Comfrey and Beneficial Insects

[banyandreams]

I found a good link about companion plants
http://www.ghorganics.com/page2.html

But it says that comfrey is the only plant that contains VB12. Is it really so? I used to think that only animal product contains VB12.

Here is also a good link about beneficial insects.

http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/farmscape.html#appendixa

[Jess]

Hi Banyandreams

There is some really useful information in those links. I try to be as organic as possible so anything I can use to benefit my plants or repel insects etc. is very useful.
Comfrey does contain B12 as well as some seaweeds and fermented soya. There are not many plants that do and most don't contain enough to supplement a vege diet. Comfrey is not recommended for internal use by humans as it has been linked to liver problem but makes a wonderful addition to your compost heap. I always grow it round mine. Makes it easy to add when necessary.

[opabinia51]

Thanks Banya,

comfrey is great for attracting beneficials, take a look in the beneficial insects sticky at the top of the page.

[banyandreams]

Jess:
So comfrey's VB12 is no use to human?

Opa:
I have read the beneficial insects sticky. It's very informative. But I do not know most of the insects, I wish there were more pictures.

[banyandreams]

Do you know any sites with handdrawn illustrations of beneficial insects?

[Jess]

Jess:
So comfrey's VB12 is no use to human?

It would be very useful to humans if it weren't for the alkaloids in the plant that damage the liver. I only know this because I read in my herb book that the Romans used to use it for healing their wounds (known commonly as knitbone) and used to eat it as a raw or cooked vegetable. Recent studies on laboratory animals have shown that regular use internally causes liver damage and tumours! So wonder how many Romans died a premature death? Just so you know it is still used in many skin preparations today and is a main ingredient in haemorhoid creams!

http://oregonbd.org/Class/Pred.htm Found one!

[Candida]

This is a link you might find interesting.
http://www.selfsufficientish.com/comfrey.htm
I have never eaten comfrey, though I have what is turning into a grove of it. I use it in my compost. One year I tried putting it in a blender with water and used it on my watermelon plants and they were the best watermelons I have ever grown. I have an area on the side of my yard that is wetlands and it was there when I moved in, but has since spread rather alarmingly. I try to keep that side of the yard with only native plants that will not travel harmfully into the marsh, but this one is getting away from me. It is VERY tough to get rid of. It draws a tremendous number of bees and other insects. I have a herd of 5 deer that live in and around my yard and they love to eat the comfrey. This is Russian Comfrey and grows back very fast after cutting.

[banyandreams]

Thanks for your information. I will use comfrey to fertilize next time when I grow watermelons!

[Gnome]

I would urge anyone considering planting Comfrey to think long and hard before doing so. It is a very tenacious plant that is very difficult to eradicate if allowed to become established. The roots go deep and are very brittle making it very difficult to even dig out. Proceed with caution.

Norm

[Grey]

Jess - a comfrey tea can be taken internally so long as the period of use does not exceed 3 weeks. It should be used when recovering from broken bones, sprains, etc. (this is really true of almost any herbal tincture, I can't think of anything intended for long-term use).

Further: do NOT use during pregnancy, either externally or internally. It can cause complications and can be potentially life-threatening to the fetus.

Also, if you make a poultice and plan to use it - don't use it for a deep puncture wound, these need time to "weep" and the comfrey will encourage the skin to knit together too soon.

Norm - good point! Keep it in nice, deep pots, unless you have lots of land and don't plan on ever disturbing the roots. As I understand it, any piece of root left will create a new plant, so very hard to eradicate once established. However, it doesn't spread, it does stay put (so long as you don't disturb those roots).

[JPIXI]

Dear All,

Please do NOT consume Official or Russian comfrey when it starts to sprout out flower buds.

Species like Blocking 14 is strictly for vegeation and NOT for human.

Amitié,
Pixi

[Joyfirst]

I would urge anyone considering planting Comfrey to think long and hard before doing so. It is a very tenacious plant that is very difficult to eradicate if allowed to become established. The roots go deep and are very brittle making it very difficult to even dig out. Proceed with caution.

Norm

How bad is it -like underground grass type of invasive? What if I would raise it under black plastic-wouldn't help. Do roots just grow straight down or do they travel to the sides and pop up far away from first plant?

[estorms]

I have grown comfrey in the past. The roots grow straight down; way, way down. I tried to get rid of it and never was able to get to the bottom of it. I also had some in a pot on the porch. It sprouted in the ground just off the porch. It spread by breaking off or by seed, I'm not sure, but I dug it up right away.

[DoubleDogFarm]

I grow Bocking 14. It doesn't have viable seed.

Makes great duck forage, Potato fertilizer and Comfrey tea.

Eric