Medicine
highKing's American Dispensatory classifies coltsfoot as emollient, demulcent, and slightly tonic, with decoction use for irritated mucous tissues and pulmonary complaints.
Found in the Hermetikon archive
Coltsfoot
Tussilago farfara
Coltsfoot appears in Hermetikon as an archive-backed plant entry, with references across historical medical, magical, symbolic, and ritual contexts where the source texts support them.
- Risk
- high
- Books
- 7
- Contexts
- 4
- Mentions
- 26
Archive Profile
Identity, safety, and search aliases used to connect this herb to the archive.
Herb identity
- Common name
- coltsfoot
- Latin name
- Tussilago farfara(candidate)
- Identity note
- Historical spelling varies.
Safety
high
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids create hepatotoxicity concerns for internal use.
Historical archive citations are not medical advice. Use modern clinical and poison-control sources for ingestion, dosage, pregnancy, and toxicity questions.
- NCBI Bookshelf: Pyrrolizidine alkaloids create hepatotoxicity concerns for internal use.
Aliases
coltsfootcolt's-footcolts-footTussilago farfara
Coltsfoot in Historical Sources
Curated archive synthesis of recurring uses, recipes, rituals, and interpretive problems.
Hermetikon's curated reading of Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) is built from 3 source-linked archive notes and 1 preparation or ritual-use entry. The strongest recurring contexts are medicine, astrology, and identity. Each note below links back to the archive source used for the claim.
Astrology
highGadbury includes colts-foot in a Venus plant list beside elder, fox-gloves, figwort, cowslips, and other Venus-governed herbs.
Genethlialogia | John Gadbury | 1658
Of the Planet Venus.
Identity
mediumThe archive spellings vary: Coley lists colts-foot among watery and cooling herbs, preserving the historical hyphenated form as a useful alias.
Preparations and ritual uses
Demulcent decoction
highKing's gives coltsfoot decoction for irritated mucous tissue and pulmonary complaints as historical use distinct from modern safety advice.
Coltsfoot Archive Contexts
Compact source patterns from the extracted citation set.
Medicine
2 passages across 2 books; strongest source: Culpeper's Complete Herbal.
Matched as coltsfoot; high confidence.
Astrology
2 passages across 2 books; strongest source: Culpeper's Complete Herbal.
Matched as coltsfoot; high confidence.
Preparation
9 passages across 5 books; strongest source: Culpeper's Complete Herbal.
Matched as coltsfoot; high confidence.
Symbolism
1 passage across 1 book; strongest source: The Book of Witches.
Matched as coltsfoot; high confidence.
Coltsfoot Cited Excerpts
Representative public passages with the herb mention highlighted and linked to archive source material.
Culpeper's Complete Herbal
Nicholas Culpeper
1653
"...ry | Wild Carrot | Celandine | | THOMAS KELLY, LONDON. | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | | Chervill | Comfry | Cleavers | | Coltsfoot | Crabs Claws *or* Fresh water Soldier | Cowslip | | Columbine | Shrub Cinquefoil | Costmary | | THOMAS KELLY, LONDON. | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | | Crowfoot | Cuckow Point | Water Cress | | Cudweed | Crosswort | Dill | | Dandelion | Daisy | Devils Bit | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | | Eringo | Eyebright | Elecampane | | Dock | Dragons | Dog’s Grass | | Dropwort | Dove’s Foot | Bloody Dock | | THOMAS KELLY, LONDON. | | | | | | --- ..."
Chapter 5Open in Reader
Preparationalias: coltsfoothigh confidence
King's American Dispensatory
Harvey Wickes Felter
1854
"... matter, mucilage (3.4 per cent), etc. The dried leaves yielded 17 per cent of ash. Action, Medical Uses, and Dosage. — Coltsfoot may be regarded as emollient, demulcent, and slightly tonic (P.). It relieves irritation of the mucous tissues. The decoction is usually administered in doses of from 1 to 3 or 4 fluid ounces, and has been found useful in coughx, asthma, whooping-cough, laryvgitis, phfiryngitis, bronchitis, and other pulmonary affections; in gastric and intestinal catarrh; and is said to have been useful in scrofula. The powdered leaves form a good err..."
Page 1125Open in Reader
Preparationalias: coltsfoothigh confidence
The Family Herbal
John Hill
1755
"... with a white down. The young leaves rising from the root, are the part used. They are of the same nature with those of coltsfoot, but they possess their virtues in a much greater degree. In many other parts of Europe, where the plant is more common, it is a constant medicine in diseases of the lungs, in coughs, asthmas, and the first stages of consumptions: it is best given in form of a strong infusion; and I have known it tried here with more success than could be expected from so simple a remedy, in cases of such consequence. It is scarce wild, but it is easil..."
Page 259Open in Reader
Preparationalias: coltsfoothigh confidence
Genethlialogia
John Gadbury
1658
"...ies Bed-straw, Birch-Tree, Bishops Weed, Blites, Bugle, Burdock, Cherry-Tree, Chickweed, Cich-Pease, Clary, Cocks Head, Colts-Foot, Cow-slips, Daisies, Devils-bit, Elder, Eringo, Featherfew, Figwort, Filipendula, Fox-Gloves, Golden-rod, Gromwel, Ground-sel, Herb-Robert, Herb-true-love, Kidneys-wort, Ladies Mantle, Mallows, Mercury, Mints, Motherwort, Mugwort, Nep, Parsnip, Peach-Tree, Pear-Tree, Penyroyal, Periwinkle, Plantane, Plum-Tree, Primroses, Ragwort, Rocket, Damask-Roses, Wood-Sage, Sanicle, Self-heal, Sopewort, Sorrel, Sow-Thistles, Spignel, Straw-berries..."
Of the Planet Venus.Open in Reader
Astrologyalias: colts-foothigh confidence
Clavis Astrologiae Elimata
Henry Coley
1669
"...gloss, the Gilly-flower Miot, Lung-wort, Wheat, Pyony, Self-heal, Liquorish, Wallwort, the Dazie, Fumitory, Elecompane, Colts-foot, Cinkfoil, Dandelion, Endive, Succory, Blood-wort, Hyssop, Liver-wort, Sage, Scurvy-grass, Bill-berries, Bar-Berries, Mul-berries, Cherries. - To Mars, all manner of Thistles, Onions, Leeks, and Garlick, the Nettle, Mustard-feed, Pepper, and Ginger, Carduus Benedictus, Worm wood, Brook-lime, Madder, Hops, Broom, the Bramble, Radish, Crow-foot, Haw-Thorn, Furs-bush, Rheubarb, Horse-radish, Spear-wort, Dane-wort, Birth-wort, Colloquintid..."
Page 93Open in Reader
Preparationalias: colts-foothigh confidence
Books Mentioning Coltsfoot
Complete public source inventory, placed after the interpretive reading so the page opens with the most useful synthesis first.
Culpeper's Complete Herbal
Nicholas Culpeper | 1653
coltsfootcolts-foot
15 mentionscited
The Family Herbal
John Hill | 1755
coltsfootcolts-foot
3 mentionscited
King's American Dispensatory
Harvey Wickes Felter | 1854
coltsfoot
2 mentionscited
Genethlialogia
John Gadbury | 1658
colts-foot
2 mentionscited
The Book of Witches
Unknown Author (Historical Compilation) | 1900
coltsfoot
2 mentions
Clavis Astrologiae Elimata
Henry Coley | 1669
colts-foot
1 mentioncited
Illustration of the Occult Sciences
Ebenezer Sibly | 1784
colts-foot
1 mention