Coltsfoot and pyrrolizidine alkaloids
I’ve been thinking about letting old knowledge pass away to be replaced by new wisdom and about coltsfoot and pyrrolizidine alkaloids. My Mom recently sent me an article that was a discussion of which Dutch oven is the best. As part of her research the author test drove each oven by making what she called the “world’s best roast chicken” recipe. I myself am 100% happy with the Dutch oven that we have but who would not want to eat the world’s best roast chicken?
I tracked down the recipe and as I was reading, I immediately thought – oh this must be an old recipe. This was because the recipe called for washing the chicken. Here now with non-breaking culinary news – we do not do this anymore, now we know better. The only thing washing your chicken accomplishes is spreading salmonella all over your kitchen. Folks used to wash their chicken, now we know better, and we do not do that anymore.
Coltsfoot
coltsfoot flowers
How does this in anyway relate to herbalism? I’ve seen a few cheerful photos of coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) posted to social media this spring. Coltsfoot is frequently the first plant to bloom in the Ottawa region. It is one of the few sources of early spring food for pollinators. Originally native to Europe and northern Asia coltsfoot is now naturalized across much of North America. A perennial, it is unusual in that the stalk and the flowers appear first. Then the flowers fade and then the leaves appear. The leaves have a distinctive shape, similar to the hoof of a small horse – hence the common name, coltsfoot. The flowers are a bright yellow, similar to dandelion only smaller. It likes to grow in colonies and spreads both via rhizome and through the puffball of achenes.
Coltsfoot has a centuries old history as an herb for coughs and colds. Galen, Pliny, and Dioscorides all wrote about its virtues. The Latin name Tussilago comes from the Latin “tussis” for cough and Tussilago means to push outside a cough (roughly). For non-productive coughs that do not seem to be progressing it works.
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids
Coltsfoot is one of a number of plants that contain liver toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids. These alkaloids are insidious silent killers. They damage your liver and cause veno-occlusive disease. Not all pyrrolizidine alkaloids are liver toxic but as in comfrey, borage, butterbur and others the alkaloids in coltsfoot are harmful to the liver. Cells in the liver swell and become necrotic. They are then replaced by what is essentially scar tissue. Small blood vessels are blocked, reducing blood supply to the tissue. Ascites, weight gain, and enlargement of the liver are all the result of veno-occlusive disease. Part of the horror is that the damage happens without there being any outward sign of this taking place. Short of a liver biopsy or an autopsy there is no way to know.
Coltsfoot leaves
It makes sense that Galen – writing around 130-200 BCE thought that coltsfoot was great for coughs. He did not know about pyrrolizidine alkaloids. In the herbalist community there are different opinions about these alkaloids. It varies between “I’m positive it’s fine” to “Get thee behind me Satan.” People get hot under the collar. I think somewhere in the middle is probably a more realistic approach. Coughs are usually self-limiting. Do or do not, they will resolve over time regardless. Frequently an annoyance but not ordinarily life threatening unless a symptom of a more serious condition. Why risk exposure to the alkaloids in coltsfoot for this kind of condition? There has to be an assessment of risk vs reward.
Herbs for coughs
Coltsfoot is great respiratory demulcent. What about mullein? Or marshmallow root? Coltsfoot is a relaxing expectorant – why not use thyme? Thyme has the added benefit of being a bronchodilator – which coltsfoot isn’t. I could go on and on about those plants that are great for coughs and do not carry with them any pyrrolizidine alkaloids. It is not that I would never use coltsfoot. There is probably minimal risk with the use of coltsfoot for a short period of time. If you did want to use it for a cough it would be best used in combination with other herbs and I would never consider giving it to children, seniors, pregnant or nursing women. People with underlying liver conditions should also not use herbs containing pyrrolizidine alkaloids.
Always learning
Each day we learn something new about herbs and how they heal. Even herbs that have been in use for centuries. It is not enough to use an herb because it has always been used. Herbalism has a proud rich history – but it cannot be static. We need to continuously reassess what we know about herbs so that we can work with plants in a manner that is both effective and safe. My herbalism is always about the integration of new information with traditional wisdom. When I know better I do better.
Final note
I made the chicken and it was delicious. Just don’t forget to poke holes in the lemons and leave the cover off the dutch oven.