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Common Name: Coltsfoot, Ass's Foot, Horsehoof, Fieldhove, Donnhove, Foalswort, Flower velure, Farfara, Coughwort, British Tobacco, Filius ante patrem (Latin), Maть и Maчexa (Russian) - The various common names which employ the term hoof or hove (a variation of hoof) refer to the hoof-like shape of the leaves that appear several months after the flowers have wilted (see picture below).
Scientific Name: Tussilago farfara - The generic name is from the Latin tussio, meaning 'to have a cough' and ago meaning 'to drive' in reference to its historical use "to drive away coughs." The species name farfara literally means 'coltsfoot' in Latin which is why 'farfara' is another common name for coltsfoot. The etymology of the Latin and species name is sometimes ascribed to farfarus, an archaic name for the white poplar tree whose leaves have a lobed margin that is similar to those of coltsfoot.
The coltsfoot is among the first flowers to appear in the spring, blooming
with astral, golden flowers that superficially resemble those of the
dandelion. They are both members of
Asteraceae, the sunflower or daisy family and accordingly have the same
multiple flowers arrayed in a larger composite disk arrangement. However, a
more thorough inspection would reveal the verisimilitude; the coltsfoot has a
plethora of radiating narrow ray flowers surrounding the central disk and a
stalk that is covered with scales whereas the dandelion is comprised of
tube-shaped florets and a smooth stem. As a matter of interest, they are both
named for the shape of their leaves, the equestrian coltsfoot and the leonine
dandelion; dents du lion means 'teeth of the lion' in French. The
colt's foot
Coltsfoot has been used primarily as a cough suppressant but also for a wide range of other ailments throughout history. The Roman Gaius Plinius Secundus (23 CE � August 25, 79), better known as Pliny the Elder, recommended burning coltsfoot leaves on cypress charcoal and drawing the smoke into the mouth with a reed to treat a chronic cough with a sip of wine between draughts to ameliorate the harsh effects of the smoke. The late Renaissance English herbalists also extolled the beneficent properties of coltsfoot. John Gerard published the Herball in 1597 in which he proscribed coltsfoot to "effectually helpeth those that are troubled with the shortnesse of breath and fetch their winde thicke and often." Nicolas Culpeper's 1653 Complete Herbal also recommended it as a "singularly good remedy against all agues � which also does much good being applied to any hot swelling or inflammations. It helpeth St. Anthony's fire (erysipelas) and burnings and is singular good to take away wheals." A smoking mixture still promoted as British Herb Tobacco is their legacy. Comprised primarily of coltsfoot with other herbs including betony, rosemary, thyme and lavender, it is smoked as a treatment for asthma, catarrh and other lung ailments, supposedly with none of the harmful effects of tobacco. The coltsfoot was such a well known herbal remedy in France that Parisian apothecaries were indicated by a depiction of a coltsfoot flower on their doorposts. It is likely that the importation of T. farfara to North America from its native Eurasia was an intentional act of early colonists to take advantage of its known medicinal properties. One of the colonial treatments for whooping cough was to wrap the afflicted in coltsfoot infused blankets.
The curative properties of coltsfoot have been validated by modern analytical methods that have isolated its constituent compounds as polysaccharide mucilage, flavonoids, pyrrolizidine alkaloids, tannin, ascorbic acid and zinc. The mucilage acts as an anti-inflammatory to soothe the throat and as an expectorant to clear excess phlegm. The flavonoids act in concert as an anti-spasmodic treatment to suppress the convulsive contractions that manifest as a cough. To this end, a cough syrup decoction can be made with one ounce of leaves or flowers added to a quart of water that is then boiled down to a pint with honey added as an electuary. There is an iatrogenic side to coltsfoot medications, however. The pyrrolizidine alkaloids senecionine and senkirkine are hepatotoxic according to a Japanese study that found cancerous tumors in the livers of rats when fed a diet with high alkaloid concentrations (over 4%). Since coltsfoot contains very low concentrations (0.015%) and since the volatile alkaloids would be eliminated by boiling, concerns as to the toxicity of coltsfoot are probably exaggerated.
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