COMFRF.Y. 



ous-rooted Comfrey, {Symphytum tuberosum,) witli a simple 

 stem and leaves very slightly decurrent. It grows in shady 

 woods and by the banks of rivers in Scotland, especially in the 

 Lowlands. The common Comfrey is eaten by sheep and cows, 

 but refused by other animals. 



Qualities and general Uses. — The leaves of this plant 

 were formerly used to impart a flavour to cakes and panada, 

 and the young shoots are said to be good and nutritious food. 

 A strong decoction of the plant will dye wool of a brown colour. 

 The root has been applied to several important purposes. The 

 beautiful crimson colour obtained from gum-lac is extracted by 

 means of a decoction of this root, and the natives of Angora 

 prepare from it a kind of glue, which they use to spin the cele- 

 brated fleeces of their country into fine yarn, from which camb- 

 lets and shawls are manufactured. It has also been employed 

 for correcting the brittleness of flax and the roughness of wool. 

 Tabernamontan, a German writer, highly extols its superiority 

 in tanning leather. He boiled ten pounds of the root in four 

 gallons of water till one-half was consumed ; with this decoc- 

 tion he repeatedly dressed the leather, which, thus prepared, 

 became not only more durable than by any other method, but 

 it uniformly remained pliable and elastic. Another experimental- 

 ist, after making a strong infusion of the root, allowed it to stand 

 for several days, and when the woody and fibrous parts had 

 subsided, poured off the liquor, and by dropping into it diluted 

 oil of vitriol, he precipitated the mucilaginous part, which was 

 again filtered and rendered serviceable for tanning, by neutral- 

 izing its acidity with a ley formed of common potash. 



The leaves and flowers are rarely employed in medicine. The 

 root, which is most frequently used, is inodorous, insipid, sweet- 

 ish, viscid, and glutinous. It contains an abundance of muci- 

 lage, more tenacious than that of marsh-mallow, accompanied 

 with gallic acid in sufficient quantity to render the aqueous de- 

 coction quite black by the addition of sulphate of iron. 



Medical Properties and Uses. — Comfrey was highly ex- 

 tolled by the ancients for its supposed vulnerary properties ; 

 it was also esteemed emollient, agglutinant, and astringent, and 

 recommended not only in spitting of blood, uterine haemorrhages, 

 consumption, coughs, inflammation of the kidneys and urinary 

 organs, but as very potent in effecting the re-union of wounds, 



