Want to know how to make comfrey root poultice for sprains and other injuries? Continue reading and find out how.
Comfrey root poultice is a magnificent natural medicine with analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and soothing properties. Indeed, one of the most effective ways to use comfrey root for injuries, especially sprains, is as a poultice. In this article, we will show you how to make comfrey root poultices at home and use them in case of emergency such as mild sprains. Let’s get straight to it.
In This Article You Will Find:
How to Make Comfrey Root Poultice
To make the comfrey poultice, you need dried comfrey root, which you can find online or in natural health stores.
- Grind the comfrey root into a fine powder, using a coffee grinder. Do not exceed 30-40 seconds, and do not load the grinder to the brim, because when comfrey root heats up it may stick to the blades and lid due to the mucilage it contains.
- Put the comfrey root powder in a cup and slowly pour hot water over it, stirring all the while, until you obtain a thick paste. Due to the mucilage in the root, the paste becomes like plasticine, and easily be molded to completely cover the traumatized area.
- Apply the paste over the sprain or injury in a thick layer of 1-1.5 cm (half an inch). If your skin is covered with hair, you can put a thin piece of sterile gauze before applying the poultice over the affected area. This way you can easily remove the poultice when you need to change it.
- Then wrap a bandage over the poultice, without tightening it very hard. The wrap must be firm, yet without hindering blood flow, otherwise, it may become painful.
Whole dried comfrey root, if dried properly, must have a white core and a black exterior. If it’s brown or maroon, it’s not a good comfrey root. If you buy ready made comfrey root powder, it must be a grey-ish color, as if you mix salt with pepper.
How to Use Comfrey Root Poultice
After the first application, leave the comfrey root poultice on for at least two hours. Then leave it on for more, at least four hours, or eight to ten hours, or even overnight. The more the better. It is necessary to use the poultice overnight, during sleep, because it is easy to keep, and the joint is at rest. When you peel it off, you will notice that the comfrey root paste has turned hard, sometimes so hard, that it’s difficult to remove it. Well, it is something normal, due to the mucilages in comfrey root.
Comfrey Root Poultice for Sprains
Comfrey root poultice must be applied immediately after the sprain, to enjoy a spectacularly fast recovery. It also ensures partial immobilization of the joint for faster healing. In the case of a first sprain, the discomfort can disappear in only 2-3 days, after which the joint can return to normal functional capacity. In the case of repetitive sprains, more time is needed, but, in any case, the recovery is much better, faster, and more stable with the comfrey root poultices, compared to the conventional emergency treatment.
If the joint has already been cast, there is nothing more to do at the moment.
After removing the plaster, you can use anoint the area with bee venom or nettle salves or wash it with hot nettle tea to improve blood flow. Then you can apply the comfrey root poultice, although the best results are obtained when the poultice s used immediately after injury. Avoid straining your joint before recovery or, worse, getting injured again, even if this means not leaving your house for a while, and not playing sports for a while.
If you can’t find dried comfrey root to make the poultice, the next best thing you can do is pad the area with comfrey root tincture every hour or couple of hours. However, comfrey root poultices have better results when used immediately after a sprain.
What Else To Do?
Alongside the comfrey root poultice application, what you can do to relieve inflammation and pain after a sprain is to drink willow bark decoction. Willow bark is the natural version of aspirin and has a powerful anti-inflammatory effect. Prepare the decoction by simmering 2 heaped teaspoons of ground willow bark in 600 ml (2.5 cups) of water, over low heat, for about 15 minutes. Sweeten the reddish decoction with honey, add some lemon juice, and drink it throughout the day. It has a sweat-inducing effect which is normal. If the pain is too great, use a conventional analgesic, because it is important to be able to rest.
Other Comfrey Root Poultice Uses
Just as it helps in tendon and ligament trauma, comfrey root poultice also helps restore other fibrous formations in the body. Respectively, it can be used in the treatment of light or even medium hernias, as it strengthens and rebuilds the muscle wall. Alongside the poultice, in this case, you can also pad some comfrey root tincture locally, just enough to penetrate the skin, and then perform mild physical exercise, or yoga. The comfrey root poultice can also be used in gout, by applying it to the painful joint.
An improved version of the comfrey root compress for sprains we showed you above is the following one. Combine equal amounts of comfrey root powder, pomace powder, and medicinal clay, and mix with some warm common knotgrass tea until you get a paste. Apply the paste over the affected area, cover the poultice with a wide gauze bandage, and keep for at least 2 hours. This comfrey root poultice is used not only in sprains but also in dislocations, bone cracks or breaks, and in inflammatory processes such as gonarthrosis, and gout.
More Medicine with Comfrey Root:
Comfrey Root Decoction
Comfrey Root Salve
Comfrey Root Powder
Comfrey Root Tincture
The comfrey root poultice is an emergency medicine for injuries, and it should be a staple in every self-sufficient household. If you’ve enjoyed learning how to make comfrey root poultice for sprains and many other injuries and inflammation, please share this article. This way, more people discover the health benefits of comfrey root poultices and how to make comfrey root poultices and use them right away in case of emergency. Be well, naturally!
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