The Provident Homemaker
  • Recipes and Info
    • Making Bread
  • My Blog
  • Favorite Resources
  • Documents and Files
  • 52 Weeks of Building Storage

Making Herbal Ointment; Comfrey

6/7/2011

3 Comments

 
Picture
Comfrey ointment: simple to make, and very useful.  Of course, be smart about using home remedies, and use a doctor when you need to!



The only only ointment  I've made to date is comfrey .  The first apartment we moved into, after getting married, had a comfrey plant growing in the flower bed.   I had bought The Complete Medicinal Herbal, and comfrey sounded like an interesting plant to learn about.  So I made a batch.

We had hardly any bruises, breaks, road rash, strains, or sprains in the next decade, so that's how long I kept the ointment.  It seemed to still work well at the end there, though the sooner you use it, the more potent it is.  The next batch (same size!) lasted us only about 18 months; one son had FOUR broken bones within a year (trampoline, trampoline, trampoline, and scooter).  Glad that's over (knock on wood...)!  When he broke both his ankles simultaneously, I rubbed comfrey ointment on them twice a day.  The doctor was amazed at the healing by his two-week checkup.

I crushed my ring finger between two weights; it turned purple clear down to my wrist.  I splinted it with a popsicle stick and put comfrey on it once or twice a day (depending on how often I remembered!).  The nail had threatened to fall off, but it didn't, and it grew back straight and smooth.  The finger was almost completely healed in two to three weeks.  And I don't heal very quickly.

An ointment doesn't blend into your skin, but forms a layer over it.  It's especially good for places where the skin is weak, or where you need a barrier from moisture (like in diaper rash).  You could make this with coconut oil, which is solid at less than 75 degrees F, instead of petroleum jelly, but that's  closer to the definition of a cream  since that version will more easily soak into the skin.
 
Use any herb you want.

You can use the same amount of oil instead of the petroleum jelly, but that's called an 'infusion' instead of 'ointment'.  (For a cold infusion, see bottom of page.)   Old-timers used lard or other animal fats as the base; I'll try coconut oil for my next batch.  It's supposed to have healing qualities itself. 

Comfrey Ointment 
16 oz/2cups petroleum jelly (like Vaseline)  -or coconut oil
2 oz. dried herb       (or 500 g petroleum jelly, 60 g dried herb)


Melt jelly in double boiler, stir in herbs, heat gently for a couple hours (2-3)until herbs become crisp.  Strain through cheesecloth or muslin, squeeze to get as much liquid out as possible.  Be careful and/or use gloves, the mixture is very hot.  Pour while hot into clean storage containers.  Best if used within a year.  Good for arthritis, broken bones, bruises, inflamed bunions, torn ligaments, etc. 

Comfrey's "country name" was "knitbone".  It contains allantoin; this encourages cell growth in bone, cartilage, and muscle.  My experience is that it heals skin, too.  Use the above-ground parts; the leaves and flowers have the most allantoin. 
You can mash/crush the leaves to make a poultice for broken bones, including ribs and hairline fractures.  My book says the powdered root, mixed with water to make a paste, is good for varicose ulcers, stubborn wounds, and bleeding hemorrhoids.  I haven't needed that remedy yet.  :-)  Best to harvest the root in spring or fall, when the plant is putting its energy into its roots. ( As a side note, yes, this is correct grammar in “its roots”; there is no apostrophe in a possessive “it”.  I’ve been seeing “it’s” so much lately I was wondering if I learned the wrong rules.  Here’s my proof of what’s correct, a webpage called It’s “its”! )


A related remedy is for burns: mix equal amounts honey (raw, if you have it) and olive oil.  Chop or mash comfrey; add enough to the honey/oil to make a paste.  Apply to burns; wrap loosely with gauze or lightweight cotton so it stays put.  Put it on as needed.  I used this when a red-hot coal landed on my bare foot one day last summer.  I put the paste on, and promptly forgot about it.  When I remembered later in the evening, all that remained was a slight red mark.  No blister, no pain. 


For a "cold infusion", to extract the plant's helpful compounds without cooking it, pack a quart jar full of the herb you want.  Pour two cups of oil (olive oil, sunflower oil are better choices) over it, screw a lid on, and let it sit on a sunny windowsill for two or three weeks.  Strain into clean bottles, amber-colored ones are helpful in protecting it from damage from the light.  Store it cool and dark.
 
3 Comments

    Need a Search bar?
    One day I may upgrade my website-- but until then, use your web browser search bar. Type in my web address and what you're looking for, like this-- 
    www.theprovidenthomemaker.com  pumpkin --  and you should get results.


    Author

    I'm a disciple of Christ, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a family-defending, homemaking, and homeschooling mom of eight children, two of whom sometimes can't have milk or wheat. Growing up on a farm in a high mountain valley, my parents taught me to 'make do', work hard, smile, and help others.  I love cooking, learning, growing food and flowers, picking tomatoes, and making gingerbread houses --which CAN be made allergy-friendly-- with my children.  I hope you find something to help you on my site!

    Archives

    April 2024
    July 2023
    April 2022
    September 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010

    Categories

    All
    Alcohol
    Alternate Cooking
    Appearances
    Apple
    Apricots
    April Fools
    Aprons
    Bananas
    Beans
    Beef
    Beets
    Bench
    Beverages
    Bonnet
    Bread
    Breakfast
    Budget
    Budgeting
    Cake
    Candy
    Canning
    Carrots
    Cheese
    Chicken
    Children
    Chocolate
    Christmas
    Cleaning
    Coconut
    Comfrey
    Common Core
    Constitution
    Cookbook
    Cookies
    Cooking Oil
    Crafts
    Dairy Substitutions
    Dehydrating
    Dessert
    Dried Fruit
    Earth Oven
    Earthquake
    Easter
    Edible Weeds
    Eggs
    Emergency Prep
    Essential Oils
    Faith
    Family Home Evening
    Fertilizing
    Food Storage
    Fourth Of July
    Freezer
    Frosting
    Fudge
    Garden
    Gardening
    Gingerbread
    Gluten
    Gluten Free
    Gold
    Government
    Grains
    Gratitude
    Hat
    Herbs
    Home Remedies
    Home Repairs
    Homeschool
    Home Storage
    Honey
    Hope
    Inflation
    Leftovers
    Legumes
    Lemon
    Main Dishes
    Mixes
    Mothers
    Noah
    Non Artificial Colors
    Non-artificial Colors
    Nuts
    Oats
    Oil
    Orange
    Paint
    Peaches
    Pear
    Pie
    Pizza
    Plums
    Poem
    Popcorn
    Pork
    Potatoes
    Powdered Milk
    Prayer
    Preparedness
    Projects
    Prophecy
    Pruning
    Pumpkin
    Quick Bread
    Rhubarb
    Rice
    Salad
    Salt
    Sauces
    Self Reliance
    Self-reliance
    Sewing
    Shelf Life
    Shelves
    Sky
    Smoothie
    Snacks
    Soup
    Spices Or Seasonings
    Squash
    Strawberries
    Substitutions
    Sugar
    Summer Fun
    Three Month Supply
    Time
    Tomatoes
    Trees
    Truffles
    T-shirts
    Tuna
    Ultra Gel
    Valentine\'s Day
    Vegetables
    Water
    Watermelon
    Wheat
    Work
    Year Supply
    Zucchini

    RSS Feed

Web Hosting by iPage