Coltsfoot

While yet the dew is on the ground,

Gather those flowers

Shakespeare

Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)

Color – Yellow

Height – 3-18 inches high

Blooms – March – June

Habitat – Damp ground, stream banks, and waste places

Properties – Medicinal

Non-Native

This charming plant, a member of the Aster family, is a naturalized immigrant from Europe. It is highly unusual in that its flowers appear before the leaves. As a result, many casual observers have been likely to mistake the leaves and blossoms as two separate plants. In fact, this plant has fooled even experts, for ancient botanists classified the flower as a leafless plant.

But leafless, it is not; and though tardy, the leaves are particularly lovely. They are large (5 -8 inches long, 3 -7 inches wide) stand erect, and are angularly lobed, resembling the shape of a colt hoof, hence its common name.  They are smooth and green, with prominent veins, and have a white, cottony underside. Often they appear just as the flower goes to seed: a white puffball, not unlike that of a dandelion.

Indeed, its yellow, composite flower has been likened to the dandelion, to which it is related. But unlike the dandelion, which is composed of only strap-shaped flowers, its flowers are composed of both ray and disk flowers. The leafless stems of the flower wear a downy fuzz and resemble asparagus, in that they bear red-tipped bracts.

The leaves grow from separate shoots on the underground rhizome. This rhizome, or rootstock, as well as the leaves, have traditionally been used for medicinal purposes.

The botanical name, Tussilago, means literally, cough dispeller, revealing the plant’s long history as a medicinal herb. In fact, early apothecaries used to display a picture of the leaf on their shop door, in order to alert the mostly non-reading public that they carried healing herbs, for its curative powers were widely known.

Coltsfoot contains flavonoids, which are anti-spasmodic and anti-inflammatory. The plant acts as an expectorant (helping to bring up phlegm) and as a demulcent (working to coat and soothe tissue) in fact, in Europe, it is one of the most widely used herbs for chest problems. While Europeans use mostly the leaf, the Chinese prefer the flower. However, the flower is much higher in pyrrolizidine alkaloids (one of the plant’s constituents) which may be toxic to the liver. In both countries the preferred plant part is made into a decoction ( where the plant is gently boiled to reduce the liquid, intensifying its potency.)

It is used as both a syrup for coughs, and as a cigarette for asthma. Also, research has shown that extracts of the whole plant increase the immune system.

Cautions: Do not use the flower, and do not take the leaves for over 3-4 weeks. Do not use if pregnant or nursing. Use for adults only. There are legal restrictions on the use of this plant in some countries.