I love the town where I live. In my yard and in yards and grassy areas throughout the town, including the municipal park, there are the most luscious and vast array of medicinal plants. There is wild violet, dandelion, chickweed, privet, red clover, yellow dock, and plantain to mention a few I encounter regularly. Some would refer to these plants as weeds. I do appreciate the frustration that some may feel when they look out over their yard and find every spare space taken over with, say chickweed. However, I feel a little differently. I feel blessed when a plant like chickweed grows in my yard because I see it as an opportunity to deepen a relationship with a friend, as well as to have amazing medicine growing abundantly and accessibly right in my backyard.
We just moved here 6 months ago, so I am having a lovely time waiting to see what will pop up in the yard, all unexpected treasures. My latest discovery in my yard was coltsfoot. She was sticking out of little pocket beside the house in the middle of a garden bed. I missed her flowering (yellow dandelionesque flowers with a yellow disk in the middle) and only saw the leaves which are very distinctive, supposedly shaped like a pony’s foot, hence the name coltsfoot (or my personal favorite horsehoof). I have used this herb before in my practice, mainly in cough syrups and formulas to soothe the throat, expectorate phlegm and help coughs. I like to make cough syrups (usually one for dry coughs and one for wet coughs) in the fall and this herb always makes an appearance in the syrup I make for dryer coughs.
She is a popular herb in Chinese medicine too. She is referred to as Kuan Dong Hua, and her uses are pretty much the same as the western uses, however the Chinese uses only the flower, while in western tradition the flower, stem, and leaf are all used. She targets the lungs alone by moistening them, directing the qi downward, transforming phlegm, and stopping cough. She is considered good for any type of cough or wheezing, be it hot, cold, acute, or chronic. Another useful aspect about her is that even though she transforms phlegm, she is not drying.
When a plant captures my attention and my imagination, as this coltsfoot plant has done, I like to strike up a conversation and deepen the friendship. I ascribe to a common belief among herbalists that what you need is growing right outside your back door. So the fuller, healthier, and more abundant the plant is the better.
The first thing I did when I realized it was coltsfoot was to consult every materia medica I have so I can learn as much that is written about her as possible. Although I have a long list of books I consult, my favorite material medicas are anything by Matthew Wood or David Winston. I also particularly love my books and materials about flower essences and their meanings because these writings delve into the subtler and more psychospiritual properties of a plant. I particularly like Green Hope Farm writings (http://www.greenhopeessences.com/index.html), which is a company in New Hampshire that personally makes their own flower essences and has ones you will not find elsewhere. Green Hope Farm also uses a plant-based, non alcohol stablizer for their essences called Red Shiso which I highly recommend.
I meditated and I made a tea with her to discover what riches she has to offer from my own personal experience and observation. These two methods allow me to observe the physicality of the alchemy process on my own body. I would like to report here about my personal encounters and discoveries with coltsfoot. I used her leaves to make a tea which was tasty and a very beautiful shade of green (the exact shade of my cat, Memphis’ eyes).
In my meditation, I felt her most strongly in my heart and lung area, like my chest was opening and relaxing at the same time from the center of my heart out. What I noticed was that these actions started with the flower, with coltsfoot flower appearing to me like the sun that was planted in and shining out from my heart center and as the feelings spread I felt my awareness flow on into the stem and leaves. I could feel any tension in my heart center melting away expanded. My heart felt like it was expanding from the inside out and clearing out my lungs and my throat and connecting with my head. My whole core channel, especially from my third eye to my liver area felt open and clear. The most significant thing was that I felt like any blockage to my throat had been dispersed. My voice felt clear, strong, as if it was coming out of my heart.
What is both significant and synchronistic for me about what I felt in my heart and throat is that I have been focusing my intentions and my meditations on opening this area. I have had a constriction in my throat. The tangible result in my life has been that I have questioned my own experiences and my authority to speak clearly about them. This plant has come at a time when I have been actively challenging that constriction and consciously expanding my voice, with my concrete actions, as well as with my thoughts and intentions. Coltsfoot’s presence feels like a gentle nod and gift from nature that supports and affirms my conscious intention to deepen my expression of authenticity.
I am fascinated by how clearly I felt her in the area of my heart because all of the reading I have done suggests she is a lung remedy. I found several sources that cited her spiritual properties as enhancing maternal love. Interestingly, though, in my Chinese materia medica by Bensky, Clavey, and Stoger (Chinese herbal Medicine Materia Medica Third Edition), I did find a reference to support my experience of feeling an opening in the heart. They site an 18th century physician named Chen Shi-Duo who sites coltsfoot as entering the heart to calm it, entering the liver to improve vision, as well as draining heart fire. He states that too much of this herb will excessively drain the heart fire, indicating the need for smaller dosages.
Another benefit Chen Shi-Duo mentions is that coltsfoot generates stomach qi which strengthens food intake. One way to strengthen the lung qi, or metal element in Chinese medicine is to strengthen the earth or spleen/stomach. I am completely struck by the wholistic way this plant strengthens and supports the lung, as if it is addressing every angle. I am also struck by the fact that this plant seems to accomplish its actions in smaller doses, preferably those taken over a short period of time.
Methods for Taking Coltsfoot and An Important Caution
An important caution about coltsfoot is that she contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids which can damage the liver. I do not believe in promoting fear about plants, but I do believe it is important to have all of the information about her safety and uses. According to Matthew Wood in his book, The Earthwise Herbal: A Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants, pyrrolizidine alkaloids are not soluble in water, making the tea a safe way to consume the leaves. This means that if you use it as a tincture, you should limit it to short term usage. This is seemingly supported by the way that coltsfoot works, accomplishing her goals in smaller dosages over a short period of time. I also would not advise it for pregnant or breastfeeding women, especially in not in tincture form. Another important way of consuming this plant is by smoking her. She has been used to help those who are trying to stop smoking, mainly to help heal and repair the lung tissue. Interestingly, theater actors who need a stage prop to simulate marijuana smoking will use coltsfoot as a replacement.
Final Word of Gratitude
I am excited to continue my meditations with this plant. I look especially forward to encountering her flowers next year. Above all, I would like to express a sincere and deep gratitude for the intelligence, beauty, and presence of coltsfoot.
