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| Comfrey: part 1 | part 2 | Herbs & Symbolism |
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| Comfrey, from Gerard's Herbal, 1633. |
Speeds the Healing Process
Saturn rules the roots, which delve down into the earth, providing foundation and stability to the aerial parts of a plant. The roots too are the part of the plant that endures when cold and darkness rule the depths of winter.
Accordingly, comfrey develops notably strong roots, so that its unrestrained growth once established make the plants hard to dig out of the ground. Many a gardener must have cursed the plant when they have tried to reclaim their garden again! However its foliage very quickly rots down to form an excellent black compost, so that harvesting the leafy stems may be a less arduous solution to the problem of digging out a comfrey patch. Saturn is of course linked to death and decomposition.
Knitbone
The predominant use of comfrey through the centuries has been as a vulnerary [L. Vulnus = a wound] remedy. Its use for healing wounds and injuries of all kinds, in particular the mending of broken bones, has been established since classical times. This explains one of the herb's lesser known names - knitbone. From a pharmacological perspective comfrey contains the substance allantoin which is known to stimulate cell production in the repair of connective tissue, bone and cartilage in the body, thereby speeding up the healing of damaged tissues. It is also noteworthy that the plant contains significant amounts of calcium and phosphorus the very minerals needed in the composition of bone which also must contribute to the plant's specific healing action on bones.
Saturn traditionally rules the bones in the body. Where the bones have become broken or lose their integrity, then this can be seen as the influence of Saturn no longer providing sufficient support and structure to the body. What more appropriate remedy than to use this Saturnine herb specifically for this purpose, to strengthen the bones and restore his influence again?
The name comfrey is thought to be corrupted from the Latin confero meaning "to gather together" which metaphorically captures this healing action of the herb strengthening the tissues of the body. The same Latin word root explains another obscure name of the herb - great confound. Similarly the generic name Symphytum is though to be derived from the Greek symphyo meaning "to make whole" and phyton meaning a "plant".
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A Beginner's Guide by Dylan Warren-Davis.
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