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Tussilago farfara
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Tussilago
Species: T. farfara
Binomial name
Tussilago farfara

Tussilago farfara, commonly known as coltsfoot, is a plant in the family Asteraceae that has traditionally had medicinal uses. However, the discovery of toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids in the plant has resulted in liver health concerns. T. farfara is the only species in the genus Tussilago.[1] The name "tussilago" is derived from the Latin tussis, meaning cough, and ago, meaning to cast or to act on.[2][3]






In North America it occurs in the northeastern United States, the northwestern US state of Washington, southeastern Canada, the southwestern Canadian province of British Columbia, and the French overseas collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon.[4] The USDA Plants database indicates its presence in the US states of CT, DC, DE, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, TN, VA, VT, WA, WI, and WV, the Canadian provinces of BC, NB, NF, NS, ON, PE, and QC.[4]


Other common names include tash plant, ass's foot, bull's foot, butterbur, coughwort (Old English),[5] farfara, foal's foot, foalswort, horse foot and winter heliotrope. Sometimes it is confused with Petasites frigidus, or western coltsfoot.

It has been called bechion[6] bechichie or bechie, from the Ancient Greek word for "cough".[7] Also ungula caballina ("horse hoof"), pes pulli ("foal's foot"),[6] and chamæleuce.[8]

Traditional uses[edit]


Food source[edit]

Coltsfoot is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the gothic and small angle shades. The coltsfoot is also worked by the honey bee (Apis mellifera mellifera).


Tussilago farfara contains tumorigenic pyrrolizidine alkaloids.[10] Senecionine and senkirkine, present in coltsfoot, have the highest mutagenetic activity of any pyrrolozidine alkaloid, tested using Drosophila melanogaster to produce a comparative genotoxicity test.[11][12] There are documented cases of coltsfoot tea causing severe liver problems in an infant, and in another case, an infant developed liver disease and died because the mother drank tea containing coltsfoot during her pregnancy.[13][14] In response the German government banned the sale of coltsfoot. Clonal plants of colstfoot free of pyrrolizidine alkaloids were then developed in Austria and Germany.[15] This has resulted in the development of the registered variety Tussilago farfara Wein which has no detectable levels of these alkaloids.[16]


  1. ^ Theodore M. Barkley (2006). "Tussilago Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 865. 1753; Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 372. 1754". Magnoliophyta: Asteridae, Part 7: Asteraceae, Part 2. Flora of North America 20. Oxford University Press. p. 635. ISBN 9780195305647. 
  2. ^ Capasso, Francesco (2011). "Capitolo M12: Droghe obsolete e/o poco studiate". Farmacognosia: Botanica, chimica e farmacologia delle piante medicinali (in Italian) (Seconda edizione ed.) (Springer Milan). p. 428. doi:10.1007/978-88-470-1652-1_30. ISBN 978-88-470-1652-1. "Tussilago, dal latino tussis = tosse e ago = scaccio." 
  3. ^ Booth, David (1835). An analytical dictionary of the English language. James Cochrane and Co. p. 312. "Tussilago, from the Latin tussis, a cough, and ago, to act upon, to cure; from its reputed virtues." 
  4. ^ a b "Name Search Results – Plants Profile for Tussilago farfara (Coltsfoot)". Plants Database. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Retrieved 15 March 2014. 
  5. ^ Coulombe Jr., Roger A. (2003). "Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids in Foods". In Taylor, Steve L. Advances in Food and Nutrition Research 45. Academic Press. p. 76. ISBN 0-12-016445-0. 
  7. ^ Joannes de Vigo. Works of Chirurgery, 1543.
  8. ^ Thomas Cooper, Thesaurus Linguae Romanae et Britannicae (1584).

Further reading[edit]


External links[edit]