Korn
Jan 31st, 2005, 12:41 AM
First, some general info on comfrey:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/arc/1598/
"Comfrey is rich in vitamin B12, which is important to vegetarians, as very few plants have B12. It is also rich in vitamins B1, B2, C, E, A, and pantothenic acid plus calcium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.
Dr. H.E. Kirschner, M.D., author of Nature's Healing Grasses (H.C. White Publications, 1975), describes one of his most interesting cases involving comfrey: "A middle-aged woman came to me with a large malignant ulcer below the eye and close to the nose. I prescribed a comfrey poultice and a "green drink" containing comfrey leaves. Soon after the application of the comfrey leaf poultice, the painful swelling subsided and rapid improvement was noted. Only a few months after the initial treatment there was complete healing over of the infected area and the malignant ulcer had disappeared."
Dr. Kirschner devoted four chapters in his book to comfrey. He says it's great for lung and bronchial problems, skin and stomach ulcers, arthritis, skin cancer, tuberculosis, asthma, and even works as a beauty aid.
Comfrey is very rich in chlorophyll ("green magic"), one reason why Dr. Kirschner used it in his green drink. After all, the only difference between chlorophyll and our blood is that our blood molecule is built around an iron atom and the chlorophyll molecule is built around a magnesium atom.
Personally, I think it is one of our greatest herbs. I've seen it work miracles. Too bad we don't use it more often. Why not grow some?"
http://www.cyberwitch.com/Wychwood/BrigidsGarden/comfrey.htm :
"The list of beneficial substances in this plant is impressive. It has more protein in its leaves than any other plant, and it brings up minerals from great depths through its long taproot, sometimes as long as 10ft. The leaf and root contain allantoin, a cell proliferant, which is exceptional in its ability to help heal both flesh and bones. It is a good vegetable source of vitamin B12, a useful supplement for a vegan diet.
Leaves can be picked and dried in midsummer for use as a tea, to be used either on its own or mixed with other herbs, or conventional tea. It can also be added as a herb to soups and burgers. Fresh leaves can be cooked as spinach, but as with spinach, don't overdo it!"
http://www.selfsufficientish.com/comfrey.htm :
"In addition to some comfrey plants containing 0.7mg/100g or B12, comfrey leaves contain:
B1, Thiamine 0.5mg/100g
B2, Riboflavin 1mg/100g
Niacin 5mg
Pantothenic Acid 4.2mg
Vitamin C 100mg
Iron, Calcium, Pro Vitamin A"
(This site also contains comfrey recipes, BUT read on....)
http://www.healthyeatingclub.com/info/books-phds/books/foodfacts/html/data/data4e.html
"Animals ultimately acquire vitamin B-12 from microorganisms, people eating animal products are unlikely to suffer any deficiency. People in traditional vegetarian cultures probably obtained most of their vitamin B-12 through microbial contamination of food. Small amounts may also be obtained from water through its association with soil micro-organisms, and from bacteria normally living in the mouth. With newer, more hygienic practices, vitamin B-12 deficiency sometimes now occurs in people on a vegetarian diet, especially the infants of vegetarian mothers. It has been suggested that a few plants, like comfrey, might be sources of vitamin B-12, But, in the case of comfrey to eat enough of it to obtain the recommended amount of vitamin B-12 would be to risk toxicity and liver damage."
If you have read that comfrey is a good B12 source and consider trying the recipes, you definitely need to check out this first:
http://www.drugs.com/MTM/comfrey.html
http://www.motherearthnews.com/arc/1598/
"Comfrey is rich in vitamin B12, which is important to vegetarians, as very few plants have B12. It is also rich in vitamins B1, B2, C, E, A, and pantothenic acid plus calcium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.
Dr. H.E. Kirschner, M.D., author of Nature's Healing Grasses (H.C. White Publications, 1975), describes one of his most interesting cases involving comfrey: "A middle-aged woman came to me with a large malignant ulcer below the eye and close to the nose. I prescribed a comfrey poultice and a "green drink" containing comfrey leaves. Soon after the application of the comfrey leaf poultice, the painful swelling subsided and rapid improvement was noted. Only a few months after the initial treatment there was complete healing over of the infected area and the malignant ulcer had disappeared."
Dr. Kirschner devoted four chapters in his book to comfrey. He says it's great for lung and bronchial problems, skin and stomach ulcers, arthritis, skin cancer, tuberculosis, asthma, and even works as a beauty aid.
Comfrey is very rich in chlorophyll ("green magic"), one reason why Dr. Kirschner used it in his green drink. After all, the only difference between chlorophyll and our blood is that our blood molecule is built around an iron atom and the chlorophyll molecule is built around a magnesium atom.
Personally, I think it is one of our greatest herbs. I've seen it work miracles. Too bad we don't use it more often. Why not grow some?"
http://www.cyberwitch.com/Wychwood/BrigidsGarden/comfrey.htm :
"The list of beneficial substances in this plant is impressive. It has more protein in its leaves than any other plant, and it brings up minerals from great depths through its long taproot, sometimes as long as 10ft. The leaf and root contain allantoin, a cell proliferant, which is exceptional in its ability to help heal both flesh and bones. It is a good vegetable source of vitamin B12, a useful supplement for a vegan diet.
Leaves can be picked and dried in midsummer for use as a tea, to be used either on its own or mixed with other herbs, or conventional tea. It can also be added as a herb to soups and burgers. Fresh leaves can be cooked as spinach, but as with spinach, don't overdo it!"
http://www.selfsufficientish.com/comfrey.htm :
"In addition to some comfrey plants containing 0.7mg/100g or B12, comfrey leaves contain:
B1, Thiamine 0.5mg/100g
B2, Riboflavin 1mg/100g
Niacin 5mg
Pantothenic Acid 4.2mg
Vitamin C 100mg
Iron, Calcium, Pro Vitamin A"
(This site also contains comfrey recipes, BUT read on....)
http://www.healthyeatingclub.com/info/books-phds/books/foodfacts/html/data/data4e.html
"Animals ultimately acquire vitamin B-12 from microorganisms, people eating animal products are unlikely to suffer any deficiency. People in traditional vegetarian cultures probably obtained most of their vitamin B-12 through microbial contamination of food. Small amounts may also be obtained from water through its association with soil micro-organisms, and from bacteria normally living in the mouth. With newer, more hygienic practices, vitamin B-12 deficiency sometimes now occurs in people on a vegetarian diet, especially the infants of vegetarian mothers. It has been suggested that a few plants, like comfrey, might be sources of vitamin B-12, But, in the case of comfrey to eat enough of it to obtain the recommended amount of vitamin B-12 would be to risk toxicity and liver damage."
If you have read that comfrey is a good B12 source and consider trying the recipes, you definitely need to check out this first:
http://www.drugs.com/MTM/comfrey.html