Comfrey, Aunt Bett, and Me

By Sharon Brown (Sharran) April 16, 2008

Mail this article Print this article Views: 877

I was as good as gold. I did everything the adults told me to do, particularly if the directive came from Aunt Bett. Somehow that little woman put the fear right into my soul. However, there was one day when I broke a rule, faced the wrath of Aunt Bett, and learned how to whistle all at the same time.

We really did not have to climb very far to find comfrey in the mountains of southeasten KY.  It was a tall plant and could be seen towering over other plants that grew in the same sunny spot.  Comfrey (Symphytum) was an herb that seemed to make Aunt Bett uncomfortable.  Normally I thought she always showed the most self confidence when talking about her herbal remedies, but with comfrey, she was a little hesitant.  Keep that in mind as I take you on another journey with Aunt Bett and me, because I think she was wise beyond her years.

When I mention to you that Aunt Bett scared me, you need to know that it was not the kind of fear that sent me running in tears to hide behind the dark wine horsehair sofa.  It was more of a very respectful feeling.  I knew she was there to teach me, and though I didn't always agree with what she wanted me to learn, I did it out of respect.  It is important that you know the difference, I think, because even though I dreaded the early morning treks up the dew covered mountainside,  I remember that my heart always fluttered when I heard her come for a visit.  It seemed as if magic lights swirled around her, even when she lowered that asphidity bag around my neck. Looking back now, it was awe, not fear, that bound me to Aunt Bett.

Comfrey was another story.  In the mountains sometimes there would be a bit of level ground high up on a mountainside, and it was not unusual to clear that bit of level ground and plant something on it.  My great uncle owned the land across the road (and creek) that ran in front of my Granny Ninna's house where we lived.  From my upstairs bedroom window I could look across the road and above their house and see at least two levels of cornfields high on the mountain.  They often rotated the crops, so it wasn't unusual to see tomatoes one year, beans another, but almost always there was corn on one or both of those levels.  When one field was left untended for one reason or another, comfrey would often grow there. 

One morning Aunt Bett appeared on the back porch, family always came to the back porch, only company came to the front, so here was Aunt Bett carrying a bucket of freshly picked green peas.  I loved peas and was happy to help her and mom string them and break them into bitesized pieces.  I always helped string peas and then beans because that meant I could sit around and listen to Aunt Bett stories.  But on this morning in particular, Aunt Bett came to ask Mom's permission for me to go with her to the upper field above her house to pick comfrey.  She always asked Mom's permission before our little ventures, and my mother always said I could go, but this would be my first time to gather comfrey.  I continued to string the peas, listening to the drone of their voices, when I heard Aunt Bett say:  "Young lady, you be ready to leave at 4 sharp."

Huh?? Four what?  Morning or evening?  She went on to tell me that the leaves of comfrey needed to be picked between 5 and 6 p.m. and we had to pick them before the comfrey flowered. I never knew why it had to be picked at that particular time, or why the leaves needed to be picked before the plant bloomed, but I suspect it had to do with nutrients in the leaves after they had been in the sun all day, and before those nutrients were weakened by their distribution into the blooms. Well, I knew what comfrey looked like when it bloomed, but how was I supposed to find it without its flowers?  Most of the time the flowers were the only way I could recognize a plant.  "Yes, mam," I said and thought that was it for the conversation.  But Aunt Bett had more to tell me:  "Comfrey ain't no easy plant to pick," she said.  "You don't want the leaves to stick to you in places where it ort (ought) not be".  Huh??  But she didn't explain any more, just asked my mother if I had any deep cuts on my body anywhere.

Me with deep cuts?  Absolutely not.  I could climb any tree and hang upside down for 30 minutes without getting a scratch or breaking a sweat.  I couldn't run worth a hoot, but I sure could climb, and I could swing like a monkey from one branch to another without ever falling, so rarely did I ever have a deep cut.  I wondered why she asked that. 

She didn't tell me the answer at that time, but when 4 p.m. arrived, I walked down the narrow road to meet Aunt Bett.  I was probably going on 10 that year, so I was feeling pretty independent and had on my old jeans rolled up, my socks rolled down and a bandana tied around my neck.  That lasted a good 3 seconds because the first thing Aunt Bett did was to point to my socks and then to my jeans and told me to roll them up and roll them down!  And that was that for the 10 year old fashion plate.  The bandana got to stay though, because it was used to wipe the sweat that would surely roll down my face.  And yes, the asphidity bag was well in place.

We got to the cleared spot about half way up the mountain, from there I could turn around and see all the beauty that surrounded me. I could see the pattern of the creek as it ran down the mountainside very close to my Granny Ninna's house where I lived.  I could see the rock cliff overhang where I often stopped and had my little peanut butter sandwich when I was traipsing around in the mountain behind my house.  It was also where I carved my name in a little maple  sapling when I was seven and wasn't supposed to be near a knife.  It wasn't discovered till years later, so I didn't get the punishment I feared. 

Now, on to the comfrey.  It wasn't quite 5 p.m. and Aunt Bett sat down on a log and patted the space beside her.  I sat.  After she caught her breath from the climb she started telling me about comfrey:

"Comfrey," she said, "grew in the Garden of Eden.  It is that old.  It was used to treat the wounds of the armies of Alexander the Great, and through the years it has been used as nature's bandage.  It is a knitter of wounds," she said, "but you have to be careful to pack it into the wound, so the wound can heal from the inside out."  She went on to say: "If you make an infusion of comfrey, it is thought to be good for asthma, lung ailments, sore throats and pneumonia, but I don't use it for that purpose.  I don't think it is good to put into your body.  There are other things to use for inside your body, comfrey should only be used on the outside."  I am not sure how Aunt Bett knew that at the time, because that was during the fifties, and it has only recently been established that it is definitely not good for the liver.  As I always said, Aunt Bett was magical.

We pulled out our paper sacks, always stored smallest into largest, our little bag of clothes pins, and Aunt Bett's burlap sack out of her skirt pocket and started picking comfrey leaves.  Aunt Bett said little until I asked her about the tiny hairs all over the leaves of the comfrey plant.  They felt funny to my fingers, much like velcro feels now.  I noticed as I rolled a leaf in my hand it would stay rolled.  I thought that was pretty funny and put it in my mouth like a whistle and started blowing through it.  When Aunt Bett realized what I was doing, she grabbed that leaf from my mouth and threw it on the ground, smashing it with her foot.  "Let me see you move your lips," she said.  My lips?  Oh dear, my lips were still puckered just as they had been around the leaf.  "Now that's what happens when you put a leaf of comfrey over a wound," she said, "and if you are not careful you will find yourself with a permanent pucker.  Don't ever put a piece of comfrey in your mouth or up your nose, 'cause it will bind your flesh together and you won't be able to eat or to breathe."  I was too scared to speak, and wasn't sure I could utter a word.  My mouth did feel strange, and was still set in a sort of open pucker, and I could feel the weird fuzziness the comfrey leaf had left on it.  I started blowing through the hole between my lips.  Nothing happened, I put my tongue against the hole and blew....of course all this time I had my back to Aunt Bett because I didn't want her to know my mouth was permanently glued together because I had disobeyed her. Tongue against lips, blow, blow, blow.  Tongue against lower teeth, blow, blow, WHISTLE!!!!  I could whistle.  The noise on that quiet mountain scared Aunt Bett and me to death!  But my mouth blew open and I was no longer in a permanent pucker, plus I had learned how to whistle.  Aunt Bett said not a word, but I could see her when she thought I wasn't looking.....her shoulders were shaking so hard I knew she was laughing.  Whew, I once again had survived the wrath of Aunt Bett! 

Once we got back to Aunt Bett's house the leaves were washed and strung on a long string of twine and left to dry hanging on the rafters of the back porch.  I went home and immediately checked the mirror to make sure I was not in a pucker.  Then I practiced whistling.

Aunt Bett made an infusion of the comfrey leaves, but true to her word, she did not let anyone ingest it.  She used it as a thin liquid to cure diaper rash, arthritis,  and as a hair rinse.  She also used it when making soap, but I was not lucky enough to keep her soap recipe. If a cut was not very deep, she would place fresh whole leaves over the cut, bind it, and in a short time the cut was healed, but then she also used other herbs for healing cuts as well.  Even today, studies have shown that comfrey makes the cells grow faster, thus quicker healing.

In the fall we gathered comfrey root, dried it, chopped it up, and stored it in sealed jars.  From the root, and adding any leftover dried leaves, she made a decoction by boiling three times in water.  The decoction was then saved and later used to make a salve or balm, and this she used for many skin problems.  Here is her recipe for comfrey salve, a sort of short version of decoction, but one she most often used :

2 cups oil

2 T dried leaves of comfrey

1 cup dried comfrey root

1/2 cup beeswax

Warm oil and comfrey in top of double boiler for 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the heat of the stove, stir, but don't boil.

Pour through a strainer, throw away herbs and roots, save every drop of oil.

Melt beeswax on top of double boiler, add oil and stir till it is all blended together.

Pour into salve tins that won't leak.

Store in cool place.

In Aunt Bett's opinion, the salve was used for many things: all skin irritations, bug bites, poison ivy, diaper rash again, psoriasis, and excema.  She gave the salve as gifts throughout the year, and I was always happy to get one of her tins of comfrey salve.  Today I often look for confrey salve in natural food stores.

One of the neatest things about comfrey in my opinion was that it made a golden yellow dye.  All I had to do was boil the leaves for several hours, strain the leaves out, and then place my white fabric in the liquid and let it set overnight.  Beautiful golden yellow!  Most of the time I was given muslin feed sacks to use for dying, but sometimes Mom might give me a scrap piece of cotton fabric that was much nicer than muslin.  I learned to piece quilts from her scraps and from those that I dyed. 

By the time the sixties and seventies came along, I could tie dye with the best of them, thanks to my Aunt Bett and days spent at her knees learning everything she could teach me.

Photos of Comfrey are from Plant Files and my sincere thanks to Gardenguykin and to Poppysue for the use of them.

Author's photos include Mom and me surrounded by our beloved mountains, a birdseye view of SE KY, and the tie dyed T shirt for my grandson who loves green, a handmade gift for him from my friend Melody Rose. Thanks, Mel.

About Sharon Brown   I am a retired high school art and humanities teacher. I grew up in the Appalachian mountains of southeast KY and now I live with my two rescued cats, Jazz and Daisy, in far western KY. I love daylilies and perennials, and thanks to my DG friends this year I am adding roses to my gardens.

Nav   » Read more articles written by Sharon Brown « Return to the articles homepage

Subject: wonderful story

---

Posted by lizrainey (from San Mateo, CA) on April 24, 2008 at 6:09 PM:

oh shar,
a few days late in reading,
wonderful just enjoyed it to peices cant wait for the next

...

Posted by Sharran (from Calvert City, KY) on April 24, 2008 at 6:42 PM:

Thanks, Liz...I am so glad you enjoy them.

...

---

Posted by Dollykat (from Lucasville, OH) on April 21, 2008 at 10:28 PM:

Another interesting story---and again, a learning inspiration for me. I looked up several sites on comfrey, and I learned a lot that I never knew about it. Thanks!

...

Posted by Sharran (from Calvert City, KY) on April 21, 2008 at 11:33 PM:

Hi Dolly,
Thanks, I am still checking the geneaology charts. I won't forget.
Best to you
Sharon

...

---

Posted by candyinpok (from Poughkeepsie, NY) on April 21, 2008 at 5:18 PM:

I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed your stories. You said once you never learned how to make an asphidity bag but I'm intrigued by them. I wonder if there is lore associated with them. Herbs fascinate me and your stories are priceless. Thanks for sharing them here.

...

Posted by Sharran (from Calvert City, KY) on April 21, 2008 at 5:30 PM:

Thank you, very soon I will have an article on the asphidity bag. I will be sure to let you know.

...

---

Posted by rachierabbit (from Olympia, WA) on April 21, 2008 at 12:10 PM:

Shar-
You are such a wonderful story teller. Aunt Bett, what an amazing woman, thanks for sharing her with all of us. I love the visual of you swinging from tree branches like a monkey! :0) Rachel

...

---

Posted by 4wendy (from Savannah, GA) on April 21, 2008 at 9:25 AM:

Sharon
Thank you so much for your insight and training !
I was first introduced to comfrey years ago, as a newbie herbal user. I still have that purchased little plastic bag of powder that I use on all my cuts. It has been my sacred healer for years and I have always treated it with utmost respect The kids at first said "ugh" to sticking their fingers in the bag and having the"dirt" powder cover the cut. Now they come a running.. As new and fascinated gardener, I just recently purchased a plant for my garden and your lesson from Aunt Bett came just in time. I probably would have had that leaf in my mouth at some point too. LOL xox

...

Posted by Sharran (from Calvert City, KY) on April 21, 2008 at 10:37 AM:

Thank you Wendy, what a nice message.

...

Posted by adoresaiken (from Clemmons, NC) on April 21, 2008 at 11:12 AM:

Sharon,

Thanks for another Aunt Bett story. They always take me back to my childhood. My, how things have changed! I wish the world could go back to those times!

Pat

...

Posted by Horseshoe (from Efland, NC) on April 21, 2008 at 11:25 AM:

Yep, another great read!

Being very familiar with comfrey to this very day (have my own patch of it!) I was right at home reading this! And, again, the woods walking takes me back home to the Appalachians!

I'm helping a young friend (14) get a patch started. She makes goatmilk soaps and hopes to add comfrey to one of her varieties. I'll have to forward your article to her, Sharon, she'll love it!

Thanks for sharing!

Shoe

...

---

Posted by daylilydaddy (from morehead, KY) on April 19, 2008 at 12:59 AM:

Sharon,
These stories need to be put in book form. I get surprised by your knowledge all the time. My friend just came and got his Comfrey from my garden. Now I have to get another one now! I have been off DG for a few days and you sneak this one in on me. Thanks for this great article and please keep them coming.
Geo

...

Posted by Sharran (from Calvert City, KY) on April 19, 2008 at 1:46 AM:

Thanks, George...hope all is well with you.

...

---

Posted by Sundownr (from Wytheville, VA) on April 16, 2008 at 11:45 PM:

You are truly gifted. I don't think you could write these Aunt Bett articles fast enough for me. A book would be the answer. One that I could curl up with while drinking herbal tea, and in between the chapters, remembering my own childhood visits on my great-grand parents farm in southern West Virginia. I'm printing them off for my grandmother (89 yrs) to read.

The stories of Aunt Bett have great value on many levels, informational, historical, and emotional, as well as entertaining. Please write more, and often!

...

Posted by Sharran (from Calvert City, KY) on April 17, 2008 at 12:02 AM:

Your message is a delight. This is just what I wanted the articles to do, touch many levels.

Thank you, I appreciate your every word.

...

Posted by Sundownr (from Wytheville, VA) on April 17, 2008 at 12:34 AM:

The words your Aunt Bett used are the same as my great-grandfather's, like "pizen" (poison) in your "Croup" story. Everytime you write these Appalachian "folk words", I can see him throwing his head back in a big ol' laugh at the questions the great-grand children had for him (he was a big story-teller). He took us on hikes across the farm to visit the various wild critters and plants. I hate that I cannot recall all his stories the way you can your Aunt Bett's.

Have you read the "Foxfire" series of books on Appalachian culture? I think the reason I like those books so much is they make me think of him, too. Guess I'll always miss him.

Thanks again,
Sundownr

...

Posted by Sharran (from Calvert City, KY) on April 17, 2008 at 12:51 AM:

Thank you, Sundownr.
I remember Aunt Bett very well, and it helps that I have a lot of my mothers momentos, recipes, etc. I was in my mid to late 20's when Aunt Bett died, and I had spent my life very near her till I was 17 and went away to school. I do remember the words, the pronunciation.

I have read the Foxfire series, it has been several years since I read it, but I know what you mean. There is a book that you would enjoy by David Baldacci called Wish You Well. If you haven't read it, you should. It takes place during the same time as Aunt Bett, but it is set in West Virginia. You would like it, I think.

...

Posted by Sundownr (from Wytheville, VA) on April 17, 2008 at 1:16 AM:

I have volumes 1 - 12 of the Foxfire series, and I think they have a couple more out now. I just ordered "Wish You Well" from PaperBackSwap, upon your recomendation. Others gave it a good review, too. Can't wait to get it!

Thanks again,
Sundownr

...

---

Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on April 16, 2008 at 8:24 PM:

Sharran, this was as always, superb! What a luck woman you are to have had your Aunt Bett. :)

...

Posted by Sharran (from Calvert City, KY) on April 16, 2008 at 8:41 PM:

Thank you, Cathy.
Much appreciated.

...

---

Posted by Seedtosser1 (from Glenview, IL) on April 16, 2008 at 6:13 PM:

Shar, I have read your story twice today!
Once this morning keeping me company at work.
And again, to keep me company for the ride home.

I love the way you write. I am mesmorized and also in Awe of Aunt Bett.
You too, you have clearly brought us back in time.

Giggling, at your your discovery of whistling, so cute.
As always, I also enjoy how you to dye cloth from the plants.

Such a Fun story...

Raising my hand. LOL jumping up and down in favor of an illustated Book of
Aunt Bett and young Sharon stories.

Thank you for sharing, can hardley wait for the next one.

...

Posted by Sharran (from Calvert City, KY) on April 16, 2008 at 6:23 PM:

Thanks Seedtosser, that sure did bring a smile to my face!

...

---

Posted by MistyPetals (from North Augusta, SC) on April 16, 2008 at 4:09 PM:

It's always a treat to read about your Aunt Bett. Very well done, Sharon. Very well done, indeed. I especially enjoy your details Ort. Oh, my, You recalled that? Such detail moves your work from good to excellent, Why, we're there, with you.
So authentic, wow!
In the quiet of the day, she still speaks to you, in the whistling wind, as it were. And it's wonderful! Enchanting! A true testament of the fondness you felt and feel. Thanks for opening the door to allow us to peer in.
When the book is ready, send me a d-mail.

Misty

...

Posted by Sharran (from Calvert City, KY) on April 16, 2008 at 6:24 PM:

Misty, your words are so sweet. Thank you.

...

Posted by Zanymuse (from Fortuna, CA) on April 16, 2008 at 7:37 PM:

Bravo! Great story and learning to whistle at the same time. I can just see you checking out your reflection to make sure the pucker was gone and imagine your Aunt laughing out loud as she thought about it later that night.

...

---

Posted by nanny_56 (from Putnam County, IN) on April 16, 2008 at 11:55 AM:

This is my favorite one so far! I understand completely when you talk about your fear of Aunt Bett. I had a grandmother that I made me feel the same way. It was out of respect...she had a way about her and seem to know so many things. I just always did what she said, no questions asked..at least not till I hit about 14...then all hell broke lose!! LOL

I agree totally that these stories would make a fantastic little book!!

And shoot, I never have learned to whistle...

...

Posted by Sharran (from Calvert City, KY) on April 16, 2008 at 12:07 PM:

Thanks, Nanny, nice to hear from you. It is also nice to know that you understand about my feelings toward Aunt Bett. She was tiny but just seemed to command respect, without ever raising her voice.
Thank you so much for commenting.

...

---

Posted by terriculture (from london
(United Kingdom)) on April 15, 2008 at 8:11 PM:

Another wonderful artical Sharon, Thankyou! I have enjoyed all your stories.

...

Posted by Sharran (from Calvert City, KY) on April 15, 2008 at 8:22 PM:

Hi Terri,
Thank you. Surprisingly it is only 7:20 pm on April 15, so your post gave me a jolt! It will be midnight before it runs here. I am glad you like the Aunt Bett series.
Sharon

...

Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on April 16, 2008 at 6:38 AM:

The Aunt Bett series is worthy of a book. Always so enjoyable and instructive.

...

Posted by dragonfly53 (from South Boston, VA) on April 16, 2008 at 6:53 AM:

I totally agree with dutchlady, Sharran. Especially with this being a 'green' year, I think your book would be a best seller! I know I've said this before but I love your Aunt Bett stories, you tell them very well!

...

Posted by leaflady (from Hughesville, MO) on April 16, 2008 at 7:49 AM:

I too think it is worth a book. I raise and use comfrey cooked in olive oil with beeswax added to make a salve of some of it. The rest is left in a fluid state. However I add plantain leaves to the oil as well. I have never used the root but will try it this year. Thanks for another wonderful article.

...

Posted by catmad (from Pelzer, SC) on April 16, 2008 at 8:29 AM:

Dutchlady has it right. A book would be wonderful, or even just an "herbal" with the "receipts". It would be best with the stories, tho. C'mon Sharon, Ya ain't got nuthin else to do, do ya?

...

Posted by Bettypauze (from Victoria Harbour, ON) on April 16, 2008 at 9:30 AM:

Off you go to get "Days with Aunt Bett" published...you had me laughing as I read about your NOT listening..something I would do..lol

While sipping your tea in your garden this aft. think yet of another memory of Aunt Bett..can't wait to read it..

...

Posted by melody (from Benton, KY) on April 16, 2008 at 9:49 AM:

Loved it!

...

Posted by cathy4 (from St. Louis County, MO) on April 16, 2008 at 10:07 AM:

When I saw Aunt Bett's name on the articles, I had a difficult decision. But I saved the best for last, and I'm smiling down to my toes. Thanks!

...

Posted by Lindawalkabout (from Holden, MO) on April 16, 2008 at 10:30 AM:

I so agree with the book, your writings are drawings that we can imagine being there on that mountain. We are getting to know Aunt Bett and loving her.
I can see you tryin to whistle and eating that peanut butter sandwich up on the mountain w/ the fresh mountain breeze.

I too would not be without Comfrey on our homestead. I use many of times with very good results. I do have a mason jar that I filled with dried Comfrey leaves less then three years ago. I read that if you put the leaves in a glass jar wrapped in a paper bag and not open untill two years you will have oil of Comfrey from it. TWO years and half I got a drop of oil ,lol. But its got to be some kind of powerful oil.

I will be making the salve from Aunt Bett recipe, thank you. I was given wild honeybee honey and extracted it from the comb which I got bees wax. So I'll be ready to make Aunt Bett Salve when my comfrey leaves are a little bigger and I will from now on pick at the right hours : )

My grandgirls 5 and 6 made tie died t-shirts and they love it . Love using natural plants for dying. I will try the comfrey, very pretty colors on your tie dye

Just an awesome writeup with great pictures. I read while having my cup of coffee and just enjoyed , Thank you again

Oh my , you just gotta do a book : )

...

Posted by melody (from Benton, KY) on April 16, 2008 at 10:38 AM:

The thing is, Sharon is as talented with a paintbrush as she is with a pen. She could illustrate this book in a beautiful, and personal way.

(I'm seeing pen and ink with watercolor.The medium fits perfectly)

...

Posted by Sharran (from Calvert City, KY) on April 16, 2008 at 11:21 AM:

You all overwhelm me. Thank you so much. I am just very appreciative of all the learning experiences I had with Aunt Bett. Funny how these kinds of things stick with me after so many years. And I am glad that I can share them with you.
Thank you again.
sharon

...

Posted by Lindawalkabout (from Holden, MO) on April 16, 2008 at 11:50 AM:

melody,
we have another Tasha Tudor in the makings here : ). Oh my goodness , I love watercolors and that would make great read, stories from the mountains with illustrations : )

Sharon , what gifts you have to share, thank you. After reading your artical I just had to go out in our woods for a morel mushroom hunt and ponder on the things you wrote. I would love to be an Aunt Bett type and pass wisdom on down to my children and grandchildren.

...

Posted by enya_34 (from Madison, WI) on April 16, 2008 at 4:16 PM:

Quite an intriguing story too. It made me think once again how is it that we don't have a forum on history of plants in various cultures.

Thank you for sharing.

...

Posted by victorgardener (from Lower Hudson Valley, NY) on April 16, 2008 at 4:34 PM:

Another wonderful memory, Sharon. Wonder what Aunt Bett would think of all this attention she's now getting!

...

Posted by mellielong (from Lutz, FL) on April 16, 2008 at 8:49 PM:

I love your stories! As I told Darius in his article, my Dad is from Lincoln County, WV. I do a lot of genealogy research and stories like yours make me think about the kind of life my ancestors may have led as they moved between Wise County, VA and Johnson County, KY. I've been buying a lot of books on sustainable living because, as I told my dad, "They teach you the things that your parents and grandparents used to teach you." How wonderful that you had these learning experiences and are now sharing them with the world.

Melanie

...

Posted by Sharran (from Calvert City, KY) on April 16, 2008 at 9:02 PM:

Hi Melanie,
Thank you. I know all about Wise, Virginia and Paintsville, KY. If we did a little research, we might even claim kinship!

Glad you enjoy the articles, and glad you are getting involved in sustainable living.
sharon

...

Login to post a comment.