Tussilago farfara

Tussilago farfara [Image]. [2014]. Retrieved from: http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/potd/2007/04/tussilago_farfara.php

Common name: 
Coltsfoot
(Hoffman, 1983, p. 186)

Latin binomial:
Tussilago farfara
(Hoffman, 1983, p. 186)

Family: 
Asteraceae
(Burke, Giese, Tanguay-Colucci, Ulbricht, Varghese, Weissner, Windsor, Woods, 2013)
 

Parts used:
Dried flowers and leaves
(Hoffman, 1983, p. 186)
 

Active constituents:

Flowers:

• Mucin
• Flavenoids
• Rutin
• Carotene
• Taraxanthin
• Arnidiol
• Faradiol
• Tannin
• Essential oil

(Hoffman, 1983, p. 186)

Leaves: 

• Mucin
• Abundent tannins
• Glycosidal bitter
• Insulin
• Siyosterol
• Zinc 

 (Hoffman, 1983, p. 186)

Actions:

• Expectorant
• Anti-tussive
• Demulcant
• Anti catarrahal
• Diuretic

(Hoffman, 1983, p. 186)
 

Indications:

• Chronic or acute bronchitis
• Irritating coughs
• Whooping cough
• Asthma
• Emphysema
• Cystitis
• Boils
• Assesses
• Suppurating ulcers

(Hoffman, 1983, p. 186)

Contraindications:

• Avoid in pregnant or breastfeeding women due to insufficient evidence.
• Use cautiously when ingested orally. Due to its pyrrolizidine alkaloid content, coltsfoot may potentially be toxic to the liver when consumed in large doses
• Avoid in patients with hypersensitivity to coltsfoot, its constituents, or other members of the Asteraceae family.

(Burke, Giese, Tanguay-Colucci, Ulbricht, Varghese, Weissner, Windsor, Woods, 2013)

Dosage:

• Infusion: Poor 1 cup of boiling water over 1-2 teaspoons of dried flowers or leaves and allow to infuse for 10-15 minutes, drink 3 times daily (Hoffman, 1983, p. 186)
• Tincture: 2-4 ml, 3 times daily (Hoffman, 1983, p. 186)

Combinations: 
In the treatments of coughs it may be used with While horehound and Mullein (Hoffman, 1983, p. 186)

References:

Burke, Giese, Tanguay-Colucci, Ulbricht, Varghese, Weissner, Windsor, Woods. (2013) Natural standard professional monograph.   

Hoffman, D. (1983) The holistic herbal. Element books: Dorset.