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Tussilago farfara - L.

Coltsfoot

Author	L.	Botanical references	17, 200
Family	Compositae	Genus	Tussilago
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	3 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	3 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.22m by 1m at a fast rate.

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

Woodland Garden; Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Meadow; Hedgerow;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Flowers; Leaves.

Edible Uses: 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

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

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].

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.

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: The Edible Lawn.

References

[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. 0
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. 0
An excellent small herbal.

[176] Yeung. Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, Los Angeles 1985
An excellent Chinese herbal giving information on over 500 species. Rather technical and probably best suited to the more accomplished user of herbs.

[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

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Tussilago farfara

Matthew Richardson (xhosa@tardis.ed.ac.uk) Thu Mar 23 2006

I believe that the reference to Tussilago farfara being used as a salt substitute are incorrect, or at leats misquoted. the two references are to American texts, and in America coltsfoot is the common name for the Petasites family, which IS used as a salt substitute. Certainly, dried and scorched Tussilago ssp. don't have the salty taste that Petasites plants do when treated in the same way.

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