Sparkly Comfrey Powder

It's late August, the sun is still hot, the evening light is orange, and the Comfrey is still going crazy.
This unyieldingly generous plant keeps coming back, and spreading, no matter how often you harvest its leaves for improvised poultices, throw its long hollow stalks into the compost, or even dig away at its root. And regardless of what you think of the pyrrolizidine alkaloid content of this bristly Boraginacea, you can't deny that its topical use is very safe and effective.
I love chewing a Comfrey leaf to put on a bad scrape or superficial wound, you can feel its texture going from almost spiny to green to slimy. And the gel that is created is some of the best medicine for the skin, rich in allantoin, soothing and healing.
My problem was that, during the winter, it gets very difficult to recreate that smooth green gel without access to a fresh plant. The dry leaf approximates it, but isn't nearly as pleasant to chew and simply re-hydrating it doesn't come even close. So for this month's blog party, here's what I came up with for those bushels of Comfrey leaves you've got growing in some corner:

Sparkly Comfrey Powder:

You will need a good, strong blender. A Vitamix is good, but any commercial blender with a sturdy motor will do.
Harvest lots of Comfrey leaves.
Stuff the blender, not too tight, with coarsely chopped leaves.
Add 1 cup of water (for a half-gallon blender)

Blend, pulsing and stirring from time to time, until the mixture is a homogenous mass of green goo.

Press the mass through muslin, so that all the fiber is removed, saving the juice. This stuff should be very dark green and frothy.

Evaporate the moisture from the juice in a slow (150 degree) oven, or in strong sunlight. I use Pyrex pans for this purpose. Depending on how much juice you made, and the size of your pan, this could take all day (or more).

Using a metal spatula, knife, or spoon, scrape the dehydrated juice from the pan once all the water is gone.

Place the scrapings in a smaller container, and dry for another hour at 150 degrees.

Grind the dried Comfrey in a mortar and pestle.

Voila! You're done. This powder, which does seem to sparkle when in direct light, re-hydrates quickly to a slimy mass. Try 4-5 drops of water on a 1/4 tsp. dab of the powder. It also quickly colors pale oils, like sweet almond oil, a nice green color and makes a very good addition to salve recipes. Finally, I like to sprinkle it directly on bad scrapes I get during the winter months, where it quickly stops light bleeding and gets nice and mucilaginous, unlike the dry leaf.

Just remember: don't use Comfrey preparations on deeper wounds, puncture wounds, etc... as it will very likely cause an abscess to form.

The final product, infused for 15 minutes into sweet almond oil. On the right is a heaping spoonful of the re-hydrated powder, ready for use!

Datura inoxia

Known as Toloache by the Aztecs (and probably used by most Mesoamerican cultures before them), this beautiful representative of the Datura genus just recently began opening its flowers in my garden. It blooms in the evening, pollinated by night-flying moths, with huge (8"+) flowers and a sweet aroma that sets it apart from its cousin, the Jimson weed (D. stramonium).
Many members of the Solanaceae (Nightshade family, perhaps my favorite plant family though the Araliae are right up there) possess alkaloids like scopolamine and hyoscyamine which have the ability to limit the action of the parasympathetic nervous system (they are so-called parasympatholytics). This yin-like side of our nerve networks promotes rest, digestion, and reproduction, and actively counterbalances the more yang-like sympathetics continuously.
By taking a plant like Datura, you can effectively inhibit yin function for a time, starting first at the physiological level and eventually at the level of the mental and energetic bodies. Small doses relax muscles, open airways, and provide a gentle warmth. As the dose is raised, heart rate increases; there is a loss of motor function; and convulsions, delirium, hallucinations, and finally death ensue. Internal use is generally not a good idea - the yang demons that are called into the human are generally unpleasant, and can be downright dangerous. Topical use, however, is a different story.
Of the parts of this plant, the seed is certainly the strongest. Leaves are next, and the root is milder. So to make a salve from D. stramonium, we recently took the black seeds from three of the thorny, opened pods and crushed them in a mortar and pestle. Keep in mind, there were enough seeds to kill all seven of us, had we taken them orally.

Datura salve:
Crushed ripe seeds from 3 seedpods (about 2 TBS)
Seven fluid ounces of oil: olive, almond, or grapeseed
soak the seeds in the oil, while heating in a double boiler
after an hour (or more), strain and return to the double boiler
add:
8/10ths of an ounce, by weight, of beeswax (about 23 grams)
when the beeswax is melted, add:
1 fluid ounce of the infused oil of Arnica [optional]
1/4 tsp. of Rosemary essential oil [optional]
stir quickly and pour into jars

The last two ingredients enhance the pain-relieving power of this salve, by reducing swelling and stimulating circulation. Datura was always traditionally used as a topical pain reliever for rheumatism, "bone aches", sprains, and wounds. This version is quite effective - but use only a little bit, and some sensitive individuals may feel a disturbance in their personal fields by even a small brush with this powerful plant. More flowers are set to bloom - I look forward to admiring this moonflower under the Full Moon!

Wikipedia

Maude Grieve
Erowid