One of the ancient remedies for treatment of respiratory disorders disguised as a little sun. The bright yellow flowers of coltsfoot appear early spring literally out of nowhere, especially if that nowhere looks like damp roadsides, ditches, forgotten construction sites and other disturbed places. To colonise such locations it requires a lot determination and wit. Coughwort (another common name of the plant) possess both of them as it spreads by underground rhizomes and seeds. The clever side of the expansion lies in the fact that its flowers appear first and when they fade away the leaves emerge. Hardly anyone sees the connection between the two stages. Seeing the healthy leaves we are looking forward to flowers, which... never happens. Slightly disappointed we leave them alone and forget, the outcome Tussilago is really very happy about.
Tussilago farfara was known to Hippocrates, Dioscorides, Hildegard of Bingen and other great physicians of the past, who appreciated the medical properties of the plant ready to combat persistent coughs. It has not changed a bit and today it is still helpful in cases of colds, flu and fever as well as skin disorders thanks to the special chemicals like mucilage, flavonids, essential oil and many others present both in the flowers and leaves of horsehoof (another common name).
Bullsfoot (yet another common name) resembles dandelion a lot and the resemblance is justified as they belong to the same botanical family of Asteraceae where the rule is to deceive a little. The so-called flower is in fact a collection of numerous tiny real flowers which together look like a single blossom. Those in the middle are fertile ones and will produce seeds. The long petal-like ones attract pollinating insects and that is all they do.
English tobacco (guess what I mean) is a common weed and a beautiful one. That is why we could consider having a plant or two in the garden which is normally weed-free. The golden yellow flowers look great along with the purple crocuses and pink lungwort in the period of time when the choice of flowering species is quite limited. The idea is to plant son before father (yes, you guessed it!) in such a place, where its late developing leaves will fit the overall composition. The heart-shaped, slightly toothed leaves of flower velure (!) are glossy green on the surface but wooly underneath due to the white and silver short hairs covering the underside. With a little effort you can find them quite ornamental and they can form a nice company to garden perennials (geraniums, primulas, hostas, ligularias, etc.).
Dry leaves of fieldhove (no clarification necessary) used to be smoked like cigarettes in order to alleviate the coughs and asthma. However, scientist have discovered in the leaves some alkaloids which might be slightly harmful and in several countries all medicine as a soothing expectorant based on Tussilago is administered with proper care. Good news is that today we have bred new plants which do not contain any questionable alkaloids. Still the leaves are more decorative when alive and such can be applied on bruises, strained ankles and joint... pains.
Bullsfoot (yet another common name) resembles dandelion a lot and the resemblance is justified as they belong to the same botanical family of Asteraceae where the rule is to deceive a little. The so-called flower is in fact a collection of numerous tiny real flowers which together look like a single blossom. Those in the middle are fertile ones and will produce seeds. The long petal-like ones attract pollinating insects and that is all they do.
English tobacco (guess what I mean) is a common weed and a beautiful one. That is why we could consider having a plant or two in the garden which is normally weed-free. The golden yellow flowers look great along with the purple crocuses and pink lungwort in the period of time when the choice of flowering species is quite limited. The idea is to plant son before father (yes, you guessed it!) in such a place, where its late developing leaves will fit the overall composition. The heart-shaped, slightly toothed leaves of flower velure (!) are glossy green on the surface but wooly underneath due to the white and silver short hairs covering the underside. With a little effort you can find them quite ornamental and they can form a nice company to garden perennials (geraniums, primulas, hostas, ligularias, etc.).
Dry leaves of fieldhove (no clarification necessary) used to be smoked like cigarettes in order to alleviate the coughs and asthma. However, scientist have discovered in the leaves some alkaloids which might be slightly harmful and in several countries all medicine as a soothing expectorant based on Tussilago is administered with proper care. Good news is that today we have bred new plants which do not contain any questionable alkaloids. Still the leaves are more decorative when alive and such can be applied on bruises, strained ankles and joint... pains.
Jarek
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