Witnessed by: TCM · Western
Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara), of the Asteraceae (Compositae) family. Creeping perennial with early yellow daisy-flowers and later hoof-shaped leaves; native range: damp clay banks, ditches and waste ground across Europe and temperate Asia. Globally recognized as kuan dong hua (款冬花) in Chinese, and coltsfoot · coughwort · son-before-father in English. The part used is flower bud (TCM); leaf and flower (Western). Soft felted leaves woolly-white beneath, faintly bitter and mucilaginous, soothing on the throat.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
COLTSFOOT
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Coltsfoot
- Scientific name
- Tussilago farfara L.
- Family
- Asteraceae (Compositae)
Form
- Part used
- flower bud (TCM); leaf and flower (Western)
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- pungent
- Western
- bitter · mucilaginous
Temperature
- TCM
- warm
- Western
- cool
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Lung
- Western
- lungs · mucous membranes
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- moistens the Lung, directs qi downward, stops cough and dissolves phlegm
- Western
- demulcent, expectorant, antitussive and emollient
Cautions
Contraindications: pregnancy and lactation, and liver disease; avoid prolonged or repeated internal courses
Toxicity: contains hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids that can injure the liver with sustained use; short single courses of the low-alkaloid flower are traditionally preferred
Interactions
- Western
- hepatotoxic drugs: additive liver injury from pyrrolizidine alkaloids
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