This past week our beloved Sneak had a run-in with Mr. Meany Face Cat and suffered some scratches that needed a little TLC. The internet is full of contradictory cat advice about using tea tree oil (and also not using tea tree oil), first aid ointment (and not using first aid ointment) and so on, so I pulled out my copy of The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care and lo and behold, the answer was growing right outside my door!
Comfrey. This is the first year I've tried growing comfrey; it has a reputation as an aggressive plant, taking up a lot of valuable garden real estate and hard to get rid. I planted it as a mulch plant, as an accelerator for my compost pile, and planned on making comfrey tea for a mid-season potassium boost (for my plants, comfrey is not for consumption), but I'd not thought about its use beyond the great outdoors.
Yeah, I know. . .what rock have I been living under?
I put on some gardening gloves (the leaves are a bit prickly and can, ironically, cause skin irritation), tromped outside during the daily thunderstorm and cut off a couple leaves. Thankfully, for the Sneak and my own limited time, the book explained a technique to make a comfrey infused oil that wouldn't take weeks of storing and shaking. The whole process, start to finish took about 4 hours, but didn't require constant supervision. Not bad for a little DIY ingenuity, if I do say so myself!
Here's what you need:
- A nonreactive, oven-safe pan (I used stainless steel, though I think glass would be okay)
- Olive oil
- Comfrey leaves
- Clean tea towel or cloth large enough to cover the pan
- Sterilized jar (if you have an amber or opaque jar, even better! You won't need to transfer the oil from the jar to an amber bottle)
- Coffee filter
- Rubber band
- Funnel
- Sterilized amber bottle for storing the oil with tight fitting cork to prevent contamination.
Cut the leaves into large strips and cover the entire bottom of pan. Pour the olive oil over the leaves; be liberal with the oil. Bake in the oven at 200 degrees F for 2 hours. You can also simmer the leaves and oil in a double boiler if your oven doesn't have a low enough setting. Keep an eye on the pan, stir occasionally and make sure the oil doesn't burn.
While the oil is infusing in the oven, make a filter for pouring the oil into the jar by covering the mouth with the filter sagging into the jar. Hold the filter around the mouth of the jar with a rubber band.
After 2 hours remove the oil from the oven, give a final stir, cover with a clean tea towel or cheese cloth and let cool, or, if you want a stronger infusion, repeat the time in the oven.
Once it's cool, slowly pour the oil through the filter into the jar. Once everything is filtered out, funnel the oil to the amber bottle and put a cork in it. If you can't find an amber tinted bottle simply store the oil in a lidded, clear glass jar or bottle in a dark cabinet. Apply comfrey oil to wounds, sprains, or use to massage sore muscles.
Now, you can take the process a step further, melt 1-2 ounces of beeswax in a double boiler on the stove. Add the beeswax to several ounces of the infused oil comfrey until the mixture is a firm consistency similar to body butter or lip balm.
Use topically on cuts, scrapes and skin irritations. . . cats and dogs included. By the way, the Sneak is a-ok, comfrey came to the rescue!
{Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, I'm not a vet, I'm just infatuated with seeing what plants can do. Comfrey is used in ol'-timey home remedies, so I thought it was worth a try. If you have any issues that need treating, please seek advice from a professional!}
Where credit is due: The comfrey photo at the very top is by Catherine Herms, Ohio State University.
Renee
Garner has a passion to make things grow, although her brownish
thumb wants her to believe otherwise. When mud pies aren't on the menu,
you can find her doodling the days away at Wolfie and the
Sneak.
