Farming Comfrey and CBD: Our Farm and Roots in the Catskills
Catskills Comfrey is our small medicinal farm in Delaware County, located in upstate NY. Our comfrey plants are completely ‘clean and green’, and never treated with herbicides, pesticides, or anything else you would not want on your skin. We fertilize the comfrey with a shovelful of aged horse manure and let our plants naturally soak up the fresh sun, air, and water of the Catskills.
Within 48 hours of harvest we dry, crush and store the comfrey (in airtight containers) to preserve freshness and maintain its high-strength potency.
With nearly 400 comfrey plants in the ground, we put a high concentration of comfrey into every ointment batch we produce. Calendula and arnica have been added to our fields and provide brilliant colors of orange and yellow to our seasonal harvests.
In 2019, we planted CBD-dominant, medicinal hemp, which has allowed us to infuse the hemp bud directly into our ointments. We know where our CBD comes from — our upper pasture.
OUR ROOTS
Understand that each and every ointment we make, regardless of ‘flavor’, contains the same, high concentration of comfrey. Our comfrey leaves when harvested are a rich green tone and fully reflected in the deep, intense emerald green of our final comfrey ‘base’ of fractionated coconut oil (MCT), Greek olive oil, and infused comfrey.
ARTISANAL ALL THE WAY
Catskills Comfrey is truly an artisanal product. We raise, transplant, and grow all the comfrey used in our products.
We harvest it. We trim it. We dry it. We crush it. We store it. We infuse it. We pour it. We label it. We shrink-wrap it.
Essentially, we do everything associated with the production of Catskills Comfrey ointments. There are no fancy machines involved to facilitate the process.
THE INFUSION PROCESS
Catskills Comfrey ointments are produced through the infusion process. This is a centuries-old technique that transfers the essential ingredients of the herbs to the coconut and Greek olive oils by immersing the herbs in the oils and warming them to a low temperature for an extended period of time.
The oils take in all the benefits of the infused plants: comfrey, arnica, calendula, hemp, and the Carolina Reaper chili pepper.
The base oils used in Catskills Comfrey are MCT (fractionated coconut oil) and Greek olive oils, which are considered some of the best moisturizing oils you can apply to your skin.
There is a soft, earthy smell to our ointments, primarily due to the comfrey. They are quickly absorbed, carrying the benefits of the infused herbs to your underlying tissue, muscles, bone, and skin, as well.
We do NOT use any essential oil, essences, or fragrances, as these processes may limit the actual medicinal benefits of the plants.
The infusion process provides a full-spectrum extraction of the plant material, ensuring that our ointments provide the highest possible medicinal benefit. The infusion process further ensures that all of the plant's benefits and attributes stay together and work as nature intended - and as found in the original plant. The Entourage Effect lives here.
BENEFITS
There are many reputable reports on the benefits of comfrey for skincare. Comfrey’s active ingredient, allantoin, is one of the most important cell-proliferants. Essentially, comfrey encourages cell growth, helping the body do what it naturally wants to do but only with more vigor and rapidity.
Comfrey is an anti-inflammatory with additional moisturizing benefits. The associated benefits of arnica, calendula, medicinal hemp, and chili pepper are extensively documented. Refer to our Resources and References for numerous informative articles.
Bring Our Farm Home With You
From our upper pasture to your daily skincare routine, there’s something special about knowing where the products you buy come from. That’s the feeling we put into every Catskills Comfrey cream.
Whether you’ve chosen our comfrey for encouraging new cell growth, our full-spectrum CBD for achy muscle relief, or our arnica and calendula to relieve the irritation and soothe a bit of rough skin, we’re grateful you’ve decided to make us a part of your day.
If you’d like to keep up with what’s new on the farm and get details on new products or sales before anyone else, be sure to join our newsletter below. We’d love to keep in touch with you!