Author: Linné, Family: boraginaceae
The Latin name symphytum means to be joined, indicating its medicinal use. The plant contains a
lot of allantoin, most of it in the root, a substance that helps greatly in healing any kinds of
wounds, ulcers, and the like.
It is warned, though, not to use comfrey internally, or externally on broken skin, because some of
its constituents are harmful.
Photo by Sanatan Eva Marbach
More about comfrey in MGMH
Text References: Healing
| VH 13, 235 |
Baby' Wounds
As she peeled the dark brown skin off the comfrey roots she had picked
on the way back, a glutinous mucilage oozed out. She put marigold flowers
in the boiling water, and, when the liquid turned golden, she dipped in
a soft absorbent skin to wash the cub's head wound.
Soaking off the dried blood caused bleeding again, and she saw that
his skull was cracked, but not crushed. She chopped the white comfrey root
and applied the gummy substance directly to the wound - it stopped the
bleeding and would help heal the bone - then wrapped it with more soft
leather. (...)
She set more water to boil for a comfrey-leaf and chamomile tea, though
she didn't know how she was going to get the internally healing medicine
into the baby lion. |
| VH 13, 236-237 |
Baby' Wounds
Perhaps a meat broth, with the meat cut up very fine. (...) In fact,
why not cook the broth in the tea she had infused for medicine? //
She (...) decided to add a little of the leftover comfrey root as well.
(...)
She was rather surprised at the thickened consistency of the cooled
broth, and when she stirred it with a rib bone, she found the meat compacted
into a lump at the bottom of the bowl. Finally, she poked it with a sharpened
skewer and lifted out a congealed mass of meat, with thick viscid liquid
hanging down in strings. Suddenly she understood, and she burst out laughing.
(...)
No wonder that comfrey root is so good for wounds. If it holds torn
flesh together as well as it has glued this meat together, it's bound to
help healing! |
| VH 16, 278-279 |
Bone mending and wound heal // ing came to mind when she saw the large
downy comfrey leaves beside the roots drying outside in the sun, and the
colorful marigolds were healing for open wounds, ulcers, and skin sores. |
| VH 19, 323 |
Jondalar' Leg
She stopped a few times to tend the man, and once to dig fresh comfrey
roots (...) |
| VH 19, 324 |
Jondalar' Leg
Holding the pressure point with one hand, Ayla dipped comfrey root
in water to rinse it. Then she chewed it to a pulp and spit it into the
hot marigold-petal solution to use it for a wet poultice directly on the
open wound. |
| VH 19, 326 |
Jondalar' Leg
She made a poultice of the comfrey root and wrapped the leg in soft
leather. Then she carefully washed the rest of the scratches and gashes,
mostly around his right shoulder and chest. |
| MH 20, 308 |
Mamut's Arthritis
"What do you use in the poultice?" Mamut asked. (...)
"One plant, grows higher than knee, " Ayla explained, thinking about
the plant carefully. "Has big leaves, not bright green, like dust on them.
Leaves grow together with stem first, then get big, then come to point
at end. Under leaf, soft, like fur. Leaves good for many things, and roots,
too, especially broken bones."
"Comfrey! That must be comfrey. What else is in the poultice?" This
is interesting, he thought. |
|
Abbreviations |
Editions |
| CB |
The Clan of the Cave Bear |
The page numbers refer to the hardcover editions by Crown Publishers, Inc, New York 1980, 1982, 1985, 1990.
Book 1-3 are the Special Collector's Edition, I don't know if the page numbers differ from those of the 'normal' hardcover editions. |
| VH |
The Valley of Horses |
| MH |
The Mammoth Hunters |
| PP |
The Plains of Passage |
| (...) |
omission |
Copyright |
| ... |
original in text |
All book quotes: © Copyright Jean M. Auel
The format and text contents of this site are the property of the author |
| MGMH |
'A Modern Herbal', by Mrs. M. Grieve |
Comments, suggestions, errors, anything else ... emails are welcome!
|
Author: Linné, Family: boraginaceae