A respiratory go-to, Coltsfoot has been the emblem of healers for centuries - soothing stubborn coughs, calming the chest, and protecting the lungs.

Please note this is a nutritional, functional horse food supplement and not veterinary medicine. See Dr Kellon's Horse Sense - Nutrition is not 'Alternative' Therapy for more information.

💧Tincture

Our human-grade, certified organic tinctures give you a ready-to-absorb potent source of phytonutrients at the highest-strength available, for immediate absorption straight into the bloodstream and to the body’s cells.

• Tussilago farfara
• Leaf
• Infused 1:3 35%
• Wild harvested

Feed Guide

• 6ml/100kg bodyweight, daily in feed.
• Always shake the bottle to disperse any sediment.
• Our tinctures come in a heat-sealed, twin-neck, child-resistant HDPE plastic dosing bottle, complete with dosing chamber. *HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) plastic is 100% recyclable, and energy-efficient to produce. Safe for food/water storage, it reduces waste and emissions while resisting wear. A top sustainable choice to match the EquiNatural ethos.

🌿Dried Herb

• Tussilago farfara
• Leaf
• Wild harvested
• Origin Poland

Feed Guide

• 5g/100kg bodyweight per day, i.e. 25g for a 500kg, daily to feed.
• Want a scoop? You can add a scoop to your basket during checkout.
• Supplied in a resealable, food-grade foil pouch for freshness.

Functional Nutritional Value

Constituents: Flowers: mucilage; flavonoids (rutin, carotene); taraxanathin; pyrrolizidine alkaloids (senkirkine, senecionine, tussilagine). Leaves: mucilage; flavonols (quercetin, kaempferol and their glycosides); tannins; inulin; phytosterols (sitosterol, stigmasterol, taraxasterol); sesquiterpene (tussilagone); zinc.

• Our range of botanicals are all grown, harvested and dried without the use of agri-chemicals, non-irradiated and GMO free - see our Quality page for Quality Management & Certification Documents.
• Laboratory tested for identification and compliance to the British and European Pharmacopoeia standards.
• Human grade.
• Please be aware that if you're purchasing our dried botanicals for human use, our dried range is cut to appropriate sizes for feeding to horses.

More ...

If you had stepped into an apothecary shop in the 17th or 18th century, you’d have recognised coltsfoot straight away - the golden flower was the emblem proudly painted on apothecary signs. Even today, many herbalists still use the coltsfoot bloom as a logo, a nod to its long-standing reputation as a healer of the lungs.

Its very name tells you what it does: Tussilago comes from tussis (“cough”) and ago (“to drive away”). For centuries, coltsfoot has been considered one of the finest cough herbs - a soothing, strengthening pulmonary tonic.

History and tradition

• The Romans valued it as a go-to for respiratory complaints.
• Herbalist Nicholas Culpeper praised its fresh leaves, juice, or syrup for easing “ a bad, dry cough, or wheezing and shortness of breath. ”
• Ancient Greeks and Romans even smoked the dried flowers to calm coughs (though we wouldn't recommended this today!).
• Like its relative elecampane, coltsfoot found its way into traditional cough sweets, boiled in honey or sugar syrup.

How it works

Coltsfoot is packed with mucilage, making it both soothing and protective for inflamed throats and lungs. Its actions include:

• Antitussive – calming stubborn, irritating coughs
• Expectorant – loosening and moving phlegm
• Demulcent – coating and soothing dry, inflamed tissue
• Anti-inflammatory – cooling inflamed airways and mucous membranes
• Anticatarrhal – easing catarrh and congestion

It’s particularly indicated for convulsive coughing fits - the sort that rack the chest and leave you exhausted.

Beyond the lungs

In Western herbalism, the leaves are noted for their high zinc content, which supports immune health and reduces mucosal inflammation. Coltsfoot has even been compared in its anti-inflammatory action to modern NSAIDs like indomethacin.

It’s also considered a mild diuretic, historically used for cystitis. And for the more adventurous - coltsfoot leaves have even been cooked as food: simmered with onion and potato into a soup, or steamed like spinach with butter.

Modern use

Today, coltsfoot remains a cornerstone respiratory herb, especially in tincture form. Tincturing extracts up to 10 times more active constituents than a herbal tea, which is why it’s often chosen for formulas like cough blends and syrups.

NB. Hence why we only produce our KoffTonic in tincture form to maximise the benefits and efficacy.

Coltsfoot continues to live up to its name - soothing coughs, easing the breath, and supporting the lungs with the same reliability that made it a healer’s emblem centuries ago.

Safety

• There are no documented adverse reactions recorded for coltsfoot.