This product is the flower bud of the perennial herbaceous plant of the Asteraceae family, Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara L.). It is mainly produced in Henan, Gansu, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and other regions. It is harvested in December or before the ground freezes, when the flowers have not yet emerged from the soil. The flower stalks are removed, and the buds are dried in the shade. They can be used raw or processed with honey.

bubble_chart Properties and Meridians

Acrid and slightly bitter, warm. Act on lung meridian.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Moistening lung and relieving cough resolving phlegm.

bubble_chart Indications

Used for various types of cough. This product is a common medicine for treating cough, with medicinal properties and efficacy similar to Aster, which is more effective in resolving phlegm, while this product excels in relieving cough. The two are often used together for mutual reinforcement. However, this product is warm and moist in nature, making it particularly suitable for cold coughs, often used in combination with Ephedra and others. For cough and wheezing due to lung heat, it is combined with White Mulberry Root-Bark, Trichosanthis Fruit; for cough due to lung qi deficiency, it can be combined with Ginseng, Astragalus Root; for dry cough due to yin deficiency, it is combined with Coastal Glehnia Root, Ophiopogon Tuber; for long-term wheezing and coughing with blood in the sputum, it is often combined with Lily Bulb, such as in Flowers Ointment; for cough with purulent sputum due to lung abscess, it is combined with Platycodon Root and coix seed, as in Chuangyang Jingyan Quanshu's Kuanhua Decoction.

bubble_chart Documentation

1. The "Mujing" states: "Mainly treats cough with dyspnea, good for wheezing, pharyngitis."
2. The "Mujing Fengyuan" states: "Moistens the lungs and disperses phlegm, stops coughing and stabilizes wheezing."
3. Benjing Shuzheng: "In the 'Qianjin' and 'Waitai', in the treatment of cough and chronic cough disease, Aster and coltsfoot are used together in nine out of ten prescriptions. However, the differences can also be roughly seen in the 'Qianjin' and 'Waitai'. Generally, for those who spit pus and blood or lose their voice, and those with abundant wind-cold and water qi, coltsfoot is not often used, but Aster is used; coltsfoot is often used with warming agents and tonic formulas."

bubble_chart Usage and Dosage

Decoct and take 5-10g. For external contraction fulminant cough disease, it is advisable to use it raw; for internal damage chronic cough disease, it is advisable to use it roasted.

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

This product contains faradiol and its structural analogs, rutin, Chinese St. John's wort root glycosides, triterpenoid glycosides, volatile oils, and tannins, among others. The decoction has shown antitussive effects in animal experiments; both the alcohol extract and the decoction have blood pressure-raising effects; the ether extract can inhibit gastrointestinal smooth muscle, exhibiting antispasmodic effects.