Natural Colorants - Comfrey Leaves (Green)

[Zany_in_CO]

COMFREY COLD PROCESSED

I grew comfrey in a half-whiskey barrel container on the north (damp, shady) side of the house to simulate a forest floor.

I infused the leaves in olive or sunflower oil to make a lovely green CP soap, healing/soothing salves and lip balm and, along with infused calendula, for MSM/EMU OIL CREAM for arthritis.

You can purchase Comfrey Leaves at HerbCo. com
I buy 4 or more of their herbs/spices/teas, (4 oz.) to get the best price on shipping. Good company to do business with. They have been around ever since I first started infusing oil for soaps and other B&B products in 2004.

ETA:
INFUSED COMFREY - CROCKPOT METHOD

Double infusion shown in the video is for making healing salves and such. Single infusion is fine for soap. The crushed comfrey shown looks like my home grown leaves. I use 1 oz. net weight to 20 oz. wt oil to infuse herbs in a stainless steel pan, range top, set at the lowest setting for about 3-4 hours. YMMV

 

[maryloucb]

Ooooh, I love it! I'm going to plant some comfrey!!

 

[soapmaker]

Anyone who plants comfrey , beware! You will have it all over the place and their roots go very deep...hard to dig out.

Lovely green soap @zany! I wonder how quickly it will fade. To get that color you must have infused fresh leaves?

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Anyone who plants comfrey , beware! You will have it all over the place and their roots go very deep...hard to dig out.

So true!!! Thanks for mentioning that! That's why I planted it in a half whiskey barrel container.

Lovely green soap @zany! I wonder how quickly it will fade. To get that color you must have infused fresh leaves?

Thank you!

Minimal fading as I recall. I used it for soap years ago. I had a bit of the oil left and added it at 12% to ZNSC about a year ago. The color was barely there but I'm using a bar now and it's still lightly tinted green.

I use dried, not fresh. I harvest the young leaves several times throughout the summer, although big fat mature leaves work as well. They dry fairly quickly on paper towels laid out on the dining room table for 2 weeks or so (dry climate in CO). Best to close the drapes to avoid direct sunlight to prevent sunburn.

PS: The picture is not mine but that is what my soaps looked like. I no longer remember the source, but it was my inspiration for making the soap.