This week my brother got stung on his back while working outside. When I was over there he showed it to me and my first reaction was to tell him he needed a doctor which he promptly nixed. Do you think we may be related?
I obviously didn't have an herb garden in my back pocket so I went to the kitchen cupboard and pulled out the baking soda. I made a paste with water and the baking soda and applied it to his back then covered it to keep it from getting on everything. I gave him some extra paste and told him to reapply it as needed.
When I got home I went to the garden and cut some fresh comfrey leaves and parsley. I washed them and while they were wet I put them in the food processor. I ground them fine until the juices started to come out of the leaves. I added a little water just to make them grind easier. Comfrey is pretty sticky. I use a dedicated food processor for medicinal herbs and another for culinary herbs. Comfrey should not be taken internally and never when pregnant. I'm fairly sure my brother isn't pregnant but I now realize I neglected to ask him. The mixture then went in a small sauce pot on the stove and heated a bit but not enough to start cooking it. It doesn't need to boil. It can be used warm right out of the pot.
I packed the herbs and juice in two half pint jars and let them cool. Today I took the herbs to him and applied them to the bites in a poultice. I covered with gauze and taped it over to hold it in place. Then I left him the rest of the jar In the refrigerator and told him as the poultice dries to replace it with a fresh one a couple times a day. Its been since this morning and he says the heat has already left the bites and the swelling seems to be going down. I will go by after work and check since he can't reach the place on his back.
Now the second jar is for my husband. He hurt his finger this week and has some swelling in it. I made a much smaller version of the poultice and applied it with gauze and bandages. He says the swelling around the nail bed of his finger is going down.
So why did I use comfrey? Well, it's a good herb for healing wounds and helps speed the repair of injured tissue. The parsley is to prevent infection, disburse the poisons and reduce swelling and pain.
Both comfrey and parsley are easy to grow in a home garden. Here in the south they grow as perennials. I don't know about other areas but I have heard that once you plant comfrey you can't get rid of it. Mine grows in a place of honor right smack in the middle of the garden.
I believe that no proper garden should be without it. It has many, many healing properties, including hastening the healing of broken bones. Aside from that it also draws bees to the garden and makes a wonderful fertilizer "tea". I have read that it is hard to grow from seed but I had no problem. That little packet of seeds that I was gifted with had exactly 8 little seeds in it and was one of the best gifts I have ever received. (Thank you again you big galoot!) Every seed I planted grew and flourished. My comfrey plants were at least four and a half feet tall this year. I have harvested seeds and many leaves which I dried for later use in soaps, salves and other ways. I consider it one of the top 10 plants that should be grown in a survival medicinal herb garden.
Southern Wood Elf
I obviously didn't have an herb garden in my back pocket so I went to the kitchen cupboard and pulled out the baking soda. I made a paste with water and the baking soda and applied it to his back then covered it to keep it from getting on everything. I gave him some extra paste and told him to reapply it as needed.
When I got home I went to the garden and cut some fresh comfrey leaves and parsley. I washed them and while they were wet I put them in the food processor. I ground them fine until the juices started to come out of the leaves. I added a little water just to make them grind easier. Comfrey is pretty sticky. I use a dedicated food processor for medicinal herbs and another for culinary herbs. Comfrey should not be taken internally and never when pregnant. I'm fairly sure my brother isn't pregnant but I now realize I neglected to ask him. The mixture then went in a small sauce pot on the stove and heated a bit but not enough to start cooking it. It doesn't need to boil. It can be used warm right out of the pot.
I packed the herbs and juice in two half pint jars and let them cool. Today I took the herbs to him and applied them to the bites in a poultice. I covered with gauze and taped it over to hold it in place. Then I left him the rest of the jar In the refrigerator and told him as the poultice dries to replace it with a fresh one a couple times a day. Its been since this morning and he says the heat has already left the bites and the swelling seems to be going down. I will go by after work and check since he can't reach the place on his back.
Now the second jar is for my husband. He hurt his finger this week and has some swelling in it. I made a much smaller version of the poultice and applied it with gauze and bandages. He says the swelling around the nail bed of his finger is going down.
So why did I use comfrey? Well, it's a good herb for healing wounds and helps speed the repair of injured tissue. The parsley is to prevent infection, disburse the poisons and reduce swelling and pain.
Both comfrey and parsley are easy to grow in a home garden. Here in the south they grow as perennials. I don't know about other areas but I have heard that once you plant comfrey you can't get rid of it. Mine grows in a place of honor right smack in the middle of the garden.
I believe that no proper garden should be without it. It has many, many healing properties, including hastening the healing of broken bones. Aside from that it also draws bees to the garden and makes a wonderful fertilizer "tea". I have read that it is hard to grow from seed but I had no problem. That little packet of seeds that I was gifted with had exactly 8 little seeds in it and was one of the best gifts I have ever received. (Thank you again you big galoot!) Every seed I planted grew and flourished. My comfrey plants were at least four and a half feet tall this year. I have harvested seeds and many leaves which I dried for later use in soaps, salves and other ways. I consider it one of the top 10 plants that should be grown in a survival medicinal herb garden.
Southern Wood Elf