It is a widely known and used plant since the time of the Dacians, its original name in the Dacian language
– Prodiarnela – has reached our days thanks to its documentation by Dioscorides, the famous physician of antiquity, in his treatise.
In recent decades, comfrey has been one of the most used plants worldwide. In Switzerland – a country with a great tradition in the field of herbal medicines – more than half of the
external preparations produced in the last decade have been based on comfrey. The cosmetic industry currently makes intensive use of allantoin – one of the most important active principles of comfrey – which is practically indispensable in deodorants and body creams.
It is a widely known and used plant since the time of the Dacians, its original name in the Dacian language – Prodiarnela – has reached our days thanks to its documentation by Dioscorides, the famous
physician of antiquity, in his treatise. In Romanian folk medicine, it has more than a hundred uses, both internally and externally.
Internally it is used as a healing and protective agent in gastritis and gastric ulcer, as an anti-tumor in cancer and benign tumors, anti-inflammatory in bowel diseases, emollient and epithelial regenerative in tracheitis and pharyngitis, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory in kidney diseases.
Externally it is considered to be a true panacea, because it soothes inflammations and speeds up healing in dermatoses, closes and quickly heals wounds, accelerates the recovery processes after burns, causes externalized tumors and skin cancer to recede, rapidly restores tissues after contusions and traumas, etc.
Botanical description, harvesting and storage: Comfrey is one of the most widespread medicinal plants in our flora, being found especially on uncultivated and moister fields, at the edges
of roads, on wastelands, at the edges of forests. It is 30-100 cm tall, has elliptical leaves at the base, and narrow, lance-shaped leaves towards the top. The flowers, which appear from May to August, are red-violet in color. The roots start from a short pivot, branching underground.
Harvesting is done in October and November or in March. The roots, harvested during the vegetative rest period, are used. The most efficient method of harvesting is collection during plowing, when the roots are brought to the surface by the plow’s iron and can be easily gathered. For small quantities, a mattock can be used to dig up the roots.
After harvesting, the roots are washed in a fast stream of water (if kept too long in water, the mucilages dissolve and thus greatly decrease the therapeutic value of the plant) and then spread out to dry in
very well-ventilated and humidity-free locations. In certain conditions, such as vaginal candidiasis and dermatoses caused by fungi, the leaves are recommended, harvested by mowing during the flowering period.