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Comfrey is the common name of a plant recently introduced in the college farm. We are now conducting field experiments to find the effect of different organic manures on this fodder crop. Comfrey is claimed to be world's fastest protein builder and many believe that it is an answer to the problem of hunger.

Comfrey can be easily mistaken for tobacco or wild cabbage but it belongs to the borage ( Boraginaceae) family. It is not a leguminous plant. It is a cultivated hybrid mixture belonging to the species Symphytum. Many species of symphytum grow wild in Europe and West Asia, and a high-yielding strain was first developed in St.Petersburg, Russia. A strain imported from Russia into Britain at the beginning of the century was called the Russian comfrey. In 1954 a few thousand root cuttings were sent to Canada where it was renamed as Quaker Comfrey to avoid any connections with Russia! Since then, comfrey has been introduced as a fodder crop in Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Japan and the USA. We received our stock from the USA in the form of root cuttings.

Dr. William Roberts, the founder of the Far East Broadcasting Corporation, visited our college farm last year and later made appeals over the radio in the USA for contributions to India. Dr. E.A. Grauer, who has a comfrey farm in the state of Washington in the northwest part of USA, heard the program and was moved to send some comfrey cuttings to India. A meeting was arranged with Mr Arthur Morris from Madras and the root-cuttings were flown to Madras and kept in cold storage for them to sprout. The wonder plant was offered to us free last July.

We set out experimental plots in the nursery. We planted the cuttings under the soil in experimental plots. After many days of anxious waiting the first leaves came out.

News reached the original donor in the US who flew in to see it for himself. He arrived in October and traveled from Bombay in the flight earlier than the ill-fated Indian Airlines flight which met with the accident. Passengers of the ill-fated caravel flight included some who had traveled with him from New York to Bombay. The TV news in America reported about the accident and Mrs. Grauer had assumed that her husband had died in the crash till his voice over the telephone reassured her.

The Grauers also manufacture and sell medicines made out of comfrey, which has been known for its medical properties for many centuries to European herbalists. The healing principle is called allantoin which is also found in South Indian plants such as Datura metel (vel oomathai) and Aristolochia indica.

Comfrey can produce about three tons of protein per acre from an yield of 100 tons of fresh leaf. It is also rich in minerals and vitamins. Comfrey is believed to be the only land plant to extract vitamin B₁₂ from the soil.

Comfrey can be eaten or cooked as hot herb or taken as comfrey tea. There are recipes for comfrey soup, comfrey chutney, root marmalade and candied comfrey root. The leaves can be dried and ground to flour which can be used in many ways. Comfrey flour can also be mixed in animal feed to be used in the farm. Animals and birds can be fed with fresh leaves. The leaves can be stored in the form of pellets and cubes.

Comfrey is a little difficult to establish. Many young plants have died due to excessive heat. It is also attacked by local insect pests such as grasshoppers and caterpillars. However, once it is established, its roots go several feet deep and it will remain a hardy perennial for years. It has pretty mauve and white bell-shaped flowers but seed formation is rare. It is propagated by root cuttings. Well established plants thrive on raw farm and sewerage manure..

Will comfrey survive in our hot climate? Will it prove to be an answer to our country's growing food problem? We have to wait for a few more months. If the crop survives this summer then we can say with confidence that it can be grown in our land. It may be an answer to our problems of malnutrition and disease.