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Coltsfoot close-up. Photo by Lisa Sheirer.
A weed is no more than a flower in disguise,
which is seen through at once,
if love give a man [or woman] eyes.
--James Russell Lowell
One of the earliest flowers of the season can now be seen on roadsides in the area. The little dandelion-like bloom, Tussilago farfara, is known as coltsfoot because its leaves are shaped like a horse's hoof. Don't look for those leaves yet, though. According to Botanicals.com, "An old name for Coltsfoot was Filius ante patrem (the son before the father), because the star-like, golden flowers appear and wither before the broad, sea-green leaves are produced." Other common names for this perennial plant include coughwort, hallfoot, horsehoof, ass's foot, foalswort, fieldhove, bullsfoot, and donnhove (possibly from "donn" meaning horse, as in "donkey") (Botanicals.com). Coltsfoot first arrived in North America from England. Its taxonomic rank is Magnoliopsida: Asterales: Asteraceae. In other words, it is in the daisy family.
Old Paris apothecaries boasted the flower's image on their doorposts (Botanicals.com). The "Tussilago" in coltsfoot's Linnaean name indicates the plant's cough-busting properties (RobiTUSSin, anyone?). "The smoking of the leaves for a cough has the recommendation of Dioscorides, Galen, Pliny, Boyle, and other great authorities, both ancient and modern, Linnaeus stating that the Swedes of his time smoked it for that purpose. Pliny recommended the use of both roots and leaves" (Botanicals.com). Smoking the plant this way is supposed to relieve asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory problems. Note, though, that we now know the roots can be toxic to the liver; one case exists of an infant's developing liver disease and dying after its mother ingested coltsfoot during her pregnancy (Peacehealth.org). Thus, only the leaves and flowers should be used.
If smoking for throat and lung relief seems counter-intuitive, a decoction (made from boiling down the plant, thus concentrating it) can be made "of one ounce of leaves in one quart of water boiled down to a pint, sweetened with honey or liquorice, and taken in teacupful doses frequently. This is good for both colds and asthma" (Botanicals.com). According to PeaceHealth.com, "Tea of coltsfoot leaf or flower is made by steeping 1-2 teaspoons (5-10 grams) in 1 cup (250 ml) hot water for ten to twenty minutes." According to Michael Castleman's The Healing Herbs, the plant "increases the activity of the microscopic hairs in the breathing tubes that move mucus out of the respiratory tract" and also "suppresses the platelet activating factor that triggers asthma attacks" (qtd. in Stallsmith, Audrey, "Colonizing Coltsfoot," at Suite101.com).
"Mucilage, bitter glycosides, and tannins are considered the major constituents of coltsfoot," according to R.F. Weiss, quoted at PeaceHealth.com. The plant's medicinal properties include being demulcent, or soothing, from the Latin verb dulmecere, to caress. "The term "demulcent" refers to an agent, such as an oil, that forms a soothing film when administered onto the surface of a mucous membrane. A demulcent is meant to relieve the irritation of the inflamed mucous membrane" (MedicineNet.com). Coltsfoot is also an expectorant, "an agent that promotes the discharge or expulsion of mucus from the respiratory tract," and a tonic, "an agent (as a drug) that increases body tone" (Medlineplus.gov). Coltsfoot should not be taken by pregnant or nursing women. Currently, no known interactions with other medicines exist (Peacehealth.org.)
Coltsfoot is not only useful as a medicine. Goldfinches take the tufts of silky hair that cover the seeds (the pappus) for lining their nests. These may have also been used by highlanders for stuffing mattresses and pillows (Botanicals.com). "Scots once believed that a prolific patch of the herb indicated an abundance of coal underneath it," says Audrey Stallsmith in "Colonizing Coltsfoot" at Suite101.com. "And the flying of the plant's fluff on a still day presaged rain. Bavarian peasants traditionally burned garlands of coltsfoot as part of their Easter celebration. Perhaps its sudden blooms symbolized resurrection to them."
In Linnaean classification, the first name is the plant's genus. The second is a nomina trivialia, or trivial name (often descriptive), applied to the species. Coltsfoot's species name is based on farfarus, the ancient name of the white poplar, which has some similarities to coltsfoot as it comes up, according to Botanicals.com. However, a closer look-alike is the butterbur, which should not be ingested. Those collecting coltsfoot for medicinal purposes must educate themselves on the differences between these plants.
According to Invasive.org, coltsfoot "invades moist, open, disturbed areas such as stream banks, ditches and fields. It readily spreads both by seed and rhizomes, allowing it to form large colonies, which can displace native species." Interestingly, it is also sold as a groundcover.
Don't look for coltsfoot on cold, rainy, foggy days (such as the one on which I am writing this). This harbinger of spring only unfurls in the sunshine. If nothing else, think of them as little mirrors of the sun dotting the roadside for your pleasure.
Disclaimer: The author provides this information for educational purposes only. Eating or using wild plants for medicinal purposes can be dangerous or fatal and should not be undertaken without extensive research and the ability to correctly identify plants. Also, it is important to know which plants are endangered and to leave them growing in the wild. Never take the last specimen of a plant in an area--always leave four or more for reproduction.
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