* Please Note: This information is based partly on Traditional Medicine which uses natural materials to support health. This information has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor.
Description
Coltsfoot Tussilago farfara L.
Family: Asteraceae.
Other Names: Pas d'âne, tussilage (French); Huflattich (German); farfaro (Italian) farfara (Spanish).
Description: Coltsfoot is a small perennial herb with distinctive heart-shaped leaves that are bright green above and silvery below due to a felt-like layer of white hairs. Bright yellow flower heads are produced on scaly stalks in early spring, before the leaves emerge.
Origin: Asia, Europe and North Africa. The raw material is wild-harvested in eastern and southeastern Europe.
Parts Used: Mainly the dried leaves (Fasfarae folium; synon. Tussilaginis folium). In former times the dried flower heads, whole herb or roots were also used.
Therapeutic Category: Expectorant, antitussive.
Uses and Properties: The herb has a long history of use as an effective cough medicine and it is still used to treat mouth and throat inflammation, asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory ailments. Coltsfoot is no longer very popular because it contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Flower heads and roots are no longer used.
Preparation and Dosage: A tea may be prepared from 0.6 - 2.5 g of dried leaves, taken three times per day. Liquid extracts, tinctures and syrups are also used. Leaves and leaf extracts are included in cough teas and commercial cough preparations. Some experts argue that pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) should be completely avoided, while others consider the very low levels not to be harmful, provided the daily intake does not exceed 1 µg alkaloid and that the period of use not exceeds six weeks per year.
Active Ingredients: The cough-relieving effects are usually ascribed to mucilage, that occurs in levels of up to 10% of the dry herb. Also of interest is the presence of a sesquiterpene ester, known as tussilagone. The flower heads and leaves contain 100 µg per g (0.01% dry weight) of pyrrolizidine alkaloids and their N-oxides - mainly senkirkine and tussilagine but also senecionine in some sources of raw material.
Pharmacological Effects: Mucilage forms a protective layer over the inflamed mucous membranes of the throat and mouth and thereby counteracts the urge to cough. Animal studies have shown that tussilagone is a respiratory stimulant.
Status: Traditional medicine; Pharm.; Comm. E+ (leaf only).
Medicinal Usage
From ancient times, people have used coltsfoot as a cough and asthma remedy. The herb has been a main ingredient in cough syrups and asthma teas; the smoke has been inhaled to relieve bronchial congestion since Greek and Roman times; and after the introduction of smoking from America to Europe, coltsfoot became the basic part of the herbal smoking mixtures to which asthmatics resorted for several hundred years - up to the modern discovery of antihistamines and other more effective drugs. Herbalists also applied crushed coltsfoot leaves to burns and skin ailments.
The efficacy of extracts of coltsfoot leaves and flowers, long included in cough syrups, asthma teas, and herbal smoking mixtures for asthmatics, is probably due to the mucilage in the plant, which soothes inflamed mucous membranes.
General Herb Information
People thought this plant's leaf was shaped like a colt's hoof - hence the name coltsfoot. Its universal use as a cough remedy earned it the ancient Roman name tussilago, "cough dispeller," and another of its English names, coughwort (wort is an old English word for herb). One of the very earliest of spring wildflowers to blossom, the plant does not open its distinctive, stout leaves until its bright yellow flowers have bloomed - hence the alternative name son-before-the-father.
Habitat: Damp clay ground.
Range: Introduced to North America from Europe, coltsfoot now grows wild from Newfoundland south to New Jersey and west to Minnesota.
Identitication: A perennial growing 4-20 inches high. Yellow dandelionhike flowerheads (February-June), 1 inch across, have an overall bristly appearance. The flower stalks bear brown-tipped scales The leaves are broadly heart-shaped and somewhat toothed, with downy white hairs on the underside; they have an aromatic smell and appear only after the flowers are in bloom.
Dosage: Standard infusion of one ounce of the dried herb to a pint of boiling water.
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Directions
Hot tea brewing method: Bring freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1 tea bag for each cup into the teapot. Pour the boiling water into the pot, cover and let steep for 2-4 minutes. Pour into your cup; add milk and sugar to taste.
Iced tea brewing method: (to make 1 liter/quart): Place 5 tea bags into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Pour 1 1/4 cups of freshly boiled water over the tea itself. Steep for 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into the serving pitcher straining the tea bags. Add ice and top-up with cold water. Garnish and sweeten to taste.
Cautions
Not recommended if you are pregnant or lactating.
Excessive use may cause hypertension.PAs (pyrrolizidine alkaloids) can be carcinogenic; do not use PA-rich coltsfoot (especially during pregnancy).
Additional Information
TerraVita is an exclusive line of premium-quality, natural source products that use only the finest, purest and most potent ingredients found around the world. TerraVita is hallmarked by the highest possible standards of purity, potency, stability and freshness. All of our products are prepared with the highest elements of quality control, from raw materials through the entire manufacturing process, up to and including the moment that the bottles or bags are sealed for freshness and shipped out to you. Our highest possible standards are certified by independent laboratories and backed by our personal guarantee.
TerraVita exists to meet and ensure your family's health and wellness without the harmful effects or chemicals and prescription medications. We strive to make all of our products affordable and reliable and are constantly searching the market to maintain our affordability and to look for new ways to serve you and the ones you love. TerraVita has become a trusted household name for many families and can bring you and yours the very best herbal supplements, blends, teas and spices that are on the market today.
ZooScape is proud to be the exclusive distributor of TerraVita teas, herbs and supplements in the United States, Canada and around the world. Please direct all wholesale and bulk inquiries to Simona Heather at 905-494-1785.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor. The essence of the current American rule on Traditional Uses is, as stated by FTC, "Claims based on historical or traditional use should be substantiated by confirming scientific evidence, or should be presented in such a way that consumers understand that the sole basis for the claim is a history of use of the product for a particular purpose."
