An old German recipe for comfrey is to fry in oil the small leaves dipped in a light batter. These look rather like flat, greenish fish when cooked, a talking-point perhaps for a dinner-party appetizer. Just cook them very quickly in the hot oil, drain, and serve immediately—or when they have cooled down if you wish.
The roots are a rich source of all comfrey’s blessings. This is the part of the plant most used in ointments and salves, for it has slightly more potency. But unless you want to disturb and plunder the roots be content with the leaves. There is enough goodness there for any household.
Comfrey leaves can be put through the juice extractor and mixed with tomato juice or other vegetable juices. Two or three large mature leaves should be picked right from the base of their fleshy stems, and chopped coarsely. Add a little water, and put the mixture through the extractor once. Then collect the green stuff left in the basket, add a little more water, and put this through again. The gluey greenish-brown glumph pouring from the spout is now in an easily assimilable form to go to work in repairing and renewing body tissue. Remarkable results in the healing of scar tissue, particularly the incision scars of surgical operations, have been achieved with comfrey, taken internally and applied externally as well.
If a member of your family is unfortunate enough to suffer a sprain or any skin condition needing comfrey, the leaves can be applied direct to the skin on a bandage or as a poultice. One method of preparing the leaves for this purpose is to heat them in a little water (do not boil), then let them stand until lukewarm. Pulp the leaves (don’t forget to drink the leftover juice) and apply the warm moist “green gold” to the injured spot. Then bandage as necessary. This treatment can be repeated as often as required. The cool mucilage of comfrey is soothing and healing and cannot possibly damage any sore or sensitive tissues.
*75\181\8*
