Arrow-leafed Coltsfoot – Petasites sagittatus

Part used: Leaves.

Harvesting: Gather leaf in spring and summer.

Habitat: Forest and parkland areas, in moist places (water filled ditches, sloughs, marshes, etc.)

Physiological action: Anti-spasmodic (reducing voluntary or involuntary muscle spasm). Demulcent (coats and soothes irritated mucous membranes). Expectorant (assists the lungs in thinning and expelling mucous). Tonic (nourishes and tones the lungs).

Focus: Coltsfoot combines a soothing expectorant effect with an anti-spasmodic action. This soothing expectorant action gives it a role in most respiratory conditions, including acute or chronic bronchitis and emphysema. It also decreases the time for bronchial cilia to recover after damage from smoking.

My first spring in Saskatchewan introduced me to a multitude of unfamiliar plants. One day, soon after the snow had melted, my nose caught a deeply sweet fragrance coming from what looked like dead marsh grasses.

At first I could not see any new growth in the area. Then my eyes caught sight of the whitish-purple rounded hood of a flower head standing on its scaly stem that had greeny-purple small clasping leaves. The whole stalk was about a foot in length yet did not stand out from the previous year’s detritus. The field guide I always carried with me quickly revealed that my new discovery was commonly known as coltsfoot (Petasites sagittatus).

I was familiar with an herb called coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) that had been used for medicine in Europe but it had small dandelion-like yellow flowers. Was there any connection between the two? The answer turned out to be "yes." They both have leaves that are used for respiratory medicines.

The large leaf, measuring six inches to two feet across, is used to make medicine–lots of medicine. They are elephantine! If you need another indicator that this is indeed coltsfoot then look on the leaf’s underside. It should be soft, white and woolly.

Some Cree groups call the leaf mosotawakayipak, meaning "moose-ear," referring to its large floppy shape. The genus presumably got its name from the Greek word Petasos, meaning "large brimmed hat." The Slave know it as sa yenosheti, "bear eat it" and Alberta’s northern Cree call it puskwa, "wolverine’s foot" or "owl’s blanket" due to the leaf’s insulating value.

Completely the reverse to most flowering plants, the leaf appears a month or two after the flower appears. They rise from lateral creeping roots and use their large exposed leaf area to manufacture chlorophyll to store energy in the roots so they will grow flower and leaf for another season.

If you have a colony of coltsfoot that you intend to wildcraft, let it have a rest every second year. Monitor the area regularly, and harvest only 25%, or less, of the leaf using sharp shears so that the root is not disturbed and it will serve you well for many a year.

Gather the leaves early in the day when they are still young. Cut them off 1" above the ground, tie them in bundles and dry upside down in a shaded well ventilated area. If you are gathering for use in a smoke mixture, it might be advisable to take out the mid-rib and dry on a flat surface and turn them often. It usually takes from 3 to 5 days to dry the leaf. You will note that although the leaf is large and downy on the underside when they dry they become quite delicate. Make sure that they are crispy dry or they will tend to soak up any moisture around. Store them in air tight jars and label with botanical information as well as the place you gathered them and the time of year.

According to Michael Moore, Director of the Institute of Traditional Medicine in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the fresh leaf tincture is stable for 2 to 3 years only. It will take on an acrid scent and change chemistry after that. Dried leaves are good for two years.

The dried leaf is useful for teas and for herbal smoke. Smoke from the herb is antihistaminic and tonifying for the lungs. It helps lung irritability if you are a smoker. But, if you don’t smoke, don’t start, for any smoke, even herbal, is an irritant. On the other hand a smoker–already tolerant of the act–will find that it tones and cleans the lungs. The powdered leaf snuffed up the nostril is said to be excellent for nasal obstruction and headache.

In tea, tincture, smoke or syrup, coltsfoot will assist the body by inducing sweat and relieving chest pain. It stimulates the lungs to expel phlegm and eases asthmatic wheezing because of its anti-spasmodic action.

Dr. James Duke, in his research into the chemical action of this plant, explains that a flavanoid petasin found in the leaf is the chemical responsible for its anti-spasmodic or phyto-tranquilizing action. This action suppresses a protein in the blood that plays a role in triggering bronchial spasms.

A tea made from the dried leaf, gathered from an unpolluted area or grown in your own garden, sipped throughout the day, will soothe mucous membranes and calm repetitive coughing.

You can make your own tincture from one part herb to two parts (1:2) alcohol (25% solution, alcohol to water). It should be taken in a dosage of 30-60 drops in a little water, up to five times a day as an anti-spasmodic. It will help to relieve scratchy throats and that achy chest.

A syrup is basically a medicinal tea with sweetener added for taste and to preserve it. Syrups are an excellent medicine for coughs and sore throats. The sweetener further works to coat and soothe the throat and keeps the herbs in direct contact with the effected area.

To make a syrup: Make a strong tea of the herb then boil it down to half its original volume. Strain out the herb and add a sweetener (maple syrup, barley malt, or brown rice syrup are good choices) bottle, label and store in a cool dark place for future use.

I would be remiss if I did not pass on the warning that coltsfoot contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) which are known to damage organs, especially the liver. Personally, I make sure that I pick the young leaves that have little or no PAs in them. I also use dried leaf only as the PAs dissipate on drying.

According to Naturopathic Doctor Michael Tierra, the amount of PAs in the coltsfoot leaf is very small and it is likely that other beneficial properties of the herb counter any potential pathogens. The amount found in the dried plant is minuscule enough (0.00-0.015%) to be disregarded as any potential threat to health. In any case, it would be wise not to use this herb during pregnancy or breast feeding or by those people with a liver ailment.