Description
Coltsfoot (Tussilago Farfara ) is a perennial herb common throughout Britain, Europe, North Africa and Asia and in widely scattered localities in the US. It has been used for hundreds of years in traditional medicine to treat chest ailments and was so popular at one point that French pharmacists painted its flowers on their doors and sign posts. The plant’s flower and leaves are also used in traditional Asian folk medicine to treat, dry cough, bronchitis and asthma. Coltsfoot remains one of the most commonly used herbs for coughs and other lung conditions and is the main ingredient in several herbals cough remedies.
The main chemical constituents in Tussilago Farfara are; mucilage, flavonoids, inulin, isoquercetin, rutin, tannin and pyrrolizidine alkaloids. These chemical constituents reportedly have anti-tussive, anti-catarrhal, anti-spasmodic, expectorant, demulcent, and diuretic properties therefore making coltsfoot extremely effective in relieving cough symptoms that accompany chest colds, emphysema and asthma.
