Want to learn how to make comfrey leaves salve following an original natural recipe from the Balkans? This is the original comfrey leaves salve recipe.
Comfrey leaves salve is still one of the most basic medicines in the rural households of the Balkans. This original and ancient recipe was passed from generation to generation as it was used with great success for all kinds of injuries, wounds, and skin problems. But before we show you how to make comfrey leaves salve following this original recipe, here is how and when to harvest comfrey leaves.
How to Harvest Comfrey Leaves for Salve
Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) grows especially alongside running waters, in wet ditches and meadows, and in swampy areas. You can easily recognize it by its strongly branched stem (up to one meter high) adorned with purple-violet flowers, in bunches of 5-10. Comfrey leaves are harvested when the plant is in bloom (that is between May and September), on sunny days after 10 in the morning. This is when the comfrey plant oozes with healing principles. After harvesting, arrange the comfrey leaves in a thin layer on a table in a shaded area to dry naturally.
How to Make Comfrey Leaves Salve – Original Comfrey Leaves Salve Recipe
Ingredients
- 25 g (one tbsp) dried comfrey leaves
- 2 tsp of beeswax pellets (or grated wax bar)
- 150 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp pork lard
- 2 tsp of honey
- 1 tsp of borax (cosmetic grade sodium borate)
If you want to make a vegan version of the comfrey root salve, you can replace pork lard with coconut oil, beeswax with carnauba wax (or another vegan wax) and honey with maple syrup.
Preparation
Break up the dry comfrey leaves between your hands and steep them in 300 ml of boiling water for 10 minutes, then strain. Put the beeswax to melt in a glass bowl on a double boiler and when it has melted, add the olive oil and mix. Then add the pork lard and mix well. In another pot add 150 ml of the comfrey leaves infusion, the honey, and the borax, and slowly heat them up while stirring.
When it is warm, remove the pot from the fire and pour the mix over the melted oils and wax. Whisk the hot liquid well with a fork. Then quickly pour the liquid ointment into a glass jar or cream container, before it solidifies. Seal the jar and your comfrey leaves salve is ready. Keep the salve in a cool place and use it over the course of three weeks. You can find all the ingredients for the comfrey leaves salve below.
How to Use
The comfrey leaves salve is used with great success in treating skin ulcers and tumors, psoriasis, cuts, burns, and wounds, as well as acne, rosacea, skin eruptions, and even rheumatic pains, dislocation pain, and even mild fractures or strains.
Make Also: Comfrey Root Salve Recipe for Wounds
If you’ve enjoyed learning the original comfrey leaves salve recipe from Central and Eastern Europe, please share this article so more people can make their own natural comfrey leaves salve. Let us know your experience with comfrey leaves salve in the comment section below. Stay healthy, naturally!
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