Thanks "Evie123" for sharing thread. It's an informative. Have you used any nutrients during growing process.

To clear up some misconceptions: First, comfrey does not have proven efficacy against tooth decay, either as a preventative or to reverse decay that's already underway. Safety as a mouth rinse is probably not a major concern apart from possible local irritation, if one is careful not to swallow any. Many responsible herbalists recommend against any internal use of comfrey because of the risk of pyrrolizidine alkaloid toxicity, implicated in some cases of acute liver failure and a concern for possible carcinogenicity. Oral formulations are banned in most countries for this reason. Young children are especially susceptible to toxicity from comfrey (even a few days of taking comfrey internally can be fatal). Contrary to what's been stated, acute liver failure is not a significant consideration when it comes to use of NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). Tylenol (acetominophen, which can be hepatotoxic) is not an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) like aspirin or Motrin. Tylenol is not an anti-inflammatory agent - it works by a different mechanism than NSAIDS to reduce pain and fever. Used in proper dosage and not combined with other things that can damage the liver (i.e alcohol) it is a generally safe as well as effective drug. The real problem is when people take too much, which may happen when they combine or otherwise overdose on over-the-counter cold meds. The big difference between Tylenol and comfrey is that Tylenol is a proven effective drug. Comfrey may have limited value in topical pain control (when applied for limited periods on unbroken skin), but in general the claims made for it have not been backed by quality studies (something to consider when weighing a decision whether to ingest it). You cannot count on drying to significantly reduce the harmful alkaloids. Unfortunately, you also can't count on comfrey sellers to be knowledgeable and upfront about the composition of their products in our current, largely unregulated supplement market. I rarely take acetominophen, but feel a lot more confident about its safety than I do comfrey. And based on what we've seen already, if Americans began to ingest comfrey as commonly as they do acetominophen, it's extremely likely that comfrey would quickly pass acetominophen as the leading cause of acute liver failure in the U.S.

Thanks bunches, everyone, for hanging in there through this thread. Kevin, I didn't say it before, but it's good to hear a from a local. Too bad you're having the same problems. My plants haven't lost any leaves, but if they do, I won't panic as much because of your experiences. And it's weird - night temps around the windows range from 58-62, which are the same as out in the room, depending on outside temps. Kev and Jane - this winter in MN has been closer to normal than the last number of years. Wonder if orchid growers had these problems back then. Do y'all remember? Holly, thanks for the offer of the Messenger. Your private message arrived, too. Right now, I'm trying the baking soda. One variable at a time. If things get worse, I may be hollering. Maypoplaurel, glad to have your voice of experience. Sorry you had problems w/ virus earlier. It's good to hear most of my plants look relatively okay to you. You said, "spots on the leaves ... can be anything from fert deficiency to fungal, but the leaves that are dimpling are, in my opinion, more of a concern. Temp. shifts can do it, drastic light changes can do it (too much), panic sprays and treatments or bacteria can do it." Maybe it's bacteria or fungus spawned by the cold. Ferts are on a regular, color-coded :) system, along w/ leaching. Temps have been in a stable range this winter, although sometimes too cool. Light's been stable. No panic sprays or treatments, although I was tempted to blast the whole place, but with what? Ray & Sc - thanks for the good wishes. My calendar's marked for mid-April to take pix of the problem kids. WC8

For an annual, try the big nicotianas: n. mutabalis(I grew this variety this year and it reached 6' but the flowerswere paltry, small pinkish-white and few - leaves were about 2.5'x 1'W); n. sylvestris, n.alba. Stunning plants that will take just about any siting without complaint. Bugs and diseases don't seem to like them at all - probably b/c they are in the tobacco family.