Comfrey

I came across a whole bank of purple, blue, pink and white-flowered comfrey at West Dean recently. The beautiful flask-shaped flowers fill with nectar making them very attractive to bumblebees.

One of its old names was Knitbone as its leaves and roots were used to make poultices to heal burns, sprains, swelling and bruises. However, comfrey is now thought to have the potential to cause liver and lung damage – but only when the leaves are applied to the skin for long periods of time!