Oct

Coltsfoot for coughs

Posted by frann under Not so common herbs

The Coltsfoot discussed in this post is the European type, Tussilago farfara, which is found across Europe. It grows to a height of around 22cm (9″), but a single plant will cover a meter (3′) of ground. It’s happy in any soil, even very alkaline soil, and will cope with either full sun or semi-shade. Keep it restricted to avoid an invasion.

Several plants are called coltsfoot in the US, but these are mostly Petasites species, and should not be confused with the European coltsfoot, which has flowers similar to the dandelion. These appear before the leaves, which only show when the seed has set and “resemble a colt’s foot in cross section” according to Wikipedia. The European coltsfoot was introduced to the US, so may be found growing wild in places.

Coltsfoot is not suitable for pregnant or nursing women, or children under the age of 6. In any case, treatment should be continued for a maximum of 4-6 weeks, after which either use other remedies or consult a physician.

Coltsfoot is used mainly as a cough treatment, for which home users without training should use the leaves only. Don’t use the flowers unless under a herbalist’s supervision. Make a standard infusion from 30g (1 oz) of dried leaves or 3 handfuls of fresh to 570 ml (2.5 US cups, 1 UK pint) of boiling water. Allow to stand for at least 10 minutes, then strain and take 1 tablespoonful when required. The same infusion can also be used for reducing fevers.

There is a recipe for lung repair recommended by Dr Elise Wright of AllExperts.com which contains 1 part coltsfoot, 1 part uva ursi and 2 parts great mullein by volume. The dose is a teaspoonful per cup twice a day.

If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you will not be surprised to hear that, like all herbs used for medicinal purposes, coltsfoot should be grown organically. To find out more about growing organic coltsfoot, visit the Gardenzone.

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