Coltsfoot (breast lettuce) as a medicinal plant

General information about coltsfoot

The herbaceous coltsfoot belongs to the daisy family and grows to a height of 30 cm. The plant arises from a rootstock with creeping underground root stolons. The 10-15 cm high, hairy flower stalks appear first. These are characterized by single-headed, golden-yellow flowers. The leaves, on the other hand, only appear after flowering and are horseshoe-shaped. These have a diameter of 20-30 cm and are slightly toothed.

Proven at:

• cough with hoarseness
• Inflammation in the mouth and throat
• asthma

Use of coltsfoot tea and tincture of coltsfoot

Coltsfoot can be used both internally in the form of tea infusions and syrup and externally as a wound herb. Coltsfoot can also be used in finished medicinal products, as they contain only small amounts of pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Because of this, tea and syrup should not be taken for more than six weeks a year.

Tea: Pour ¼ liter of boiling water over 2 teaspoons of coltsfoot, let it steep for 5 minutes and drink 2-3 cups a day. You can also sweeten the tea with honey.

Tincture for external use: You put a handful of coltsfoot flowers in alcohol for about 6-8 weeks. Then you take 8-10 drops in water or on a piece of sugar 3 times a day.

The average daily dose of coltsfoot herb is 4.5-6 g. In addition, the pyrrolizidine alkaloid content must not exceed 10 μg in infusions and 1 μg in preparations and extracts.

Important

The use of naturopathic medication requires an exact dosage and should be discussed with your doctor.

Effect

The fresh or dried leaves of the coltsfoot contain polysaccharides, mucilage, sterols, bitter substances and tannins. For this reason, it has an expectorant, anti-inflammatory, astringent and expectorant effect.