The Herbarium
Part XII · Lookalikes
Field pair
Comfrey for borage
Comfrey and Borage — take this sheet to the bed, not a guess to the kettle.
Toxic mix-upTea kettle
Comfrey for borage
Bristly borages. Internal comfrey is a pyrrolizidine problem. Borage leaf is a cucumber nibble — and still not a daily tea.
Comfrey has sandpapery, lance leaves and coiled bells, often purple. Borage is intensely bristly, with sky-blue star flowers. Neither belongs in a daily kettle. Comfrey is for teaching, not for the cup.
The Herbarium — a teaching catalog, not a clinic. Traditional use is history, not a prescription. USDA 6b dates are a week either way, not a promise. Do not eat, drink, or harvest a plant you cannot name.