Anyone in Mandurah/Perth area have comfrey?

Discussion in 'Buy, sell, trade, give away & exchange' started by lindy, Feb 11, 2011.

  1. lindy

    lindy Junior Member

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    Hi
    My brother has a wound that won't heal after weeks of treatment with doctor's antibiotics etc. I'm trying to buy comfrey.

    Anyone have some growing, or know of a shop/market that sells it? We live in the Mandurah region but I'm prepared to travel to Perth.
    Thanks
    Lindy
     
  2. Michaelangelica

    Michaelangelica Junior Member

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    Nature's Spirit sells a good brand but they have just been taken over by some multinational.
    but your local chemist or health food shop should be able to order it in for you

    What type of wound is it?
    Comfrey does accelerate healing but it is usually not recommended for wounds as it heals so quickly that it may heal in infection. So the wound needs to be very clean.
    Many other herbs have granulating effects, propolis, chamomile calendula are a few that come to mind

    A bit of research on the web has found many more here are few you may have access to
    Moringa oleifera
    Bacopa monnieri
    Jasminum grandiflorum (rarely accurately labeled in Australian nurseries)
    Inula viscosa
    Thespesia populnea
    Opuntia ficus-indica
    Hypericum perforatum (It's original herbal use- infused oil )
    Centella asiatica
    Aloe vera (also usually mis-named Indian Aloe is usually what is sold in Oz nurseries but it will probably work too)
     
  3. Fernando Pessoa

    Fernando Pessoa Junior Member

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    He has a deeper problem go and see another doctor.
    Fernando
     
  4. lindy

    lindy Junior Member

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    Hi Michaelangelica
    He had a skin graft about 12 years ago after an accident. While he was in hospital recovering, the skin graft got some hospital bug (similar to golden staph/MRSA infection) in it. It took months to heal - or appear to heal. It's flared up a few times over the years - always needing multi-antibiotics and hospitalization again.

    Then more recently, he was working out at the mines doing a longish stint and his sock and workboot rubbed on the graft and it became infected again. Now apparently the infection has resurfaced. He's been on antibiotics since Christmas.

    We were going to try a combination of peroxide - to kill the infection - then comfrey to heal the wound. I was also considering Condy's crystals or sulphur - old time remedies for infection and ulcers. I've read a lot about comfrey plants - but I've rung half a dozen nurseries and they all say they don't have comfrey plants in stock.

    Thanks for the tip about the various other herbs/plants to try however. I only knew about comfrey. I'll print off your list and ask if they have these in stock - hence my stab in the dark inquiry as to whether anyone in my area had it growing in their garden.
     
  5. eco4560

    eco4560 New Member

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    Have you tried Honey? Has he had a biopsy to rule out a skin cancer?
     
  6. mike

    mike Junior Member

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    Lindy,Propolis that michealangelica mentioned is a wonder product for healing infections.Its what the bees manufacture in their hives to keep them from getting infections in the hives.I buy the alcohol based propolis available at most health food shops and with the eye dropper put a few drops onto the affected area and have always cleared up any infection very quickly.NOTE OF CAUTION is if you are allergic to bee products don't use it( or test by putting one drop on some clean skin and observing if their is an allergic reaction)
     
  7. lindy

    lindy Junior Member

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    Thanks for the suggestion. I didn't think of that.
     
  8. lindy

    lindy Junior Member

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    Thanks
    I didn't know that. I don't think he's allergic to bees. He's otherwise healthy. I want to thank everyone by the way. A lady who knows my brother with a lovely cottage garden has some struggling comfrey. She's gonna nurture it back for him. Thanks everyone for all your great ideas however. I've learnt heaps from everyone.
     
  9. purplepear

    purplepear Junior Member

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    I am glad you have found your comfrey and concerned that it may not be what you need. I stand to be corrected but my understanding is that it is most effecatious in healing broken bones and to some extent bruising. I would have thought that Calendular or honey would be the go for unhealing skin. Perhaps I should look it up?
    I do hope your brother enjoys a recovery soon.
     
  10. Michaelangelica

    Michaelangelica Junior Member

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  11. purplepear

    purplepear Junior Member

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    Yes MA but I think you would need to be predisposed to the cancer and eating fresh healthy organic vegetables and rice and lentils and a nice cup of tea and some red wine will give your body a great chance of fighting any abnormality in the skin or elsewhere. IMHO
     
  12. lindy

    lindy Junior Member

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    Thanks to you both Purplepear and Michaelangelica. Just a quick update - more for the benefit of anyone else who happens to be searching the forum on the topic of wounds.
    We are still waiting on the comfrey - but in the mean time my brother has found that the peroxide has helped dramatically. The wound had been weeping since Christmas, but the peroxide has dried it up in two days. We bought it at the supermarket for $3.75 (at Coles in the medicine section near Calamine and Glycerine). The peroxide sort of fizzes and makes the infected area go white at first but then the wound dries out and the skin starts healing.

    It was my 87 year old dad who actually suggested the peroxide, when I happened to mention it to him. He told me they used to use peroxide as an antiseptic for bullet wounds in the war. They also used it on gingivitis, conjunctivitis and sandfly eye when he was a kid. It was some RFDS doctor's cure (dad lived on a station, miles from medical facilities).

    A neighbour who is a nurse also said that exposing these hospital bug wounds to the sun helps them too, so he's been doing this as well.

    My brother also has been having a teaspoon of col.silver a day for the past three days - so that may be helping too.

    Maybe its a combination of all three treatments!

    He has been off all antibiotics for a week now - they weren't working and he was feeling run down when he was on them. He's feeling well enough to go back to work now.

    I hope this post helps for anyone else who has a problem with a wound that won't heal. I think ALL the advice that everyone's given is worth a shot if antibiotics isn't working - including advise like honey and herbs. Apparently these hospital bugs are really hard to eradicate out of the system, and highly contagious - someone with the bug can transfer it to someone else if they have any open wounds like a cut finger.
     

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