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The Apothecary: Coltsfoot
By Adam Kane |
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Tussilago Farfara, otherwise known as coltsfoot, is a small plant which can be a flu's worst enemy. Coltsfoot can be found growing wild as early as February and continues to grow until June. It can be found growing along roadsides and by streams or brooks.
Coltsfoot has small yellow flowers similar to a dandelion. The flower stalks are thick and pinkish in color with large scales covering them. One unusual attribute of coltsfoot is that the flowers bloom long before the leaves are ever seen; this is usually the exact opposite in most plants. It is not until late spring or early summer that you can find the large heart-shaped leaves sprouting. The name coltsfoot is derived from its leaves which are said to resemble a horse's hoof in shape.
The flower stalks are the first part of the plant you will want to harvest since they appear so much earlier than the leaves. An infusion of the stalks is often used as a tonic because they contain many nutrients such as calcium, potassium,
sulpher, vitamin C, and tannin.
The stalks are best known, however, for the large amount of mucilage in them. It is because of this that coltsfoot has a strong demulcent property since the mucilage coats and lubricates the throat. A syrup can be made from the flower stalks by boiling them in water with honey or sugar; the syrup can then be taken for a dry cough.
When the leaves of the plant begin to sprout they can be harvested, dried, and crushed. The leaves are used in an infusion as both an expectorant and a pectoral. The hot infusion will loosen up phlegm in both the lungs and the sinuses. It is still used in many over-the-counter medicines for this purpose. It should also be noted that you should not use a cough suppressant with coltsfoot. Coltsfoot will loosen phlegm so that it can be eliminated by coughing and gotten out of your system; a cough suppressant prevents you from coughing up the phlegm that you need to expel.
The crushed leaves have also been smoked in the past both as a healthy alternative to tobacco and to treat coughing and wheezing as in asthma and bronchitis. Coltsfoot is found in many of the tobacco-free smoking mixes today.
Coltsfoot has been a favorite herb among herbalists for centuries. In fact it was used as the symbol of apothecaries in Paris for quite some time. It seems only natural that it is used so extensively by herbalists today and can be found easily in most health food stores. |
  
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