Two ways to make COMFREY OINTMENT
One: Comfrey Ointment (root and leaf)
1.Dig up several roots, scrub them well, then take time to clean all the mud and slimy woody bark from the roots.
It is worth the effort to be thorough at this stage, or your ointment will be murky and dirty.
2.Take several large handfuls of good clean comfrey leaves in pristine condition.
3. Grate or finely chop the roots, put them in a heavy bottomed stainless-steel pan
4. Cover the grated roots with almond oil, olive oil, or sesame oil, or a mixture of all three, (all these oils have healing properties in their own right), and place over a very low heat.
Bring the roots very slowly to a slow simmer, and then keep at just below simmering for several hours.
Every now and then mash the oily infusion with a stainless-steel potato masher, or stir and press with a wooden spoon. After several hours you can turn the heat off and leave the roots to stew in the warm oil over night.
5.While the roots are brewing, check over the leaves and remove any stray bugs or grass, (do not wash them) then chop them up finely and put in a pan.
6.Cover the leaves with oil (same as for the roots), put on a very low heat, and warm very gently for a few hours, stirring and mashing frequently. The oil should not simmer or boil. Just keep them warm.
7. After several hours or the next day, strain your root oil and your leaf oil and put the oils together. The leaf oil will be a beautiful shade of green.
8. Measure how much oil you have and then measure 1/5th to ¼ the amount of beeswax. (e,g. if you have a litre of oil, take 1/5th to ¼ litre of beeswax) If you use about 1/5 th beeswax the ointment will be looser, if you use ¼ it will be slightly more set. Both are good, it just depends on your preference.
9. Gently melt the beeswax in a pan, over a low heat, then add it to your comfrey root/leaf oil.
10. You may need to warm the oil very gently to allow the wax to blend through it.
11. Then whisk or stir the melted beeswax through your oil until it is thoroughly dispersed through the oil.
12. In a few hours it will have set to a lovely soft green ointment, ready to use.
Method Two:
COLD PRESS COMFREY OIL Use only leaves, chop them well, cover with oil, and leave to infuse for a few weeks, in a warm place, shaking and stirring frequently. Then strain and proceed as above with beeswax.
Use on: swellings, bruises, inflammation, sore nipples, fractures, sprains, strains, pulled muscles & ligaments, back pain, piles, sunburn, stings, painful joints, rashes DO NOT USE ON OPEN WOUNDS
