Tussilago means cough supressant and evidently its qualities as a soothing relief of sore throats and chest coughs were well known when European immigrants settled in the Appalachian mountains two centuries ago.
Today, we notice the coltsfoot flowers because they are similar in looks to dandelions, but without leaves. The "hoof-shaped" leaves, thus the plant's name, do not appear until after the plant has bloomed and set seeds. Early peoples dried the leaves, then smoked them for relief primarily from athsma-like conditions. The flowers were also crushed and were thought to be a cure for skin conditions. In addition, the plant is edible.
A confectionary business in Oswaldtwistle, United Kingdom, Stockley's Sweets, maintains it is the only business in the world that makes a confection from coltsfoot, known as Coltsfoot Rock.
It is located near Lancastershire. Since Rocky suffers from COPD which includes athsma, I sent for some, so I'll let you know what it tastes like if I can find the right words, and whether it helps us suppress coughs or tastes medicinal (or yummy).
The plant likes sunny locations along roadsides, although it is not as common as dandelions.
We first noticed coltsfoot a decade or more in the past growing down the middle and on the edges of our gravel road. Our road is paved now with asphalt and the colonies of coltsfoot are decidedly fewer. But it survives at the edges of the asphalt in little groups. I noticed the ones the other day where Rocky feeds his pet grouse millet.
Neither one of us was acquainted with the plant and had to look it up in a wildflower book to verify what it was. However, as happens so often when you become aware of something, we started to find references to it in local and regional media.
