Coltsfoot: How to Recognise It and Why It Is Risky

Growing coltsfoot – well-drained substrate, direct sun or partial shade, moderate watering

In brief: Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) is a perennial herb that first flowers with yellow heads, and its leaves emerge only after flowering. In the wild it grows in damp places by water and in fields; in the garden it is content even with better-drained soil in sun or partial shade. It contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids with a genotoxic effect, so its internal use is not recommended today, especially not for children and pregnant women.

Flowering	March–April, the leaves grow only after flowering
Position	sun or partial shade
Soil	damper, tolerates better-drained substrate too
Risk	pyrrolizidine alkaloids, unsuitable for internal use

Coltsfoot is among the first plants to flower in spring – the yellow heads appear before the plant produces a single leaf, and it is this unusual sequence that makes it an easily recognisable herb. In the past coltsfoot was commonly gathered as a medicinal herb, but today it is right to know about its risks too.

What coltsfoot looks like and where it grows

Coltsfoot is a perennial herb with a long creeping rhizome that grows to a height of 5 to 15 cm at the time of flowering; after flowering the stem with fruits reaches up to 30 cm. The golden-yellow flower heads, 2 to 3 cm across, appear from March to April, and the large heart-shaped leaves grow only after the plant has finished flowering. In the wild it grows in damp places, in fields, by water, on meadows and on stream banks, where it gets thanks to its creeping rhizome, by which it spreads easily and quickly.

Position and soil in the garden

In the garden coltsfoot also copes with somewhat drier, well-drained soil in a sunny position or in partial shade, but naturally it likes best a damper place similar to its natural environment. Thanks to its creeping rhizome the plant spreads fairly quickly in a suitable spot, so it suits the edge of the garden or places where it will not matter if it competes with other plants for space.

Why coltsfoot is risky

Coltsfoot contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which are found in the leaves and in the flowers and have proven mutagenic and genotoxic activity, even though their total content in the plant is small. Because of this risk, the internal use of coltsfoot, whether as tea or another preparation, is not recommended today for longer periods or in larger quantities, and for children and pregnant women it is not recommended at all. If the historical use of coltsfoot interests you, take it as a curiosity from the past of herbalism, not as a guide to treating yourself.

Traditional use and its limits

The Latin name Tussilago itself refers to the traditional use of the plant against coughs, derived from the Latin word for cough. In folk medicine coltsfoot was historically also used for compresses for joint inflammation and for minor skin injuries. This traditional use is, however, only historical information about the past of herbalism, not a recommendation to imitate today – the more modern view of pyrrolizidine alkaloids means that self-treatment with coltsfoot is not recommended today and any use is better left to expert assessment.

Coltsfoot as an early source of nectar for insects

Although coltsfoot is risky for the human body, for bees and other bee colonies in spring it is, on the contrary, one of the first sources of nectar and pollen after winter, when other flowering plants are scarce. If you give it space at the edge of the plot in the garden, it can serve mainly as early spring forage for bees and bumblebees, which wake up after winter before other, richer sources of nectar come fully into bloom.

How to tell coltsfoot from similar yellow flowers

Coltsfoot is at first easily recognised precisely because it flowers without leaves – if you see a yellow head on a bare stem in a damper place early in spring, before the grass comes up, it is probably coltsfoot. Other yellow spring flowers, such as buttercup or sow thistle, usually already have developed leaves at the same time as the flower, which is the most reliable distinguishing feature on the spot. If you are not sure, rather do not collect the plant, and verify the identification against a picture in a plant atlas or with the help of a more experienced expert on the local flora.

Feature	Coltsfoot	Similar yellow spring flowers
Leaves at flowering time	absent, they grow only after flowering	usually present at the same time as the flower
Position	damper places, fields, banks	meadows, field margins, gardens
Height at flowering time	5–15 cm	varies by species

Why coltsfoot was gathered so widely in the past

In the past coltsfoot was regarded as one of the most common native herbs precisely because of how easily it was recognised and gathered – it flowered early in spring, when other herbs were scarce, and its striking yellow heads were hard to overlook even for complete beginners in herbalism. This availability and easy identification are probably the main reason why coltsfoot became part of folk tradition across the whole of Europe, regardless of later findings about its risky substances.

How to look at old herbal books today

A number of older herbal handbooks still list coltsfoot as a common native medicinal herb without any warning, because they were written before modern findings about pyrrolizidine alkaloids appeared. When reading such sources it is good to bear in mind that they reflect the knowledge of the time, not of today, and that specific recommendations for the internal use of any herbs are always better compared with currently available information, rather than relying on ancient tradition alone.

Frequently asked questions

Why does coltsfoot flower before it has leaves?

It is its natural developmental strategy – it flowers from the overwintering rhizome early in spring, and the leaves grow only later from the same rhizome after flowering.

Is it safe to give dried coltsfoot to children for a cough?

No, because of the proven content of pyrrolizidine alkaloids, coltsfoot is definitely not recommended for young children. For a cough it is better to consult a doctor about a suitable alternative.

Does coltsfoot spread uncontrollably in the garden?

Thanks to its creeping rhizome it spreads fairly quickly, especially in a damper and richer position. If you do not want it gradually taking over the whole bed, it is better to plant it at the edge of the garden.

Is coltsfoot protected in the Czech Republic?

No, it is a commonly and widely distributed plant that occurs in the wild in damp places across the whole country, from the lowlands to the foothills.

Does coltsfoot have any benefit in the garden?

Yes, its early spring flowering provides nectar and pollen for insects at a time when other sources are scarce, so it can support garden biodiversity.

Can coltsfoot be used at least externally, for example on the skin?

Even external use should remain only short-term and on a small scale, because alkaloids can also be absorbed through the skin. If in any doubt, it is better to choose other, demonstrably safer herbs.

Sources

Updated: 10 October 2026