Friday Foraging #117 = 25th April 2025

Coltsfoot

Also called Coughwort and Butterbur

Part of the Asteraceae family, which many can be allergic to! It’s Latin name is Tussilago farfara.

Coltsfoot is a perennial plant that looks similar to a dandelion when it blooms in spring. This wild edible plant is unusual in that the flowers bloom and die before the appearance of any leaves, it was known as "son before the father" in earlier times. It forms a single head, measuring about 1.5 cm, they are bright yellow. It has five stamens. This flower is typically the first flower to appear in spring and withers away when the leaves appear.

The top ‘hoof-shaped’ leaf (hence its name) surface is smooth and almost waxy in appearance. The underside is covered with white, wool-like hairs. They can grow from 5 to 25 cm long, and are basal.

Coltsfoot is found in open, disturbed areas. It often grows in ditches, along roadsides, on forest edges and on steep slopes prone to landslides. It tolerates wet, poorly drained areas and riverbanks susceptible to spring flooding. It is around usually February to June in the UK. It is partial to a bit of clay in the soil too.

It tastes a bit like licorice and has been used as a salt substitute in earlier years by drying and then burning the leaves.

The plant doesn’t have much in the way of vitamins other than C, in it, but it is made up of about 8 per cent mucilage (both great for coughs & colds). Also comprising polysaccharides, pyrrolizidine alkaloids and about 10 per cent tannins and zinc. Generally used more as a medicinal plant than for eating.

Due to its issues with liver and lung damage, always consult a Doctor before taking this plant as a food or supplement.