N.R. Mallery
Comfrey has long been used in poultices to relieve inflammation. And now, Catskills Comfrey is using its natural properties in salves.
Catskills Comfrey’s plants are all grown organically on a small farm in Delaware County, New York. They are never treated with herbicides, pesticides, or other things you would not want on your skin. Each plant is just fertilized with a shovelful of aged horse manure, with harvests two to three times each year. Within 48 hours of harvest, the comfrey is dried, crushed, and stored in airtight containers to preserve freshness and maintain high-strength potency.
Nearly everything in Catskills Comfrey products is grown organically, right on the premises. In addition to about 350 comfrey plants, the farm grows Calendula and arnica for its signature blends. It also grows its own hemp for CBD (cannabidiol).
Owner Seth Hersh told me about CBD, “I visited many retail stores last year and received numerous comments from folks I knew and trusted, and who were experiencing positive response to CBD. Most were using drops at the time. So, I decided to step in and now produce a comfrey plus arnica plus CBD version.”
One customer recently reported that Catskills Comfrey blended with CBD was helpful with his problems associated with Parkinsons, reducing his level of pain from an eight down to a three or four. Hersh’s own experience was that it helped a disorder called “trigger finger.” Stiffness, muscle pain, and sore joints all seemed to benefit.
“There is no reliable cure for arthritis, Trigger Finger, or muscle or joint pain, so a topical ‘clean and green’ palliative option can be a blessing in many situations that would, otherwise, be rather discomforting,” Hersh said. And comfrey-based ointments can be effective without all the side effects one might have from prescription medicines.
Catskills Comfrey makes four versions of their ointment: The Original formula; one with arnica and calendula; one with chili pepper; and the CBD formula. I decided to try all of these myself and found varying results on my own areas of inflammation. For the most part, one of the four ointments always worked to some degree.
For instance, when I put the chili pepper salve on my swollen knees, I was delighted with relief that actually lasted for a couple of days. I want to warn the reader, however, that this is seriously hot stuff, as I found when I accidentally got a tiny bit on my lips. I give it a thumbs up for pain and inflammation, but not for lips and tongue.
Interestingly, aside from salves, Hersh uses comfrey as a fertilizer regime. It makes a great addition to the compost pile and is extremely high in the nutrients for plants. Catskills Comfrey uses excess comfrey production to make a tea that is fed to the CBD-dominant hemp plants. Since they grow near each other and is readily available, Hersh comments on this fertilization method, “How’s that for a carbon-zero foot print?”
Each of these 100% formulas has a place for relieving suffering. I especially love the chili pepper ointment. I recommend it to readers, as I have mentioned it to two physicians already. I plan to share some with my own daughter-in-law, who is a dermatologist!
The Catskills Comfrey website is catskillscomfrey.com.
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