Traditionally, coltsfoot has been used primarily as a chest and cough-comfort herb, especially when a lingering cough or chest tightness are involved. It is commonly prepared as a tea or tincture made from the dried leaf, though it carries significant safety considerations that make short-term, carefully chosen use important (see Safety & Precautions).
Common Name: Coltsfoot Latin Name: Tussilago farfara Alternate Names: Coughwort
- Parts used: Leaves (occasionally flowers)
- Primary properties: Pectoral
- Common preparations: Tea or tincture, ideally from a product specifically labeled as reduced in or free of pyrrolizidine alkaloids; short-term use only
- Best known for: Traditional chest and cough comfort, though its safety profile requires real caution
What It Helps With
Health conditions this herb is commonly used to support.
Related Buying Guides
Featured Recipes
Explore and try simple ways to prepare and use this herb at home.
Active Compounds
The tiny plant chemistry doing all the heavy lifting.
Key Herbal Properties
What this herb is known for, herbally speaking.
Herbal Synergies
Other herbs that pair especially well with this one — together, their combined properties work better than either herb does alone.
Health Conditions Coltsfoot Helps With
- Lingering cough — Coltsfoot’s central traditional use, taken short-term to help ease a persistent cough.
- Chest tightness or congestion — Traditionally used as a pectoral herb for general chest comfort during illness.
Compounds
- Mucilage — Contributes to coltsfoot’s traditional soothing quality for the throat and chest.
- Pyrrolizidine alkaloids — Naturally occurring compounds in coltsfoot that are the central reason for this herb’s significant safety cautions, including documented liver toxicity with prolonged, high-dose, or inappropriate use (see Safety & Precautions).
Properties
- Pectoral — Coltsfoot’s defining and singular traditional property; used for chest and cough comfort.
Recipes Using Coltsfoot
Because of coltsfoot’s pyrrolizidine alkaloid content and documented safety concerns, this site does not provide a general home tea recipe using raw dried leaf. If considering coltsfoot at all, choosing a commercially prepared product specifically labeled as reduced in or free of pyrrolizidine alkaloids, used for a brief, defined period, is a meaningfully safer approach than preparing tea from ordinary dried leaf.
Products Featuring Coltsfoot
- PA-reduced or PA-free standardized extract — The safer option when available, with pyrrolizidine alkaloid content specifically controlled.
- Tincture — Should also ideally come from a PA-controlled source rather than ordinary dried leaf.
Synergies
Coltsfoot is generally best considered on its own given its safety profile, rather than blended into everyday herbal combinations; if used at all, it should be for a brief, specific purpose rather than as part of a routine blend.
Safety & Precautions
Coltsfoot contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, compounds that have been linked to serious liver damage with prolonged, high-dose, or repeated use. This is not a theoretical concern — there are documented cases of serious liver injury, including in infants exposed through a breastfeeding parent’s use of coltsfoot tea. Because of this, coltsfoot should be avoided entirely during pregnancy and breastfeeding, with no exceptions, and it is not appropriate for children. Some countries restrict or regulate the sale of coltsfoot products specifically because of this pyrrolizidine alkaloid content.
For any adult use, this site recommends only products specifically labeled as reduced in or free of pyrrolizidine alkaloids, used for a brief, defined period (a matter of days, not weeks or months), rather than ordinary dried coltsfoot leaf prepared as tea. Anyone with liver disease or a history of liver concerns should avoid coltsfoot entirely. Given the seriousness of these safety considerations, discussing any use of coltsfoot with a healthcare provider first is a reasonable and encouraged precaution, even for otherwise healthy adults.
Coltsfoot should never be given to a pet.
Q&A
Is coltsfoot safe to drink as tea?
This requires real caution. Ordinary dried coltsfoot leaf contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, compounds linked to serious liver damage with prolonged or repeated use, so this site doesn’t recommend preparing tea from standard dried coltsfoot leaf. If you’re considering coltsfoot at all, a commercially prepared product specifically labeled as reduced in or free of pyrrolizidine alkaloids, used briefly, is the meaningfully safer choice.
Given the seriousness of the documented risk, it’s worth discussing any coltsfoot use with a healthcare provider first.
Why is coltsfoot considered riskier than some other cough herbs?
Coltsfoot’s pyrrolizidine alkaloid content sets it apart from many gentler traditional cough herbs — these compounds have been linked to real, documented cases of liver injury, including serious harm to infants exposed through a breastfeeding parent’s coltsfoot tea use. This is a more serious and better-documented risk than the general cautions that apply to most herbs on this site.
If you’re looking for chest or cough comfort, herbs like mullein, marshmallow root, or licorice root have much gentler, better-established safety profiles for this purpose.
Can coltsfoot be used during pregnancy or while breastfeeding?
No, not under any circumstance this site recommends. Coltsfoot’s pyrrolizidine alkaloid content has been linked to documented cases of serious liver harm to infants exposed through a breastfeeding parent’s use, so it should be avoided entirely during both pregnancy and breastfeeding.
If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding and dealing with a cough, there are much gentler, better-studied herbal and non-herbal options to discuss with a healthcare provider.
Are all coltsfoot products equally risky?
No — products specifically labeled as reduced in or free of pyrrolizidine alkaloids are meaningfully different from ordinary dried coltsfoot leaf, since the alkaloid content has been specifically addressed during processing. Even so, this site still recommends limiting use to a brief, defined period and checking with a healthcare provider first, given the overall seriousness of coltsfoot’s safety profile.
If a product doesn’t clearly state its pyrrolizidine alkaloid content or processing method, it’s reasonable to assume it carries the same cautions as ordinary dried leaf.
Is coltsfoot legal to buy everywhere?
Regulations vary — some countries restrict or regulate the sale of coltsfoot products specifically because of pyrrolizidine alkaloid safety concerns, while it remains more freely available in others. This variation itself is a signal of how seriously this particular safety issue is taken in different regulatory environments.
If you’re considering a coltsfoot product, checking what regulations apply in your location and choosing a reputable, clearly labeled source are both worthwhile steps.
References
- Plants of the World Online: Tussilago farfara
- PubMed: Scientific Literature on Tussilago farfara
- National Library of Medicine: Chemical Constituents from Tussilago farfara
- Wikipedia: Tussilago farfara
- PubMed: Pyrrolizidine Alkaloid Hepatotoxicity and Coltsfoot
- PubMed: Pyrrolizidine Alkaloid Exposure Through Breastfeeding
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before using any herb, especially if pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medications, or managing a health condition.