Coltsfoot or Tussilago Farfara, is a species of plant in the family Asteraceae, traditionally used for medicines. Coltsfoot is a perennial herbaceous plant that spreads by seeds and rhizomes.
Occurrence and appearance of coltsfoot.
Coltsfoot is native to Europe and Asia and is listed as an invasive species in the Americas. The yellow flowers on 10-30 cm long, scaled stems appear in early spring, before dandelions bloom. The blue-green leaves, which resemble a hoof print in cross-section, usually appear after the seeds are formed. These are attached to silky umbrellas and are readily used by small birds to line their nests. The palm-sized leaves, with their thick, felt-like undersides, occur in rosettes. Coltsfoot is native to Europe and Asia and is listed as an invasive species in the Americas. The plant prefers desolate habitats, such as gravel and sand dunes, roadsides, wastelands, dumps, or riverbanks. In gardens and pastures, coltsfoot is a troublesome weed that is difficult to eradicate.
Application and use
The mainly medicinal use of coltsfoot refers mainly to the flowers (Farfarae Flos) and the leaves (Farfarae Folium), which are collected and prepared separately. The main constituents are flavonoids, about 8 percent mucilages (consisting of polysaccharides), pyrrolizidine alkaloids, about 10 percent tannins, zinc, and vitamin C. The pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which are broken down in the liver, have a hepatotoxic effect, which is why the duration of use should be limited for leaves collected by the user. Growers usually use alkaloid-free cultivars. The polysaccharides in coltsfoot have anti-inflammatory as well as immune-stimulating properties. Similarly, the flavonoids have anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic effects. While in the Asian region the use of flowers is preferred, in Europe the use of leaves is predominant. Of these, mainly the sun-exposed, clean specimens are collected, which are quickly cut up and dried or pressed. The pressed juice or prepared coltsfoot syrup can be taken directly or is used, for example, in cosmetics as an additive for shampoo against the formation of dandruff. In medical use, mainly decoctions are used as tea or for poultices. In older treatises there is also the use of coltsfoot as smoke by burning the dried plant on cypress charcoal. In earlier times, the dry leaves were also used as tinder and in some regions the silky seeds were used to stuff mattresses and pillows.
Importance for health, treatment and prevention
Coltsfoot has been used since ancient times primarily to relieve diseases of the lungs and bronchi, which is reflected in its botanical name, Tusslilago = cough. Although clinical research is quite divided about its efficacy, the German BGA recommends coltsfoot tea for the treatment of mucosal inflammation of the mouth and throat, and for the relief of cough irritation in bronchial catarrh. The flavonoids in coltsfoot possess anti-inflammatory as well as antiseptic properties that relieve spasms in the lungs in patients with asthma and bronchitis attacks, making breathing easier. The anti-inflammatory properties of polysaccharides relax damaged lung tissue and have an expectorant and invigorating effect on the respiratory tract. Classical natural medicine distinguishes in the use of fresh and dried leaves. While fresh leaves or their juice are suitable for treatment of dry cough or shortness of breath, applications of dried leaves should be used mainly by patients with pneumoconiosis or chronic bronchitis. In addition to relieving cough and bronchial congestion, coltsfoot is also effective in treating other conditions, such as headaches, asthma, irritation of the stomach and intestines, laryngitis, and nasal cavity congestion. Decoctions with elderberry flowers can be used as moist compresses for swellings, inflammations or for burns. Coltsfoot flowers are also a component of ointments for the treatment of skin diseases such as eczema, wounds, inflammations or ulcers.Treatment of cough by means of herbal cigarettes, which, in addition to other expectorant substances, mainly contain coltsfoot leaves, is partially discouraged, since the smoke again irritates the affected mucous membranes. Because of the ambiguous effects of the pyrrolizidinal alkaloids, pregnant and nursing women are advised against taking coltsfoot products.
