfrey - in the form of compresses from the roots. In addition, the broth can be taken orally. The ancient Roman scientist Pliny wrote: "Comfrey has such a wound healing power that if you put it in boiled meat, it grows together ..." It looks like a legend about living and dead water.
Comfrey (popular name-larkspur)

Comfrey is most effective for fractures. This herb stimulates cell growth and tissue repair, accelerates wound healing, significantly reduces pain, strengthens bones and promotes faster bone healing in fractures. Traditional medicine makes extensive use of comfrey in the treatment of bone fractures and wounds.
You can use the roots and the aerial part of the plant. When gypsum is applied, it is advisable to ingest the infusion of the aerial part of the medicinal comfrey.
Pour a tablespoon of raw materials with a glass of boiling water, leave to cool, strain. Take a dessert spoon 3 times a day for a month. Due to the fact that the plant is poisonous, you should not increase the indicated dose and the period of taking comfrey. When the plaster is removed, it is useful to make lotions from the infusion of comfrey 2-3 times a day. You can make an ointment on inner pork fat: mix 10 g of well-chopped root or comfrey grass with 100 g of inner pork fat, cook in a water bath for 2 hours, insist overnight, strain through two layers of gauze. Rub this ointment into the injury site.
2 times a day - morning and evening.
Zhivokost(popular name spur)

Even the name of this plant comes from two words: living bone. Larkspur belongs to the buttercup family and is a poisonous plant, so do not overdose!
Pour a tablespoon of larkspur herb with 0.5 liters of boiling water, leave for an hour, strain. Take a tablespoon of the infusion 3-4 times a day. Use the remaining infusion for lotions.
Mummy

The natural product of mummy, also called mountain wax, promotes bone healing well. Due to its rich composition: macro and microelements, essential and resinous amino acids, mummy stimulates regenerative processes in tissues, has an anti-inflammatory and restorative effect. Under the influence of mummy, the process of callus formation is significantly accelerated and the time of fracture consolidation is reduced. Shilajit is taken at 0.1 g 2 times a day for a month. After removing the plaster, it is useful to dissolve the mummy and make lotions from this solution at least twice a day (the more, the better).
Chaga

In case of fractures, it is advisable to use chaga (birch mushroom). Chaga contains many trace elements improves metabolic processes in the body, strengthens bones.
You can chop off a piece of chaga weighing 10-15 g (about a tablespoon in volume), pour boiling water over it, insist and drink like tea. The infusion of chaga is non-toxic, but it is limited for diseases accompanied by fluid retention in the body.
Healthy foods
During the development of the arm after a fracture in a "typical site".
After removing the plaster, physiotherapy procedures are often prescribed, but, firstly, not all of them are shown, and secondly, there is not always time to go to the clinic for the procedure. You can carry out the procedure at home using the usual Hercules. Boil it in water without adding salt and put a rather hot (but not scalding!) Porridge on the fracture site. Let the pot with the remaining porridge stand over low heat: as the porridge placed at the fracture site cools down, replace it with a new portion of hot porridge from the pan. The duration of this procedure is approximately 30 minutes and should be performed every day for a week. By the way, you do not need to cook fresh porridge every time - you can use the same one, and you can not store it in the refrigerator, since healing effect from applying sour porridge no less.
(library of the newspaper "Good health" No. 2 2012)

Comfrey officinalis - a herb belonging to the Burachnikov family, is a perennial.

Comfrey can reach a height of 100 cm. Comfrey stem is erect, with numerous branches, covered with dense hairs. The leaves are elongated, large in size, the flowers are similar in shape to bells, collected in panicle inflorescences in the form of a curl, from a color ranging from pale pink to dark lilac. The comfrey bloom period lasts from early to mid-summer. Then fruits appear on the plant - nuts with one seed. Comfrey roots are powerful, spreading, black outside, white inside.

The habitats of comfrey are practically all regions of Europe, the southern regions of the Urals and Siberia. Comfrey is found in Africa, on the American continent, on the Japanese islands and even in New Zealand. As a rule, it reproduces as a weed, but it is rare to find large thickets of comfrey. Comfrey prefers soils with good moisture, rich in nutrients, often grows near rivers and streams, in swamps, lake shores, in ravines, roadside ditches. The Russian name "comfrey" is just connected with its favorite growing places. The Latin name Symphytum - comes from the Greek symphyo - "grow together" and indicates its ability to heal fractures. Comfrey is also popularly called a bone breaker, a greasy root (because the pulp of its roots is white, juicy and oily to the touch), Zhivokost. At the same time, comfrey should not be confused with larkspur, another medicinal plant.

Comfrey harvesting and storage

Comfrey roots have healing properties. They can be harvested either in the spring or in the fall. The roots are dug up, thoroughly cleaned of the earth, washed in water. Clean roots are cut into pieces 15-20 cm long and dried. For drying, it is necessary to spread the roots in a room with a good supply of fresh air. Final drying is carried out in dryers at a low temperature, not higher than 40 degrees.

Comfrey roots are stored in fabric bags, cardboard boxes or in a tightly closed container, in rooms with low air humidity. Subject to storage conditions, raw materials retain their healing properties for up to three years.

In some cases, comfrey leaves and flowers collected during the flowering period are used as medicinal raw materials (recipes with their use, in particular, are available in German and French medicine).

History of the use of comfrey officinalis

Comfrey has long been known as a medicine that promotes bone healing in case of fractures. It is already mentioned in ancient Greek books - both the founder of botany Theophrastus and the doctor Dioscorides wrote about comfrey. Comfrey was used by Roman soldiers to treat wounds and abscesses. Avicenna talks about comfrey in his famous work “The Canon of Medicine”.

In Europe, all healers also appreciated medicinal properties comfrey. It continued to be used as a powerful remedy for fracture recovery, wound healing, and various injuries. Comfrey is mentioned in the writings of the physician and alchemist Paracelsus, and its properties to heal, relieve inflammation and accelerate regeneration are described in almost all popular herbalists of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Comfrey cultivation begins - monks at monasteries engaged in agriculture, whole beds of comfrey are planted in order to use its raw materials for treatment. In the 17th century, comfrey began to be planted for further harvesting in Russia in the “pharmacy gardens”. It should be borne in mind that, although comfrey lends itself to cultivation, it is considered more like a weed by ordinary gardeners - it spreads quickly and, due to its powerful long root, it is quite difficult to get rid of it. In the Soviet Union, comfrey was grown as a fodder crop rich in protein and other valuable nutrients.

At the beginning of the 20th century, comfrey is actively studied by medical science; publications in authoritative specialized publications are devoted to it. Researchers have proven the regenerating properties of the plant, as well as its antiulcer effect. The effectiveness of drugs based on comfrey has been proven by clinical trials. Later, however, official medicine limited the internal use of comfrey, mainly it began to be used externally, due to the fact that the plant contains some poisonous compounds. Comfrey is widely used in cosmetics, in dental rinses for the treatment of periodontal disease, etc. In dermatology, comfrey creams are a good remedy for acne, and ointments are also used to treat other skin conditions. Topical medicines containing comfrey can be found at drug stores.

In folk medicine, comfrey was used not only as a remedy for fractures, but also as a medicine for tuberculosis, as well as for stomach ulcers. Children were bathed in a decoction of comfrey root, and comfrey juice was given to prevent colds and strengthen immunity. As an external remedy, comfrey was used in the form of rubbing in multiple sclerosis, as a lotion for frostbite and burns.

Nowadays, comfrey retains its popularity with herbalists and herbalists. Decoctions of comfrey in milk are considered a good remedy for the treatment of colds and diseases of the respiratory system. With diarrhea, comfrey has an astringent effect. Comfrey is widely used for bone fusion and tissue regeneration. Traditional Bulgarian medicine uses comfrey to treat wounds, mastopathy, inflammation in oral cavity and throat. German herbalists prescribe comfrey for the treatment of diseases of the stomach and intestines, hemorrhoids, as antifungal agent as well as to stop bleeding. Comfrey tinctures are considered an excellent remedy for sciatica pain. In African countries, comfrey is considered a contraceptive.

In homeopathic practice, comfrey, in addition to fusion of bone tissue, is used in cases of gastrointestinal diseases, paralysis, and tooth damage.

Chemical composition

The main treasure in comfrey is allantoin. Although this substance itself is very common and is found in many plants, its concentration in comfrey is especially high and provides unsurpassed medicinal properties.

Especially there is a lot of Vitamin B12 in the roots and leaves of the comfrey - an essential element of the hematopoietic system, which is also responsible for the correct metabolism.

Comfrey is also a champion in potassium content, it contains polysaccharides, tannins, triterpenes, inulin, protein compounds and starch. Rosemary acid suppresses inflammation, fights free radicals and has an analgesic effect. Tannins, essential oils and comfrey alkaloids support its medicinal properties.

The use of comfrey in medicine

Traditionally, comfrey is used primarily for the treatment of various injuries to bones and soft tissues. It is used for early recovery after fractures, for the treatment of rheumatic pains, arthritis and arthrosis. Comfrey preparations have a beneficial effect on the joints. They help relieve stiffness and improve joint mobility. Comfrey ointments help to cope with pain, accelerate the healing of wounds and bruises, reduce swelling, and improve blood circulation in damaged areas. In addition, comfrey is known for its strong hemostatic effect, and it can be used both as an external agent and as an oral preparation for internal bleeding.

External use of comfrey helps heal trophic ulcers and other hard-to-heal skin lesions. The excellent medicinal properties of comfrey are known for the herbal medicine of osteomyelitis. In tuberculosis of bones, comfrey is used in conjunction with other agents as a means for additional strengthening and restoration of bone tissue.

In diseases of the respiratory system, comfrey exhibits its anti-inflammatory properties and promotes liquefaction and excretion of phlegm. A decoction of comfrey roots is advised to be taken in the composition complex therapy with chronic bronchitis.

Talking about healing properties comfrey, attention should be paid to its ability to have a positive effect in the treatment of diseases of the digestive system. This is especially true of inflammatory processes in gastrointestinal tract and high acidity. Comfrey fights inflammation, has a mild enveloping effect, its tannins exhibit astringent properties. It is advised for stomach and duodenal ulcers. However, one should be very careful when internal use comfrey and strictly observe the dosage - it is known that large quantities of comfrey alkaloids are poisonous.

Medical research confirms that the external use of comfrey preparations is effective for healing burn injuries of the skin, for recovering from sprains and various injuries, reducing inflammation and relieving pain.

Comfrey finds its use in dentistry - as a medicine for various gum damage. Comfrey gargles are used both separately and in combination with other herbs and medicines, they help well with periodontal disease and stomatitis, have antimicrobial effect. The beneficial effect of comfrey in the treatment of caries is also known.

In dermatology, comfrey is known for its properties to heal psoriasis, acne and other skin conditions, including furunculosis. Fresh Comfrey Juice ethnoscience advises to use it to relieve inflammation, treat acne and minor skin lesions. Comfrey-based pharmacological preparations- ointments, syrups, as well as homeopathic remedies and various cosmetic preparations that stimulate the renewal of skin cells.

Used plant parts

• Root

Contraindications

Recipes

For part of the plant - Root

For colds, chronic inflammatory diseases of the digestive system, chronic bronchitis, dysentery.

1 tablespoon of chopped root, pour 1 glass of cold boiled water, insist in a thermos for 6-7 hours, drain. Take 1 tablespoon 6-7 times a day.

Broth.

1/2 tablespoon of chopped root, pour 1 cup of boiling water, simmer for 2 hours, leave to cool, drain. Take 1 dessert spoon every 2 hours.

For coughs, pulmonary tuberculosis, stomach diseases, colitis, diarrhea, kidney diseases, ulcers, tumors. Outwardly, the broth is used in the form of lotions for skin diseases, diaper rash, burns.

Grind the root to a powder. Take 10 grams of powder, pour 1 glass of water, simmer for 10 minutes, drain. Take 1 dessert spoon 6-7 times a day.

With fractures.

Pour 1 teaspoon of roots with 1 glass of boiling water, cook for 30 minutes over low heat, insist until cool, drain. Take 1 dessert spoon every 2 hours.

With the deposition of salts, glomerulonephritis, ulcers and inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract.

Take 1 part of the root, grate on a fine grater, pour natural honey 1: 1, leave for 2 weeks. Take 1 teaspoon 30 minutes before meals, within 2 weeks.

With pulmonary tuberculosis.

Pour 40 grams of chopped root with 1 liter of hot milk, insist overnight in a warm place, strain. Take 1 glass 3 times a day.

With prostate adenoma.

Pour 2 teaspoons of chopped roots with 2 cups of boiling water, leave for 1 hour. Take 1/2 cup 3 times a day.

With osteoporosis.

Soak 1 teaspoon of roots for a day in cold boiled water, drain the water, pour 1 liter of milk. Simmer in the oven for 4 hours, drain. Take 1-2 teaspoons 3 times a day after meals for 1 week. For the next week, steam 1 tablespoon of the root in milk, strain and mix with 2 tablespoons of honey. Take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day after meals for 1 week.

For gastritis, stomach ulcers and duodenal ulcers, take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day after meals.

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Powder.

Grind the root to a powder. Sprinkle them with bleeding and non-healing wounds and ulcers. You can use the powder inside, mixed with honey 1: 2, 1 teaspoon each, diluted with a little water, 3 times a day before meals.

Ointment. For skin diseases, burns, hemorrhoids, cracks in the anus, wounds, ulcers, abrasions, cuts, sarcoma, thrombophlebitis, severe bruises.

Grind the roots to a powder. Take 1 part of powder, mix with 4 parts of pork fat, grind thoroughly, mix. Place the preheated oven, wait until all the fat is melted, then simmer for another 30 minutes. Strain hot and pour into a glass dish, closing tightly. The ointment removes inflammatory processes and bleeding, enhances the process of tissue regeneration.

With chronic bronchitis, pulmonary tuberculosis, inflammation in the kidneys, boils, dysentery, gastrointestinal bleeding, cough, pneumonia.

Pour 2.5 tablespoons of chopped root with 1 liter of hot milk, steam in the oven for 7 hours on low heat, do not bring to a boil, drain. Take 1/3 cup 3 times a day, in small sips. It is more effective to alternate broth of comfrey in milk with comfrey and honey. Chop the root, mix with 2 parts of bee honey, mix thoroughly. Take 1 teaspoon 3 times a day. Reception alternate for 7-10 days: first larkspur in milk, then - with honey.

With enterocolitis, dysentery, chronic ulcerative colitis, chronic bronchitis and broncho-ecstatic disease, with hemoptysis, bleeding.

Pour 2 teaspoons of chopped root with 1.5 cups of cold boiled water, leave for 8 hours. Pour the resulting infusion into a jar, and pour the roots again with 1 glass of boiling water, leave for 10 minutes, strain and mix all portions of the infusion. Drink 500 ml. infusion per day, but not immediately, but in small sips throughout the day.

With cancer of various localization.

Pour 1 teaspoon of chopped root with 1 glass of cold boiled water, insist 8 hours. Drain the infusion into another bowl, and pour the same roots with 1 glass of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, drain. Combine both infusions. Take 1/2 cup 3-4 times a day, before meals or 2 hours after meals.

Comfrey is a herbaceous forest perennial belonging to the Borage family. The Russian name for the plant is based on the places in which it most often grows. Latin name(symphytum officinale) is related to the Greek word symphyo, the meaning of which is "to join" or "to join."

In Russian literature, comfrey is often called greasy root, vis-grass, larkspur, or bone breaker.

The name "zhivokost" is associated with Eastern European languages ​​(the plant is called zywokost in Polish, zhyvokost in Ukrainian, and zhyvakost in Belarusian). This name suggests that comfrey is remedy for healing fractures and treating joints. It is important not to confuse it with larkspur (delphinium), which is a completely different plant belonging to the Buttercup family.

Other names for comfrey are:

• Comfrey (eng.),
• Consoude, Oreilles d "ânes (fr.),
• Arzneibeinwell, Beinheil, Heilwurz, Kornfrei, Schwarzwurz (German).

Appearance

• Comfrey height is up to 80-100 centimeters.
• The plant has a large root, pubescent thick straight stem, pubescent large leaves and pink (less often yellowish) bell-shaped flowers. The root system of the larkspur is distinguished by the presence of numerous processes. If the outside of the root of the plant is almost black, then inside it is juicy and white. The root feels greasy to the touch.
• Comfrey leaves are ovoid (they sharpen to the tops) and are covered with hairs.
• The plant begins to bloom in May.
• The fruits (four nuts) begin to ripen in July.

Kinds

There are such types of comfrey:

Drug

This comfrey is very common in the area of Eastern Europe, but also found in Asia and Siberia. The plant loves wet places, therefore it is found in forests, river floodplains and meadows. The peculiarities of plants of this species are short rhizomes, the height of the stems up to one meter, oblong large leaves, pubescent stems, flowers of a dark purple hue (less often pink). Such a comfrey is not picky about the soil and is resistant to cold weather.

Rough

It is also called rough or tough. You can find such a comfrey growing in natural conditions in the Caucasus. The plant grows in a meadow, on the banks of a river, near a mountain stream, at the edge of a forest, near a spring and in other places. Differences in this type of larkspur are the stiffer pubescence of the plant and the blue tint of flowers. This comfrey is used as a forage plant and is grown in various countries.

Tuberous

The height of the bushes of such comfrey is up to 50 centimeters. In early summer, the plant is covered with yellow flowers. The homeland of this species of comfrey is the Balkans, Pyrenees and the north-western regions of Turkey.

Foreign

Many botanists do not attribute this larkspur to a separate species, but consider it one of the varieties of rough comfrey. It is also believed that foreign comfrey is a hybrid plant that combines hard and medicinal comfrey. In the wild, such comfrey is also found in the Caucasus.

Caucasian

Differs in a long rhizome, up to 100 centimeters high, the formation of dense thickets, abundant flowering, resistance to cold and disease. The flowers of this larkspur are bright blue, but there is also a variety with white flowers. Caucasian comfrey is propagated by seeds (sown before winter) or parts of rhizomes.

Large

The birthplace of the plant is the Caucasus. Such comfrey grows in mixed forests, forming carpet-like shrubs 20-30 centimeters high. It is distinguished by dark green oval leaves, yellowish flowers, unpretentiousness to soil and care. Such a comfrey is often chosen for gardens, planting it in a shady and semi-shaded place.

Hybrid

Where grows

Comfrey is widespread throughout Europe, but also grows in Asia. The plant prefers fertile moist soil and partial shade, so it can often be seen on the banks of streams and rivers.

Method for making spices

For medicinal purposes, fresh comfrey leaves are used, which can be stored for up to a day in a cool place, for example, in a refrigerator. However, more often dosage forms are prepared from comfrey rhizomes. Since the plant is a perennial, root harvesting can be done almost at any time of the year.

It is best to dig up the roots in November. With the help of a brush, they are cleaned of soil residues (do not wash), cutting off small roots, after which they are finely cut, strung on a thread and dried in air.

When the roots lose moisture, they are placed in cloth bags and stored in a dry place for up to three years. If storage is planned for a long time or moisture may get in, dry roots should be placed in dry clean jars, corked and periodically ventilated.

Peculiarities

• main feature comfrey - acceleration of tissue recovery after damage, in particular, bone tissue.
• The leaves of the plant have a sour taste.
• Comfrey's ability to heal wounds was known back in the days Ancient Greece.

Chemical composition

• Flavonoids.
• Alkaloids (small amount).
• Tannins.
• Proteins.
• Allantoin (the main plant compound that provides its properties).
• Vegetable mucus.
• Vegetable acids (rosmarinic, phenylcarboxylic).
• Inulin.
• Starch.
• Triterpenes.
• Vitamin B12.
• Tannins.

Beneficial features

• Envelopes.
• Tones up.
• Relieves spasms.
• Has antimicrobial effect.
• Reduces inflammation.

Contraindications

• Allergic reactions.
• Pregnancy (the plant stimulates the muscles of the uterus).

A large amount of larkspur due to the content of alkaloids can cause tumors and liver damage. Eating the plant in small amounts is not harmful, however Western medicine does not recommend taking either the plant itself or the extracts from it.

Butter

Oil extracted from comfrey rhizomes is used in herbal medicine. It stimulates regeneration processes in tissues and accelerates healing, therefore, the reason for its use is fractures, bruises, various bone pathologies, abrasions, ulcers, wounds, fistulas and other tissue damage. Comfrey oil is applied to the affected skin or the limbs and joints are rubbed with it two to three times a day without rinsing. Use oil for at least a month or before complete cure... It can be used indefinitely in adulthood, and children (2-9 years old) are recommended for a course of up to a month.

Juice

It is obtained from both rhizomes and foliage. The juice from the roots is more viscous and is used for making cosmetics at home. To obtain it, the roots that have just been removed from the ground must be thoroughly washed, cut into pieces and grated on a fine grater, and then squeezed through cheesecloth. By combining the juice of the larkspur (two parts) with the infusion of chamomile flowers (one part), a lotion is obtained that is used for enlarged pores. In its pure form, the juice of comfrey roots is applied to the skin pointwise, treating small scratches, acne or an area of ​​inflammation.

When bleeding from the nose with juice, you need to soak a cotton swab, and then insert it into the nasal cavity. When filling a tampon with blood, remove it and insert a new tampon with juice until the blood stops completely (usually two or three tampons are enough).

The juice obtained from the young leaves of the plant is used as prophylactic agent against atherosclerosis. It is taken three times a day for a teaspoon.

Application

In cooking

• All parts of the larkspur are edible.
• Young comfrey leaves can be stewed or baked in a dough.
• Leaves cut from the tops are added to summer soups and salads.
• The leaves of the plant can also serve as a shell for any filling.
• Flowers are used with cheese. They are also candied and used to decorate dishes.
• A small amount of comfrey root can be used to season salads.

Comfrey leaf soup

In 500 ml of chicken broth, put one carrot, two potatoes and one onion, then boil the vegetables until almost cooked. Then add 50 g of comfrey leaves, chop them beforehand, as well as salt and parsley. Boil the soup for another three minutes and serve with sour cream.

In medicine

• The plant is effective for problems with joints, musculoskeletal system. Comfrey is recommended for fractures, arthritis, gout, arthrosis.
• Comfrey has a hemostatic effect. At the same time, the plant helps with external bleeding (allantoin and mucus act), and with internal (active substances influence through a neurohumoral mechanism).
• A decoction of larkspur root helps with chronic bronchitis, providing anti-inflammatory and expectorant effects.
• In diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, the infusion of plant rhizomes exhibits its astringent, anti-inflammatory and enveloping properties.
• Milk infusion of the plant is recommended to be included in complex treatment tuberculosis of bones.
• Comfrey ointment is used as a remedy for edema in postoperative period as well as after injuries. It is effective for trophic and abscess ulcers, as well as wounds that heal very slowly.
• Homeopaths use a drug called Symphytum, made from comfrey root.

Thanks to a wide range medicinal properties, comfrey is used in folk medicine.

Root decoction for joints

100 grams of root is finely chopped and poured with clean water (1000 ml), after which it is boiled for 10-15 minutes over low heat. Straining the broth, it is used for warm compresses and lotions.

• bleeding
• rupture of ligaments,
• joint problems
• fractures.

Immediately after the injury, a chilled broth should be applied to the damaged area, and after a few days they begin to make warm compresses. The lasting effect of the procedures appears after 7-10 uses.

Fresh root ointment for joints

Fresh roots of the plant are crushed into gruel, trying to preserve the juice. Melted fat (lard, lard) is added to this gruel in the same amount. After insisting 24 hours in a dark place, such an ointment is transferred to a glass jar, covered with a lid and kept in the refrigerator. The tool is used for any problems with the musculoskeletal system, joints.

Dry root ointment

Taking 100 g of dried comfrey root, as well as 200 grams of dried horse chestnut flowers, grind everything into powder, add five tablespoons. tablespoons of vodka or alcohol and stir.

After melting 400 mg of pork fat in a water bath, mix it with the herbal-alcohol mixture, and then keep it in the oven for 3-4 hours. In conclusion, the ointment should be boiled for 5-7 minutes over high heat and filtered through cheesecloth into a glass container. The resulting ointment is used for trophic ulcers.

The agent is applied at night - the area with the applied ointment is covered with a film and wrapped.

Water infusion of dry roots

Fill two table. spoons of roots, placed in a thermos, with two glasses of boiling water. Do not close the thermos for 15 minutes, and then close and leave for another 5-7 hours.

Strain the infusion and take at:

• constipation
• peptic ulcer,
• gastritis.

Take 100 ml. 30 minutes before meals.

Use for 1.5 months, then pause for two months.

Tincture for alcohol

Pour the powdered dried root (100 grams) with vodka (500 ml). Insist comfrey for two to three weeks.

Take forty drops half an hour before meals (drip in 1/2 glass of water) to treat fractures, joint problems, or ulcers. The tincture is especially effective if you use comfrey ointment at the same time.

For the treatment of joints

For osteoporosis, treatment is used, which consists of 2 different recipes:

1. 0.5 tsp Cover the comfrey with cold water. The mixture should be infused for 24 hours, dilute it with 0.5 liters. milk and place in the oven with minimum heat for 3-4 hours. Strain the infusion and drink 1.5 tsp. after each meal (3 times a day). The course of treatment is 7 days.
2. For the next 7 days, add 1 tablespoon of comfrey from the 1st recipe to the oven-baked comfrey. cottage cheese or honey. You need to eat this mixture after meals 3 times a day. The mixture must be kept in the refrigerator.

For joint pain

For gout, rheumatism, joint pain or rheumatoid arthritis Prepare an ointment from freshly grated comfrey root with pork fat and Dimexide in a ratio of 1 part root to 2 parts fat and 0.5 part Dimexide. Dimexide can be purchased at a pharmacy.

Varieties

Goldsmith grade very picky about temperature and lighting. The leaves of such comfrey have a golden-yellow border. The plant forms low thickets (up to 30 cm), and its flowers change color from pink to white.

In plants varieties Hidcote Pink and Hidcote Blue the height reaches up to 45 centimeters. Their leaves are dark green in color, and bell-shaped flowers have a white-pink or blue tint. Reproduction of these varieties is vegetative. They grow well in partial shade.

Growing

The plant is quite unpretentious to the soil and can be grown on almost any substrate, if you provide it with sufficient moisture. Comfrey responds well to fertilization, increasing both its vegetative mass and the size of flowers. Reproduction of the plant is possible both by seeds and by dividing the roots.

The plant can be grown in the shade or in the sun, while the comfrey grown in the shade will have a brighter color.

Water the plant abundantly, especially during the flowering period. With a lack of moisture in the comfrey, flowers will drop.

In the autumn, the vegetative part of the plant dies off and for wintering there remains an underground part, which does not need to be covered.

Comfrey was mentioned by a scientist who was a botanist in Ancient Greece - Theophrastus. The modern name for the plant appeared thanks to Dioscorides in the fifties of our era. The properties and features of the larkspur were described by Avicenna in his treatise "The Canon of Medicine", written in 1020.

In the 17th century, the creation of "pharmaceutical" vegetable gardens was organized in Moscow, where twenty poods of comfrey (rhizomes) were brought from Smolensk and Polotsk. The plant was investigated by botanist and agronomist A.T. Bolotov in 1786. Now in Russian pharmacies you can buy drugs that include comfrey - Zhivokost balm and Comfrey Ointment.