Health

From Greek Temples to Battlefields, the Herb That Knits Bones Together

Comfrey—the original superglue.
From Greek Temples to Battlefields, the Herb That Knits Bones Together
A bowl of homemade comfrey root ointment with fresh blooming Symphytum officinale plant. Madeleine Steinbach/Shutterstock
Nicole James
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If plants had LinkedIn profiles, comfrey’s headline would read something like, “Specialist in bone-knitting, wound-healing, and general tissue maintenance. Occasionally toxic. Endorsed by Pliny the Elder.”

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) is that green and hairy perennial that has been lurking in herbal medicine cabinets since about 400 B.C.
Nicole James
Nicole James
Author
Nicole James is a freelance journalist for The Epoch Times based in Australia. She is an award-winning short story writer, journalist, columnist, and editor. Her work has appeared in newspapers including The Sydney Morning Herald, Sun-Herald, The Australian, the Sunday Times, and the Sunday Telegraph. She holds a BA Communications majoring in journalism and two post graduate degrees, one in creative writing.