How to Use and Make Comfrey Oil (and why it’s controversial)
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This article outlines how to make comfrey oil using comfrey leaves and liquid carrier oil. This herbal oil can be used externally to heal bruises, sprains, and other skin injuries or to make herbal salves and ointments. It also outlines potential alkaloid toxicity and how to avoid it.
Comfrey is a controversial plant. Many gardeners have it growing somewhere, whether it’s a relic of a past garden or used to make plant feed. Bees and other pollinators love it, too, and for that reason alone, it’s a fabulous plant to have in an organic garden. I have several clumps in my allotment and use the leaves as a compost activator, a feed, and also in ointments. The reason I use it? In one study it’s been shown to accelerate skin healing by 58%[1].
Although I’m sharing how to make comfrey oil, it’s important to understand the discussion around it. Namely, the danger of pyrrolizidine alkaloids and the safest ways to use comfrey. Like other medicinal plants, comfrey should be understood and respected before using it.
Healing Benefits of Comfrey Oil
Comfrey is a powerful wound healer thanks to its allantoin, saponins, polysaccharides, and other natural plant chemicals. On par with calendula on that front, it can treat bruises, sprains, pulled muscles, and other tissue damage. It’s so powerful that it should not be used directly on open wounds. It can stimulate healing on the outside and trap microbes inside. You don’t want bacteria and other microorganisms inside wounds since they can cause abscesses[2]. There’s another reason that it shouldn’t be used on wounds that we’ll come to shortly.
It’s the leaves that you want to use to make medicinal salves. Once dried, it’s easy to use them to make comfrey oil. You use comfrey oil directly on the skin or mixed with other ingredients to make this Healing Salve. Please note that comfrey is a powerful medicinal herb and should not be used in daily skincare. It’s one for those special circumstances when your skin needs some deep therapy and healing.
Only Use Comfrey Externally
Although comfrey is a wonderful skin healer, it also has a long history of use for internal injuries. Traditional folk medicine uses it in all kinds of preparations, from poultices to lay on the skin to medicinal teas. Incredibly, it’s been used for over 2000 years[3]. However, studies using rats have shown that it can be dangerous when taken internally[4].
There is a lot of research and information on comfrey’s potential toxicity available. Despite this, quite a few traditional herbalists defend its safety, too[5]. The bottom line is that all varieties of comfrey contain alkaloids that could cause liver damage. That’s especially true when taken internally, in high doses, and/or for long periods. You should also avoid using comfrey root since it has ten times more pyrrolizidine alkaloids than the leaves[6]. Fortunately, these alkaloids are not easily absorbed by the skin[7]. That makes using comfrey oil on your skin safe, as long as it’s not put on open wounds or sores.
Using Comfrey to Make Comfrey Oil
Although dried comfrey leaves can be purchased, I recommend that you grow and harvest you’re own. The plants are incredibly easy to grow and have so many benefits. I have it in my garden because I love how the plant looks; bees and other pollinators also love the flowers, and it makes a fantastic homemade fertilizer. The most common comfrey variety grown is a cultivar called Symphytum x uplandicum, also called Russian comfrey or Bocking 14. There’s some discussion on whether or not it contains higher levels of alkaloids than others. However, it’s the one that I grow and use. It’s also the same variety used in the study of wound healing.
Common Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) may be lower in alkaloids, so it could be safer to use in herbal preparations. It also contains little or no Echimidine[8], the most toxic of the eight alkaloids in comfrey. It also self-seeds like crazy, unlike Bocking 14, which means that if you grow it in the garden, it can spread everywhere. If you’re happy with that, plant away. There are worse “weeds” to have in your garden than comfrey, though, so if you’re into a wilder garden, it may be perfect.
How to Dry Comfrey Leaves
The first step to drying comfrey leaves is harvesting them. Pick young, fresh leaves before any flowers are showing on the plant. Dry them by stringing them on thread-like bunting or in a food dehydrator at about 100F (38C). The more air around each leaf, the quicker it will dry. The comfrey leaves should be dry and crumbly before you use them to make comfrey oil. Leaves that are fresh or wet can introduce water into the oil, which accelerates rancidity. It can also create a habitat for microbes, whether you see them or not.
When you air dry herbal materials, keep them out of direct sunlight. Although it’s best to dry each leaf separately, I recently tried air-drying comfrey in bunches. This isn’t usually recommended since the stems are so fleshy and take a while to dry. In my case, it worked, but it did take an extra couple of days. If you try it yourself, ensure the bundles aren’t too tightly strung together to allow airflow.
Comfrey Oil Uses
You can use whole comfrey leaves as a poultice for sprains, arthritis, pain, and bruising. If you don’t want to walk around with a bandage of leaves sticking to you, then you can make comfrey oil. Rub it onto the same injuries as a massage oil, but avoid putting it on broken skin or wounds. You can also use the oil to make a salve that will rub in and stay on a lot better. The dosing advice from WebMD is to use comfrey oil (extract) three times daily for up to three weeks[9], depending on the complaint. Comfrey should not be used on children or if you are pregnant or nursing.
Comfrey Infused Oil Recipe
Materials
- 1 bottle sweet almond oil
- 2 cups dried Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) leaves approximate amount
Instructions
Harvest and Prep the Comfrey Leaves
- Although you can sometimes purchase herb-infused oils, they're actually very easy to make yourself. This is a folk-method of making comfrey-infused oil and its strength will vary depending on a number of factors. The time of year it is, when the plant material was picked, at what life-stage the leaves and plant are, how the leaves were dried, and how old the herbs and oil are.
- If you grow or can forage comfrey yourself, pick the leaves when they're at their best on a bright, dry morning. Leaves should be young and lush and it's best to pick them before the plant flowers.
- Dry the comfrey leaves completely. The stems are fleshy and wet so begin by pulling the leaves off and drying on a screen or in a food dehydrator. Alternatively, you can use needle and thread to string the leaves up like medicinal bunting. Air drying takes up to a week.
Make the Infused Oil
- To start the comfrey0infused oil, fill a jar half to 2/3 full with dried* comfrey leaves. Tear or shred them to increase the surface area.
- Fill the rest of the jar with a liquid oil of your choice, such as olive oil or sweet almond oil**.
- Wait a minute or so, and top up the jars with more oil if the level goes down. Make sure that the herbs are completely submerged.
- Place the jar(s) in a dark place for four to six weeks. Give the jar a shake every week or so or whenever you remember.
- After the time has passed, strain the leaves out of the oil by pouring it through a cheesecloth-lined sieve/strainer. Capture the oil in a bowl below, and wring as much oil out of the cheesecloth as possible. The comfrey-infused oil will be a deep golden color.
- Discard the comfrey leaf and store the infused oil in a jar in a dark, room-temperature place. You can use the same jar used for infusing or specialist dark jars that herbalists use****.
- The oil has a shelf-life of one year or the best-by date of the original bottle of oil you used. Whichever is closer.
Notes
References
[1]Wound healing effects of a Symphytum herb extract cream (Symphytum x uplandicum NYMAN: ): results of a randomized, controlled double-blind study. From linear regression time to complete healing was determined to be 2.97 days faster with verum than with the reference (4.08 vs. 7.05 days). Barna M, Kucera A, Hladícova M, Kucera M, Wien Med Wochenschr. 2007; 157(21-22):569-74.
[2] WebMD Comfrey
[3] Comfrey. T.M. Teynor, D.H. Putnam, J.D. Doll3, K.A. Kelling, E.A. Oelke, D.J. Undersander, and E.S. Oplinger
[4]Metabolism, genotoxicity, and carcinogenicity of Comfrey. Nan Mei, Lei Guo, Peter P. Fu, James C. Fuscoe, Yang Luan, and Tao Chen. J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev. 2010 Oct; 13(7-8): 509–526.
[5] COMFREY (Symphytum officinale): A healer of wounds, bruises and bones, Cambridge Naturals, Steph Zabel Herbalist, Ethnobotanist
[6] Comfrey and Pyrriolizidine Alkaloids Research. Nantahala Farm.
[7]Penetration of lycopsamine from a comfrey ointment through human epidermis. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2017 Feb;83:1-4. doi: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2016.11.015. Epub 2016 Nov 11. Jedlinszki N, Balázs B, Csányi E, Csupor D.
[8] Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine, 2005, 2nd edition. Quote from Varro Tyler of the Purdue University School of Pharmacy
[9] Comfrey dosing from WebMD
Hi Tanya! My oil came out a very dark, dark green – is this a concern? I know your article says it should be a deep gold. I used a mix of coconut and sunflower oil, and stored it in a dark cupboard for 7 weeks (forgot about it an extra week) and shook it about once a week.
Did you use dried comfrey leaves?
Hi Tanya
I have 2 jars of infused comfrey still in the jars for 11 months please can you tell me if this is still good to use. I haven’t opened the jars but it has been kept in a dark cold room all the time.
The Extra virgin olive oil I Used had a long life on it.
Thank you
Marion Holden
Infused oil made with plant material has the shelflife of one year or the the best-by date of the oil – whichever comes closest. That doesn’t mean that you can’t use it if it’s past that date. It means that after that date the effectiveness and stability of the infused oil can be compromised.
I put my dried compresy crushed leaves in a mason jar with a load of coconut oil and put it on my windosill, The coconut oil melted and I left it there on the windowsill for a week now. It has been quite hot this past week so the coconut oil has stayed liquid. Now I read in your recipe to put olive oil in it and put it in the dark. I wish I saw your recipe first, I would have went this way. I am wondering if what I have on the window is no good now or should I take it and put it in the dark. i sure would love to know, thanks
Hi Lin, direct sunlight can cause oil to oxidize and spoil – it goes rancid much quicker than if stored in the dark. It’s fine to heat oil using sunlight, but you want to protect the oil itself from direct light. The way most people do that is by putting the jar inside a closed-up paper bag.
Thanks so much, I will begin again and this time use the bag
Hi! My comfrey oil separated in the fridge. It looks a lot like fat when it seperates with a hard part on top and the liquid, oil, underneath. It has been in the fridge for a couple of weeks. Is it still OK to use?
Sure it is :)
How long should it take to dry the leaves in a food dehydrator?
Until they are crispy dry and still green. Every food dehydrator will be different, and if you’re drying a lot it takes more time than fewer leaves. You’ll need to keep a close eye on your leaves.
I have used green fresh leaves and dried brown leaves in the same jar topped with oil since researching I have noted green fresh should never be infused in oil due to moisture introducing bacteria. Should I tip this out and start again with a new batch ?
If the dried leaves are brown, then they won’t be good enough quality to use in infusing. Brown leaves happen when the leaves dry too slowly or are exposed to too much light while drying. Brown = degradation. As for your current batch, I would carry on making it but make sure the leaves are submerged at all times. They’ll mold and rot above the oil, which is not ideal. They will also introduce a small amount of water to the oil, which shortens its shelf-life. Use your finished oil as quickly as you can and within a few months.
I tried your recipe and it didn’t work.I used 100 ml of oil and 10 grams of dried comfrey. I ran out of oil and didn’t expect to use the whole bottle. You mention a third oil and 2 thirds comfrey and no other measurement except a “bottle” of oil…..
Making infused oils at home is generally done using the folk method, which is working with volume. Still, 100 ml is less than half a cup of oil so I think you must have gone wrong somewhere.
Hi Tanya! I’m planning to make comfrey oil with some organic dried comfrey that I purchased. From your recipe, it looks like you use 2 cups of dried comfrey per 8 oz. of sweet almond oil. So, if I only want to use 4 oz. of the sweet almond oil, is it just a straight calculation to reduce the amount of dried comfrey – i.e., 1 cup of dried comfrey for the 4 oz. of sweet almond oil? And, is it just a straight calculation if I want to reduce the amount of oil in your other infused-oil recipes as well? Thank you!
Hi Valerie, and yes, that’s right. Though I, and most people, use the folk method for making most infused oils. I’ve included measurements here for accuracy and people who aren’t sure about making infused oils. Generally, with dried leaves and flower petals, I’ll fill a vessel halfway with the plant material and then fill up the jar leaving only about 1/2″ headspace. Use any size vessel that you like.
Hi Tanya,
I love your website. So helpful. I’m wondering if I can heat the comfrey in oil to make it infuse faster. I broke my shoulder a few weeks ago and have a massive bruise on my arm so I need the oil right now. Thank you
Hi Becky, herbal oils are best made using a cold infusion process to best preserve the qualities of the oil. If you need to use comfrey right now, you can make a comfrey poultice using fresh leaves. I hope this helps!
Someone told me that comfrey might help my receding gumlines grow back, I’m trying to avoid skin grafting at all costs and I’m looking for any thing that could help my gums grow back. Since we’re not supposed to take it internally, is there any safe way to apply the leaves on my gums Possibly?
I did coconut oil pulling twice a week before my last dentist visit, he said it was the healthiest he’s ever seen my gums. swish coconut oil for 5 to 10 minutes then spit in the trash. really easy.
Hello. I read in an herbalism book that comfrey and calendula can be used to treat acne so I purchased comfy oil to use occasionally in my skin care routine. After reading this page, I’m wondering if that’s a bad idea. Do you have any tips on a safer way to use either of these herbs to treat acne scars, or other solutions?
Hi Lily, comfrey is probably not a good idea for open wounds, including acne damage. For acne, I think it would be best to stick with gentle herbs like lavender, calendula, and thyme. Here’s a list of skincare herbs that you can learn more about.
What are your thoughts on the fact that the pyrrolizidine alkaloids that make comfrey toxic for internal use are also found in many teas, such as peppermint, chamomile, and rooibos? It’s even been found in honey.
The PAs found in some teas and other foods are due to cross-contamination in industrial harvesting, not because it’s naturally present in peppermint, chamomile, etc.
Hi.
I’ve known comfrey use for bone healing but I do not see that mentioned here. Do you have any thoughts or information about that. I have a shattered sesamoid bone in my toe and comfrey seamed right to me. Of course none of my doctors or
(Naturalpath includes)have heard of comfrey
Hi Leo, because of the alkaloids that are now known to be in comfrey, many herbalists no longer recommend it for internal use. Hoping your toe bone heals quickly though! Sounds painful!
Why do you recommend not using comfrey oil every day?
Comfrey is a medicine, rather than a daily skin care herb.
Hi. I have been making comfrey infused oil and St John’s Wort infused oil salve.
I have read to not use it on deep wounds due to healing too fast from the outside … potentially causing infection. BUT what about minor cuts /scrapes? We have been using for these and it works so well…. nothing deep just minor …. would love your thoughts?
Thanks Jana
Hi Jana, I can’t give you specific medical advice but I know that some herbalists do use it that way, and some don’t. Comfrey can be quite controversial!
I have used this recipe for a couple of years now with a few additions of my own and I love it. I have always infused my oils at a very low heat in a yogurt maker (around 100-105F for about a week) to keep from damaging the herbs. But, I have always had a concern that the melting temperature of the wax (approx. 150F) would damage the healing constituents of the salve. I don’t put my infused oils in until the wax is melted, but I have to reheat it back to 150F to get the beeswax to remelt. I tell myself it is only a brief heating period, but I wonder if soy wax could be a good alternative? Thank you in advance for your answer…
Hi Peggy, I don’t think that a relatively brief stint at 150F is going to harm most herbal constituents. Think of how hot water is when making herbal infusions (around 200F) :)
Hi I took a oz jar put calendula flowers, marshmellow leves, comfry leaves, rose petals, and lavender in avacado oil. I let it sit for six weeks, strained it added 4 oz of jojoba oil. Then I made a salve with it. 8 oz of the oil, with 8 oz of cocconut oil, 4 oz of shea butter and 4.5 oz of bees wax. I did not think of percentages. I am hoping that this would be diluted enough as to not cause toxicity. Do you think it is safe for daily use?
Hi Jennifer, I wouldn’t recommend comfrey in a daily skincare product. As an occasional salve, your mixture sounds fine though :) Just avoid using comfrey oil/salve on open wounds or broken skin.
Hi :)
I am loving dabbling with using my herb garden for healing.
My testimonial:
I was intuitively directed to use homemade comfrey oil on my pet dog last year after she returned home from veterinary hospital after cancer removal from her front right leg below her shoulder. She arrived home in so much pain, not wanting to move her front paw because it was so swollen after the recent surgery.
As a nurse myself I tried to comfort her & reduce her pain with the pain medications provided by the Vet & also elevating her affected leg as best I could , with only minimal efficacy – so then I felt at a loss how to help her.
I went to my medicine cabinet & a bottle of Comfrey oil almost jumped out of the cupboard to me.
Ahh! Of course!
After applying the Comfrey oil carefully & applying her protective collar to prevent her licking her wound or the oil, Mardi my dog seemed to settle for the night .
We kept her close by us that first night.
Amazingly in the morning all the swelling had disappeared & she appeared almost back to her usual self.
Not only that but the next time I went to her to apply more Comfrey oil she actually lifted her sore paw up toward me ! She knew too that it was helping her to get better.
What is your thoughts on making Comfrey oil in Marigold oil?
Marigold oil is great for inflamation so I’m curious if they would compliment each other medicinally.
That’s called a compound oil and yes, you can do that. You could even mix comfrey and calendula (not the typical ‘marigold’) flowers together and infuse them into oil.
Why use just the leaves and not roots too?
Comfrey roots contain a lot more of the alkaloids that can harm your liver, compared to the leaves. A lot of herbalists are on the fence over it — some advocate for avoiding the use of the root altogether and some think it’s okay. I personally think it’s better to stick with parts of the plant that are known to be safer so I advocate for using comfrey leaves only.
Is it safe to eat Comfrey flowers? .. I tasted and few and they are sweet like honey.
No, it is not safe to eat any part of the plant.
What if it’s already flowered ? WIll it still work as we’ll.?
My comfrey leaves are so prickly – I’m worried the prickles will end up in the salve. Is a cheesecloth enough to strain them out?
Thanks :-)
Nothing makes it through the cheesecloth except the infused oil and only the tiniest particles. No prickles :)
Hello,
Can you explain why I should pick comfrey leaves before the plant flowers? I’ve only just identified comfrey growing in the wild – and I was able to do that in part because of the purple flowers.
What’s wrong with the leaves after the plant flowers?
It means the plant is directing more of its energy and reserves into creating flowers and the bio-active components in the leaves may be diminished.
Thanks for your reply about the flowering plants. All I can find is flowering plants (I don’t have a garden; I forage in the wild) so that’s what I’m using. Better that than nothing (and besides, I just love this new hobby of infusing oils and making salves; I don’t want to wait til next year to catch the plants before they flower).
As for blue and brown bottles, a cheap alternative is clear glass, but wrap the glass completely in aluminum foil and tape the seam. It blocks the light. You can glue a label on the foil on the jar or bottle, and then just tear off the label and foil when you want to start again and use the jar for something else. Maybe not as classic as buying brown or blue bottles, but definitely cheaper!
Suggestion — comfrey grows back quickly if you cut the plant down to just above the ground. Do that, then come back in two weeks and get all the fresh new plants that you need. Put the old stuff on your compost heap or tuck it in around the bases of wild shrubs.
Using aluminium foil to save you money is a shocking waste of a precious resource (research it please!). Try using some fabric scraps instead :)
Comfrey Oil and the mascerated leaves as a poultice were used by my family for bruises, sprains, strains etc. It is an excellent, natural product that works incredibly well, it is commonly known as Knitbone in Lancashire where I come from.
Thanks Tanya for posting this x
in my family, too. i remember a man’s broken femur being poulticed and healing with extraordinary, miraculous speed. i remember we also drank comfrey and pineapple smoothies with no harm. recently, learned that everyone is afraid of comfrey now. but we arent generally told to fear tylenol, which also hurts your liver. it is all interesting and i give no advice.