Using comfrey to heal broken bones

[Valerie]

In a nutshell, this lady grinds up/mashes fresh comfrey from the garden and she put it on her husband's broken ankle after the staples came out.
I don't know what a person would do if the break was enclosed in a cast, though. I guess you could still eat the comfrey, but you wouldn't be able to do a poultice (unless you slide your cast off at home like some people I know).

longtimemother.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-use-Comfrey-to-Heal-Broken-Bones

[Granny Smith]

When Doug broke his arm, we were told that they don't use casts anymore, only splints. I don't know if that's true everywhere, but, if it is, applying a poultice would be easy.

[BigM]

If this ever happens, you need to make sure the bone is set properly first because (as I understand it) the comfrey will heal it very quickly.

[lilmommajnn]

They do still use casts! Remember when Jake broke his wrist a couple years back? He had a cast for quite a few weeks. They didn't plaster it, however. Now, they have gauze rolls that have some kind of fiberglass coating on it that hardens when exposed to air. They wrap it and wait a few minutes and it's harder than the plaster casts used to be.

[Valerie]

That's what they do here, too, Jennifer. There's usually at least one kid over at the school with a broken limb, and they all get those fiberglass casts.

I wonder if maybe they are only using them on kids, though, and splinting the less active adults?

M, it's good you threw that in about having the bone properly set first, just in case someone reads this later on and thinks a comfrey poultice is like a DIY fix for a broken bone.

[Granny Smith]

Doug was a kid when he broke his arm. He was around 12. He fell out of the tree. I thought it should have been in a regular cast, since the humerus was broken completely in two. When I told him to raise his arm, only the shoulder moved. The rest of the arm just hung there. Kind of made me sick.

I set it as best I could, stabilized it with a sling (actually a scarf that I folded for a sling) and Dan took him to the ER. The doctor said, 'Whoever set this bone did a good job'. I guess those first aid classes paid off (multiple times, really)

Anyway, the ER doctor and the specialist told us that they don't use plaster casts anymore. Maybe it was just at that hospital. I don't know.

[Valerie]

I'd hate to see what would happen to some of these kids here if they didn't get some kind of hard cast, whether plaster or fiberglass. They run and play on those things like they're not even there.

[Granny Smith]

When my arm was broken, in 6th grade, I was almost afraid to move. Mine wasn't a plaster cast, either. It was sort of a plaster splint. The top and bottom were plaster 'slabs' (for lack of a better word). It was wrapped in several layers of gauze. I don't remember what held the gauze in place - more plaster, I think. I remember I couldn't get it wet, so Mom washed my hair for me. It healed fast, just 4 weeks.

[Valerie]

I remember those kind you couldn't get wet! I never had one, but I heard they reeked when they came off!

[Granny Smith]

Mine reeked after about a week! It was so gross! It itched, too. When they took it off, my skin was peeling. I told the doctor they left it on till my skin rotted.

[BigM]

BTW, DD2 got stepped on pretty hard by one of the yearlings the other day. (Note that a yearling weighs in at about 750-800 pounds) It was pretty bad; swelled up and bruised instantly. We were at the fair grounds so I had her put some ice on it off and on until we got home. I made a poultice of dried comfrey and oil (I only had corn) and wrapped it with saran wrap. After a couple of days you can see a clear line between where the comfrey was and wasn't. Pretty amazing really. I took a picture but I am having trouble getting it to upload. I'll add it in later if it finally cooperates.

[Valerie]

Oh poor kid! That looks like it had to hurt bad. That is amazing, M!

[BigM]

I'm just really glad I had the dried comfrey on hand to be able to help it along. I wish there was a book out there that had all the plants and uses listed and cross referenced by what they do, kwim?

[Valerie]

I have a book like that, M! It's called Women's Guide to Healing Herbs! I think it was published by Rodale. It lists tons of herbs in the front, with how to use them. The back section is divided up by conditions and tells what herbs to use (and how) for each condition. It also has a section on aromatherapy, and recipes (with pictures) for making lozenges, creams, tinctures, suppositories, salves, etc. And the index in the back ties it all together so you can find what you need when you need it. I use that book a lot.

[BigM]

No WAY!! I'm going to look for it now!