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 Tussilago farfara (Compositae)
COLTSFOOT, HORSEHOOF, COUGHWORT, BULL'S FOOT
The leaves and flowers have
provided herbalists with a cough remedy since the ancient Greeks tussis
means cough in Greek. They are still given by herbalists to soothe dry
irritable coughs, asthma, and bronchitis.
This plant was originally recorded as leafless because the flowers appear
directly from the ground and wither days or weeks before the first leaf emerges from the soil.
It has been considered one of the best herbs for coughs since the time of the ancient scholars Pliny and Dioscorides,
as reflected in the common name coughwort. Today, it is believed that smoking the leaves of coltsfoot benefits asthma and bronchitis sufferers.
Native to Europe and thriving on moist wasteland, it is a perennial with tough, white,
creeping stems and yellow daisy-like flowers on scaly stems in early spring. Large, downy, hoofshaped leaves are produced after flowering.
PARTS USED
Leaves, flowers.
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS
Flavonoids, including rutin, hyperoside, and isoquercetin; pyrrolizidine alkaloids; mucilage; tannins.
ACTIONS
Inhibits coughing; expectorant; soothes internal body surfaces;
anti-inflammatory; promotes wound healing locally.
MEDICINAL USE
Given to soothe dry irritable coughs, especially those with a nervous component.
It is also thought helpful in reducing the bronchial spasm of asthma and bronchitis.
PREPARATIONS
Infusion, syrup, tobacco, tincture.
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