Comfrey
Comfrey has been used since the Middle Ages as a healing agent for fractures. It was always known as Knitbone - which kind of sums it up. In the early 20th century, it was discovered that it contained a substance called 'allantoin' which promotes healing of bone and body tissues. For external use made into a poultice - just warm the leaves in boiling water, cool slightly so as not to burn your skin and place on bruises, varicose veins or sprained muscles. A poultice made of grated root is effective in healing sprains. As a natural fertilizer, it is contains all the nutrients you need for healthy plant growth. It is high in potash, nitrogen, phosphorous and many other elements. You can use it as a mulch - just spread the leaves around the base of your plants where they will break down. Add the leaves to your compost heap where it will work as an activator to encourage other plant material to break down. You can make a liquid fertilizer by filling a bucket half full with leaves, then fill it with cold water. Put a lid on the bucket to exclude insects and leave for about 4 weeks. Strain off the liquid and use it as an organic fertilizer for plants, tomatoes and other garden plants.
For an explanation of gardening terms that you might not understand, please check out the Growers Dictionary section. I found that I was either skimping on explanations or giving too much information on the individual pages so I have posted all relevant terms in one section - if there's anything you need to know, please drop me an email.
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