Mother and stepmother cough for adults and children

Tussilago farfara – coltsfoot has been used for coughs for centuries, and today this perennial plant of the Asteraceae family is a pharmacopoeial plant in some countries. [ 1 ] This means that its medicinal properties for coughs are recognized by official medicine, and the leaves of coltsfoot, as the main medicinal raw material, must meet certain standards. According to some data, only the flower bud can be used as an antitussive and expectorant herbal remedy. [ 2 ]

Indications coughing motherwort

This plant is used for the symptomatic treatment of productive (wet) cough with thick sputum in acute respiratory and bronchopulmonary diseases; in chronic forms of bronchitis (obstructive, allergic) and bronchial asthma.

Coltsfoot is also used for dry coughs, including acute respiratory viral infections, whooping cough and laryngitis.

Release form

In pharmacies there are dried leaves of the plant (crushed plant material in packs), from which a decoction or water infusion of coltsfoot is prepared for coughs.

This plant is also included in the Breast collection for cough (No. 1 and No. 2), for more details see – Breast collection for cough.

Coltsfoot cough syrup (in 100-130 ml bottles); syrups with two ingredients: plantain and coltsfoot cough (extracts), and this combination is due to the pronounced mucokinetic, as well as anti-inflammatory and bactericidal properties of plantain.

Pharmacodynamics

The pharmacodynamics of coltsfoot – the biochemical mechanism of its expectorant effect – is due to the synergistic action of biologically active compounds synthesized by the plant: mucus (mucopolysaccharides); saponins; tannins; carotenoids; terpenes and sesquiterpenes (tussilagon, amyrin, bisabolene, α-phellandrene, tussfarfarine); flavonoids quercetin and kaempferol and their glycosides; phenolic and phenolcarboxylic acids (chlorogenic, caffeoylquinic, ferulic, 4-hydroxybenzoic). [ 3 ] Caffeoylquinic acids (chlorogenic acid, 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 3,4-dicaffeoylquinic acid and 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid) isolated from Tussilago farfara have been shown to have antitussive, expectorant and anti-inflammatory effects.[ 4 ]

Coltsfoot herb for cough (leaves) acts as an expectorant, i.e. it promotes both the liquefaction of the resulting tracheobronchial mucous secretion (phlegm) - due to the action of saponins and phenol-containing acids, and its removal from the respiratory tract (coughing) - due to the restoration of mucociliary clearance (functions of the ciliated epithelium of the respiratory tract). In addition, the plant has anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic properties.

Pharmacokinetics

Although most organic compounds of medicinal plants are broken down by the liver, the pharmacokinetics of herbal medicines, including coltsfoot, have not been studied due to the lack of methods for assessing the effects and metabolism of individual biologically active substances.

Dosing and administration

Syrups, decoctions and infusions are taken orally. A single dose of syrup for children aged 6-10 is one teaspoon (three times a day), for children aged 10-14 - two teaspoons, for children over 14 and adults - one tablespoon. Duration of administration is 7-10 days.

Dry coltsfoot leaves are used to prepare a decoction or water infusion.

How to brew coltsfoot for cough is indicated in the instructions. To prepare an infusion of coltsfoot, you need to pour a teaspoon of dry leaf with a glass of boiling water, cover the container with a lid and let it brew for at least 30 minutes. Cooled

The infusion is filtered and taken several times during the day: one tablespoon for children, two for adults.

A decoction of coltsfoot for coughs - either dry or fresh coltsfoot can be used (then the leaves should be washed and finely chopped) - is prepared at the rate of one tablespoon of raw material per 200-250 ml of water. The decoction is kept on the fire (at a low boil) for 10 minutes, taken similarly to the infusion.

Use coughing motherwort during pregnancy

In domestic medical practice, it is permitted to use coltsfoot decoction for coughs during pregnancy, although there are no clinical trials regarding its safety.

In the West, this plant and preparations based on it are contraindicated or limited in use during pregnancy and lactation due to the content of hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids (the carcinogenic and mutagenic potential of which has been identified in laboratory studies).

Contraindications

Contraindications for the use of Tussilago farfara include: high blood pressure (hypertension), liver problems, cholecystitis and cholelithiasis, poor blood clotting and bleeding.

It is also contraindicated to treat cough with coltsfoot if you have an allergy to ragweed or wormwood, which may cause a cross-allergic reaction.

Coltsfoot for cough is approved for use in children from the age of 6 years – after consultation with a pediatrician.

Side effects coughing motherwort

The main side effects when using this plant include:

• increased blood pressure;
• decreased blood clotting;
• increased frequency of urination;
• with prolonged use – stenosis of intrahepatic blood vessels and liver damage with the risk of developing a malignant tumor.

The last of these side effects of coltsfoot was identified in several cases in the late 1970s, and researchers linked the plant's hepatotoxicity and carcinogenicity to senkirkine and senecionine, pyrrolizidine alkaloids. On this basis, Austria and Germany have stopped using coltsfoot, the US FDA has classified it as a plant with an uncertain safety profile, and some American herbalists recommend treating coughs with other remedies.

As experts note, traces of these alkaloids have been found in the leaves of Tussilago farfara, and in low doses their hepatotoxicity does not manifest itself. But in the flowers, the level of pyrrolizidine alkaloids is much higher, so the buds, peduncles and flowers of coltsfoot themselves cannot be used for coughs.

By the way, pyrrolizidine alkaloids are contained in the root of comfrey (Symphytum officinale), common sage (Lithospermum officinalis), black root (Cynoglossum officinale), and sage (Salvia officinalis). And they are pharmacologically active, for example, platyphylline, an alkaloid of pyrrolizidine from broadleaf ragwort (Sonecio platiphyllus), which relieves vascular spasms; the alkaloid indicine-H-oxide of Indian heliotrope (Heliotropium indicum), despite its possible negative impact on the liver, is used to treat children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. [ 5 ]

Overdose

Until recently, coltsfoot was considered a relatively safe plant, but it should be taken in small quantities and for no more than a month. Overdose can cause nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.

Interactions with other drugs

Coltsfoot, when used simultaneously, may reduce the therapeutic effect of antihypertensive drugs and drugs of the group of liver cytochrome P450 inducers.

You cannot combine taking syrup, decoction or infusion of this plant with medications that reduce the rate of blood clotting and choleretic drugs.

Storage conditions

Storage conditions: dry raw materials in packs – at room temperature, away from light; syrups – at a temperature of +6-8°C.

Shelf life

The shelf life of syrups and dry medicinal raw materials is indicated by the manufacturer on the packaging. After opening the syrup, its shelf life is four weeks (provided it is stored in the refrigerator).

Analogues

The analogues of coltsfoot for coughs are considered to be licorice and marshmallow (roots), wild primrose (spring primrose), oregano, thyme and other expectorant herbs for coughs.