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Tussilago farfara
| Common name: |
Coltsfoot |
Family: |
Compositae |
| Author: |
L. |
Botanical references: |
17, 200 |
| Synonyms: |
|
| Known Hazards: |
The plant contains traces of liver-affecting pyrrolizidine alkaloids and is potentially toxic in large doses[222]. These alkaloids have not proved toxic at low dosages in tests and there is no suggestion that this plant should not be used medicinally[238]. |
| Range: |
Europe, including Britain, from Norway south and east to N. Africa, western and northern Asia. |
| Habitat: |
Damp habitats, frequently on alkaline clays, in hedgebanks, roadsides, wasteland, often as a pioneer, and on dunes and shingle in coastal zones[200]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
3 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 3 |
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Ass's Foot [H], Bullsfoot [H], Clayweed [H], Cleats [H], Colt's-foot [L,B], Coltsfoot [H,P,E,MS], Coughwort [H], Donnhove [H], Farfara [E], Fieldhove [H], Foalswort [H], Hallfoot [H], Horsehoof [H], Huki-Tanpopo [E], K'Uan Tung [E], Klein Hoefblad [D], Oksurukotu [E], Son-before-father [H], To Wu [E], Tusilago [E], |
| Systematics: | From a USDA
Plants Database |
|
Order: Asterales. Renamed to Asteraceae -- Aster family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Chile; China; Elseewhere; Eurasia; France; Spain; Turkey
|
| Noxious, Invasive and Injurious Weeds | From USDA
PLANTS database, Weeds Australia
, DEFRA Injurious Weeds | | Listed as noxious/invasive for: Oregon. |
Physical Characteristics
Perennial growing to 0.22m by 1m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 5. It is in flower from February to April, and the seeds ripen from March to May. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees and flies.
The plant is self-fertile.
We rate it 3/5 for edibility and
3/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.
It requires moist soil.
The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Meadow, Hedgerow, Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.Edible Uses
Flowers; Leaves; Salt; Tea.
Flower buds and young flowers - raw or cooked[46, 183]. A pleasant
aniseed flavour[K], they add a distinctive aromatic flavour to salads[9].
Young leaves - raw or cooked[9, 46, 183]. They can be used in salads, added
to soups, or cooked as a vegetable[238]. The leaves have a bitter taste
unless they are washed after being boiled[179].
An aromatic tea is made from the fresh or dried leaves and flowers[183]. It
has a liquorice-like flavour[238].
The dried and burnt leaves are used as a salt substitute[102, 183].
The slender rootstock is candied in sugar syrup[183].
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Antitussive; Astringent; Bitter; Demulcent; Diaphoretic; Emollient; Expectorant; Skin; Stimulant; Tonic.
An effective demulcent and expectorant herb, coltsfoot is one of the
most popular European remedies for the treatment of a wide range of chest
complaints[254]. It is widely available in health food shops. The leaves are
commonly used in Europe, though the flowering stems (which contain higher
levels of pyrrolizidine alkaloids) are preferred in China[254]. They are rich
in mucilage and are the main parts used, though the root is also sometimes
employed[4, 244]. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids have a toxic effect upon the liver,
but are largely destroyed when the plant is boiled to make a decoction[254].
Some caution should be employed in the use of this remedy - the flowers
should not be used except under professional supervision, the leaves should
not be used for more than 4 - 6 weeks at a time, the herb should not be taken
whilst pregnant or breast-feeding and it should not be given to children
under the age of six[254].
Modern research has shown that extracts of the whole plant can increase
immune resistance[254]. In a Chinese trial 75% of patients suffering from
bronchial asthma showed some improvement after treatment with this plant,
though the anti-asthmatic effect was short-lived[254].
The leaves are harvested in June and early July, the flowers are harvested
when fully open and the root is harvested in the autumn. All can be dried and
used as required[4].
The plant is antitussive, astringent, demulcent, emollient, expectorant,
stimulant and tonic. It is widely used in the treatment of coughs and
respiratory problems[4, 7, 9, 13, 21, 54, 165, 176, 218] and is often candied
so that it can be sucked as a sweet[4]. The plant is of particular use in the
treatment of chronic emphysema and silicosis, helping to relieve the
persistent cough associated with these conditions[244]. Coltsfoot is
particularly effective when used in combination with liquorice (Glycyrrhiza
species), thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and wild cherry (Prunus serotina)[254].
A poultice of the flowers has a soothing effect on a range of skin disorders
including eczema, ulcers, sores, bites and inflammations[7, 238].
A bitter, tonic and diaphoretic preparation can be obtained from the
root[7]. We have a more details factsheet on the history and medicinal use of this plant. Email webmaster@pfaf.org for details.
Other Uses
Compost; Oil; Soil stabilization; Stuffing; Tinder.
The soft down on the underside of the leaves is used as a stuffing
material[53, 54]. When wrapped in a rag, dipped in saltpetre and dried in the
sun it makes an excellent tinder[4].
Plants have an extensive root system and are used to stabilize banks[200].
The leaves are a valuable addition to the compost heap[200].
Cultivation details
A very easily grown plant, it succeeds in most soils when grown in full
sun[14]. It prefers a moist neutral to alkaline soil and will also succeed in
partial shade[238].
Plants are hardy to about -29°c[238].
Coltsfoot is a very tough plant that is more than capable of looking after
itself. When well sited its roots will spread very freely sending up new
shoots at some distance from the clump even if growing amongst dense weed
competition[K]. This can make it a problem weed in gardens[200], so either
choose your site with care or find some means of restraining it such as by
planting in a large tub that is buried in the ground[K]. The rhizomes can lay
dormant in the soil for many years, emerging when the soil is disturbed[200].
Propagation
Seed - the plant does not usually require help with spreading itself
around, but if required the seed can be sown in situ in early spring or
autumn.
Division of the roots is very easy and succeeds at almost any time in the
year. The divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions.
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
PFAF Web Pages
This plant is mentioned in the following web pages
Web References
- Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [V] Images
from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A&M Bioinformatics Working Group.
- [B] Data
(Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
- [PHARM] Phytochemical Data
(common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
References for tussilago farfara (a possible synonym).
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
[13] Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975 ISBN 0-600-33545-3
Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore.
[14] Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press 1979 ISBN 0-87857-262-7
A good herbal.
[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[53] De. Bray. L. The Wild Garden.
Interesting reading.
[54] Hatfield. A. W. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd 1977 ISBN 0-584-10141-4
Interesting reading.
[102] Kavasch. B. Native Harvests. Vintage Books 1979 ISBN 0-394-72811-4
Another guide to the wild foods of America.
[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
An excellent small herbal.
[176] Yeung. Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, Los Angeles 1985
A very good Chinese herbal.
[179] Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977
A translation of an ancient Chinese book on edible wild foods. Fascinating.
[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
[244] Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs Pan Books Ltd. London. 1990 ISBN 0-330-30725-8
Deals with all types of herbs including medicinal, culinary, scented and dye plants. Excellent photographs with quite good information on each plant.
[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
Readers Comments
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Bibliography
Plant information taken from the
Plants For A Future -
Species Database.
Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963 This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Tussilago+farfara
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