Cough Dispeller

Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) is a little daisy that is distributed through Europe down to North Africa and northern Asia; and now spread likely by settlers use as a medicinal plant to North and South America.

Coltsfoot’s flowers look somewhat like Dandelions, but its common name comes from the shape of the leaves which resemble a colt’s foot. Others describe them as heart shaped.

Its scientific generic name comes from its long herbal tradition as “cough dispeller”. Coltsfoot has a history of use for a number of culinary uses (such as for salads, as a vegetable, as a tea with a liquorice-like flavor, and burnt leaves used as a salt substitute), as well as a tobacco substitute, but caution is advised due to the presence of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (see below).

The plant is sometimes used for soil or bank stabilization, as they have an extensive root system.

Coltsfoot has a long history of use in herbalism in various traditions, including traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and western herbalism.

Coltsfoot has been one of the most popular herbs for a wide range of respiratory conditions, including coughs, asthma, emphysema, silicosis, and bronchitis.  This is mainly because of its mucilaginous and soothing properties.

It is also used topically for a number of skin conditions, such as eczema and wound healing.

It does, however, contain hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids which has led to restrictions in some countries for its sale unless the PA level can be proven to be under a certain threshold.

There is some controversy around this because case reports of toxicity suspected of misidentification (due to other herbs), also the boiling of the plant to make a decoction largely destroys these compounds.

Due to these concerns, there is also a variety of Coltsfoot has been developed which produces no pyrrolizidine alkaloids.
Through scientific investigation, Coltsfoot has been found to exhibit anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and expectorant properties.

**This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal physician.