Can you tell me about comfrey?

[NySoapMom]

I had someone request a soap with comfrey...I know nothing about it. Would it work best added as an oil? Can you infuse it yourself? Or is it best to buy it already made?And finally, what ratio would you use it at so that it would be beneficial?
Thanks so much!
Stephanie

 

[lsg]

Yes, there are tutorials here on infusing oils.

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=55179&highlight=infusing

 

[NySoapMom]

Great..thank you But how much infused oil to use in your recipe for it to be medicinal and not overpowering? Would you just use it as a replacement for say plain olive oil and use it at the same weight? For ex...if my recipe called for 12 ounces olive oil...would I use 12 ounces of the comfrey infused olive oil?

 

[Seawolfe]

Sure you can - Ive done 50% of the olive oil as infused. I was disappointed that the scent and color didn't really stick, so Id probably try 100% infused oil next time.

 

[CTAnton]

I'm going to chime in on this...I recently ran some leaves with water through the blender and strained the liquid out and then I'm allowing evaporation to leave me with a powder that will be easier to control color in a batch of soap...I'm more interested in using it as a natural coloring agent...the green I'm seeing in the liquid hopefully will be a better color than drying leaves and infusing an oil...here's hoping!

 

[MrsSpaceship]

I would make a very strong infusion with at least a double or triple strength equaling a larger portion of my oils if doing CP, and I would use an even stronger infusion as my post cook SF if using HP.

 

[jenneelk]

Comfrey is a wonderful herb and a beautiful color and pleasant scent but the scent or color wouldn't really stick. You would need to do as spaceship mentioned and do a double infuse which IMO would be timely and pricey. I just use my infused oil with a bit of natural color if I'm going totally natural with no micas and such. I really only use herbal infusions such as calendula, chamomile, lavender, etc. for soaps but I do have comfrey infusion for other things.

I use OO for my infusions and substitute all the OO in the recipe for the infused. Try to do a recipe with around 40% or more for best shot at anything pulling through. And use EVOO to infuse as it helps with the color.

 

[rparrny]

I had someone request a soap with comfrey...I know nothing about it. Would it work best added as an oil? Can you infuse it yourself? Or is it best to buy it already made?And finally, what ratio would you use it at so that it would be beneficial?
Thanks so much!
Stephanie

After studying herbology for over 35 years, comfrey was one of the first herbs I learned about and is still my number one favorite. It is a tissue accelerator and it heals so fast it's scary...so much so you should never put comfrey salve on a puncture wound as it will heal the surface so fast you may develop an abcess.
I have never used the root, the leaves have always been strong enough for any medicine I've ever made. I've never made it in soap but I think an infusion would get eaten by the lye and you would lose any medicinal properties. If you are going to use a tea, I would freeze it and melt the lye on the frozen tea to try to keep the chemical properties intact. That being said, I am very skeptical that it wouldn't suffer greatly. Comfrey is best used medicinally in salves and creams or as a compress of strong tea soaked muslin covering a wound. Lye is just so caustic I don't see it working well, you may get the color of a dark murky green but medicinally....
Now that being said, putting it in a blender with some vegetable glycerin and allowing it to steep and cure for about a month and then after straining using that in a melt and pour glycerin soap...yeah I think that would work. It would be butt ugly but it would work. I like to add calendula oil or glycerin based for added healing properties...I have also added St. Johns wort oil to a comfrey/calendula salve mixture as it is amazing at stopping pain on contact with skin...makes a great sunburn cream.
hope this helps