Coltsfoot
Scientific name: Tussilago farfara
Common names: Bull’s Foot, Foal’s Foot, Flower Velure, Ginger Root, Horsefoot, Horsehoof, Butterbur
Ayurvedic names:
Chinese names: kuan dong hua, K’uan-tung
Bangladesh names:
Arabic names: حشيشة السعال (hasheeshat as-su’aal)
Rain Forest names:
Family: Compositae
Approximate number of species known:
Common parts used: Leaf, flower, root
Collection: March to april
Annual/Perennial: Perennial
Height: 4 to 8 inches
Actions: Demulcent, diaphoretic, emollient, expectorant, pectroal, tonic
Known Constituents: flavanoids, rutin, carotene, mucin, tarazanthin, arnidol, faradiol, tannin, inulin, sitosterolm znic
Constituents Explained:
Description:
Traditional Use:
Used to relieve cases of mucous and cough, its used to soothe the chest. Sometimes used as a nasal sniff for nasal problems, or nasal headache.
The leaf is considered high in zinc.
Externally is has been used for sores and bites.
Clinical Studies:
A bioassay-guided fractionation of the ethylacetate soluble fraction from the flower buds of Tussilago farfara L. (Compositae) yielded two flavonoids, quercetin 3-O-beta-L-arabinopyranoside and quercetin 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside.
These two sugar conjugates of quercetin exhibited higher antioxidative activity than their aglycone, quercetin by NBT superoxide scavenging assay. Moreover, treatment with quercetin 3-O-beta-L-arabinopyranoside significantly increased the total glutathione (GSH) contents.
Subcellular fractionation and reporter gene analysis using antioxidant response element (ARE) construct revealed that quercetin 3-O-beta-L-arabinopyranoside increased the level of nuclear Nrf2 and reporter activity, and that these were associated with the induction of the gamma-GCL gene.
After 24 h incubation of cells with quercetin 3-O-beta-L-arabinopyranoside, 23% of the glycoside was converted to its aglycone, quercetin, but gamma-GCL was not induced by 7 microM (23%) quercetin.
These results suggest that the two quercetin-glycosides isolated from T. farfara L. have direct antioxidative properties, and that quercetin 3-O-beta-L-arabinopyranoside increases the cellular GSH level by inducing the gamma-GCL gene.
These novel effects of quercetin-glycosides are suggestive to underlie the potential putative chemopreventive effects of T. farfara L.
References:
Kim MR, Lee JY, Lee HH, Aryal DK, Kim YG, Kim SK, Woo ER, Kang KW. “Antioxidative Effects Of Quercetin-Glycosides Isolated From The Flower Buds Of Tussilago Farfara L.” 2006 August http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16574296
Source:
Coltsfoot
Other names: hallfoot, coughwort, foalswort, horsehoof, fieldhove, bullsfoot, son-before-the-father
Latin name: Tussilago Farfara
Family: Compositae
Common part used: leaves, flowers, and root
Coltsfoot is a plant native to Europe but these days it also can be found in humid and sandy areas of the United States and southern parts of Canada.
The root of the plant is spreading, small in size and white in color. The leaves are teethed on the edges, they have a hoof-like shape and long stalks. When the leaves are young, they are covered with whitish wooly hairs, but as they become bigger the upper surface becomes smooth. After the leaves fall off, the flowering stem appears. It is covered with whitish hairs as well, and holds a flower. It has a composite structure and is yellow in color. The new leaves will appear later, after the flower holder dies off as well. Under such circumstances, when the flowers and the leaves appear in different time period, they are collected separately. Both leaves and flowers have a medicinal value.
The seeds of the plant have a bunch of soft hairs on the top, and there was time when they were used for making all sorts of soft pillows.
Coltsfoot is one of the most widely used remedies for treating cheast related health issues. Especially popular it is in Europe. The leaves are employed for medicinal uses more often then flowers, because they contain considerably lower amounts of alkaloids. On the contrary, in Asian countries, especially China, the flowers are preferred. The plant is classified there as a “warming” one, and used for relieving wheezing.
Coltsfoot is also known for treating asthma if taken as syrup or smoked as a medicinal cigarette. Naturally, it is also helpful for coughs. It combines well with some plants like black cherry.