dislocations and bruises in those boggier parts of the north and west from
which Symphytum officinale (comfrey), elsewhere used for those, is largely
or wholly absent. Its rhizomes, like those of comfrey, contain an astringent
mucilage with an apparently similar soothing and relaxing effect. These were
collected from young plants, chopped up, steeped in water and the resulting
liquid bathed on the injured joint or other part. This use is on record in
Britain from Cumberland,^24 Westmoreland and Furness,^25 the Scottish High-
lands^26 and Colonsay in the Inner Hebrides.^27
Pteridophytes and Conifers 57Osmunda regalis, royal fern (Bock 1556, p. 206)