Pegasus Health Comfrey

Pegasus Health

Comfrey for horses is best-known for healing bone, cartilage and soft tissue. Because of these properties it is sometimes nicknamed 'knitbone' and ‘bruisewort’.

But Comfrey for horses, made from Comfrey Leaf, is also an effective anti-inflammatory which can help with equine arthritis and to help reduce any gastric inflammation in cases of ulcers and colitis.

If you suspect your horse has colic you must seek veterinary advice.

Comfrey also acts as an expectorant in horses suffering from respiratory illness.


Comfrey for horses contains:

• Allantoin
• Vitamin B12
• Protein
• Tannic acid
• Alkaloids
• Essential oil
• Carotene
• Glycosides
• Beta-sitosterol
• Steroidal saponins

Feed to:

• Horses who have suffered knocks, bruises and bumps
• Horses with damaged ligaments and cartilage
• Horses with arthritic conditions and joint pain
• Horses with respiratory infections
• Horses with chipped bones
• Horses with gastric illness or stomach discomfort

100% cut Comfrey Leaf (Symphytum officinale).

	g per day
Horses & Ponies	30 - 50

A 900g refill fed at 45g per day will last 20 days.

The name Comfrey comes from the Latin word ‘confervere’ meaning 'to heal'. Its botanic name, ‘Symphytum’, is Greek for 'to grow together'. Both these names describe this plant’s primary benefit to horses - which is to speed up healing through the presence of a substance called allantoin, which accelerates the production of new cells.

Comfrey for horses has been found to break down red blood cells, making it a useful treatment for bruising. It can be taken internally as a food supplement or applied externally as a poultice or made into an ointment.

Comfrey for horses is an excellent source of Vitamin B12. It is one of only two plants that contain this vitamin - the other one is Alfalfa.


Comfrey is a fast-growing plant with big, hairy leaves which can spread like wildfire. It is native to Europe and parts of Asia, growing in damp, grassy places, and grows profusely throughout Britain on river banks and ditches. It is a fleshy plant that needs lots of water which is why it is often found in wet or boggy places.

Herbalists have sung the praises of Comfrey Leaf for hundreds of years. The plant has been cultivated since about 400 B.C. as a healing herb. In medieval Britain, Comfrey was the key treatment from broken bones, and this is when it is believed to have acquired the name ‘knitbone’. People would pound the root of the plant to make it into a moist and sticky substance which was then wrapped around the broken bone and would eventually harden and hold the bone in place.

Ointments made from Comfrey Leaf were often applied to the skin to heal bruises as well as to help treat pulled muscles and strained ligaments and ease the symptoms of arthritis.
 
Many herbs, including Comfrey for horses, can be fed in their dried form, but to speed up their effects you can also make an infusion with the herb which allows the active constituents to be more quickly and easily absorbed by the horse.



Comfrey is an anti-inflammatory that will help reduce inflammation of the stomach lining so owners have used it for conditions including ulcers, colic and colitis - but Pegasus Health recommends that if you suspect your horse is suffering from any of these serious conditions you should obtain professional veterinary advice before using herbal treatments like Comfrey for horses.

Comfrey is said to work well to help respiratory conditions. It is an expectorant that can soothe and reduce any irritation.

Down the years many horse owners have allowed their horses to graze on Comfrey leaves growing wild and say that it has helped them develop glossy coats and generally enhance their condition and wellbeing.

In common with many herbs, excessive, long-term and continual use of Comfrey for horses is not advisable.