Due to that early bloom, coltsfoot was once known as filius ante patrem ("the son before the father"). Some of its other nicknames include ass's foot, British tobacco, bullsfoot, clayweed, clutterclogs, coughwort, donnhove (donn being an ancient word for "horse"), fieldhove, flower velure, foal's foot, foalswort, hallfoot, horsefoot, horsehoof, sweep's brushes, and wild rhubarb.
In his Encyclopedia of Fruits, Vegetables, and Herbs, John Heinerman recommends that those suffering from congestion inhale the steam from an herbal tea that includes the herb and two others-yarrow and plantain. Jethro Kloss's Back to Eden suggests applying coltsfoot-soaked cloths to the chest and throat or snuffing the powdered leaves of the plant. It is also supposed to soothe sore throats and skin inflammations such as pimples and boils.
The "excellence" of the herb has recently come into dispute, however, since it contains the same pyrrolizidine alkaloids that have marred comfrey's reputation. Those toxins can cause liver damage when consumed in large amounts. But, as James Duke points out in The Green Pharmacy, "data published in the journal Science by noted biochemist Bruce Ames. . .indicate that comfrey leaf tea is less carcinogenic than an equivalent amount of beer." So we can probably assume that the dangers of coltsfoot have been exaggerated too.
Herbalists do recommend that the down from the leaves be strained out of all infusions, lest those imbibing them be more irritated than soothed. In the past that down was often used as tinder, while coltsfoot's silky seed fluff stuffed pillows and mattresses. Birds still employ it to line their nests.
In the Language of Flowers, coltsfoot declaims, somewhat mysteriously, "justice shall be done to you." Scots once believed that a prolific patch of the herb indicated an abundance of coal underneath it. And the flying of the plant's fluff on a still day presaged rain. Bavarian peasants traditionally burned garlands of coltsfoot as part of their Easter celebration. Perhaps its sudden blooms symbolized resurrection to them.
Those flowers only open to the touch of sunlight, and remain closed at night or under cloudy skies. Maybe that's why, on those long ago March days, we kids sometimes saw them and sometimes didn't. But we always knew the cheerful little flowers were under there somewhere and would return, as surely as the sunshine or springtime itself.
Note: Photo is by author, all rights reserved, and may not be copied or reproduced without permission. Image is from Carl Lindman's Bilder ur Nurdens Flora, courtesy of the Texas Vascular Plant Image Gallery at http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/gallery .
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