Comfrey - Knit-bone

[bubbaba]

Will comfrey  grow  in   Thailand?  If so how  do you  grow it?  Where  can  comfrey be  purchased,  roots  or  seeds.

[drtreelove]

Yes, comfrey grows well in Thailand. I have grown it in Chiang Mai from an expat farmer friend's gift of some fresh root material.  I've never seen it for sale.  Some countries have banned it due to reports of toxicity. I don't think thats the case with Thailand, it is more of a matter of unfamiliarity and lack of demand. Thai farmers that I know have never seen it and its not part of Thai, Ayurvedic or Chinese traditonal medicine as far as I know. 

 

In the 1970s - 80s as an active tree worker and martial arts enthusiast, I took a beating almost every day and sought out traditional and folk herbal remedies to deal with trauma and pain and to keep-on keeping-on.  I made poltices with crushed comfrey leaves for external compresses, and consumed capsules of powdered root. I liked the healing effects I experienced, but I was doing a lot of other self help herbal and chi kung practices at the same time. I read reports of remarkable healing experiences and regeneration of burned and abraded skin, and of course the traditional use for acceleration of broken bone healing. 

 

I did not become aware of the bad press on toxicity and restrictions in use until the late 90s. I don't know when this all came out. I wasn't sure about it because the negative side effects were not part of my experience, but I discontinued using it as medicine.

 

I still grew it for use it for composting material, its great for bulk green/nitrogen component in "hot composting", and it grows like a weed wherever you plant a piece of a root and water it.  I've read some opinions that it shouldn't even be used in compost, but I have a hard time buying that based on personal experience.  I haven't seen the science behind the fears. Please let me know if you have. 

 

If you or anyone else finds some, i would appreciate a tip on where to find a plant or a piece of fresh root.  I'm just back in Chiang Mai and starting a small home veggie garden and composting at our new home. (On a mission to transform some nasty mooban fill dirt into a patch of fertile soil to grow some organic, nutrient-dense food items.) 

 

How to Grow Comfrey (thespruce.com)

 

Are there any true cases of comfrey overdosing?

From: Rene Burrough <rburrough.dial.pipex.com> Comfrey is the victim of a bad press, inaccurate reports, and four true cases of toxicity which in themselves are not straightforward, but suggest overdosing on comfrey. Governments in the UK & Australia have restricted the uses of comfrey root or banned the plant respectively.

Edited July 29, 2021 by drtreelove