Comfrey is noted by both organic gardeners and herbalists for its great usefulness and versatility. Of particular interest is the 'Bocking 14' cultivar of Russian comfrey. This strain was developed during the 1950s by Lawrence D. Hills, who founded the organic gardening organisation now known as Garden Organic.

Lawrence D. Hills was the world authority on comfrey. In this book, originally published in 1976, he wrote for farmers and gardeners in all countries, showing how this useful plant could be cultivated in both tropical and temperate zones to produce a crop equally rewarding for gardener, smallholder and mechanised farmer.

Subtitled Past, Present and Future, Hills's work remains the most comprehensive survey of the properties and cultivation of comfrey, and undoubtedly the essential book on the subject, as well as a lasting testament to his indefatigable efforts to achieve a better understanding of it.