Common Comfrey - Symphytum officinale

Comfrey can be found on a number of Bournemouth's countryside sites. The flowers vary in colour, and can be cream, white, purple or pink. Comfrey was once used as an early version of plaster of Paris. A paste was made from the roots, which were dug up in the spring and then grated to produce a kind of sludge. It was then applied to broken limbs. It would dry hard, and help the bone to heal. This gave rise to the other names for the plant, Boneset and Knitbone. The common name, Comfrey, comes from the Latin conferre, 'to bring together'.

The plant had numerous uses amongst medieval herbalists  -  it was used to draw splinters, as well as for healing ruptures, and a drink could be made that was supposed to help with back pains. In more modern times, juice obtained from the roots was mixed with sugar and liquorice to produce a linctus for treating coughs. In terms of a source of food, Comfrey can be boiled like spinach and then eaten as greens.

As I understand, it can also be used to make a good compost.