Botanical Name: Symphytum officinale
Common Names: Gum plant, healing herb, knitback, slippery
root
Medicinal
Properties: Demulcent, astringent, pectoral, vulnerary, mucilaginous,
styptic, nutritive
Powerful remedy in coughs, catarrh, ulceration or inflammation of lungs, consumption, hemorrhage, excessive expectoration in asthma, and tuberculosis. Very valuable in ulceration of the kidneys, stomach or bowels, or when sore. The best remedy for bloody urine.
Give fomentations wrung out of the strong hot tea in bad bruises, swellings, sprains, fractures, and it will greatly reduce the swelling and relieve the pain. Also give as fomentation in boils.
A poultice of the fresh leaves is excellent for ruptures, sore breasts, fresh wounds, ulcers, white swellings, burns, bruises, and sores. The tea taken intemally is useful in scrofula, anemia, dysentery, diarrhea, leucorrhea, and female debility. Has an excellent effect on inward bruises and pains. A poultice of the fresh leaves is excellent for gangrenous sores, gangrene, mortifications, and moist ulcers.
Adopted from Kloss, 1939