Farfarae folium

Farfarae folium, also known as coltsfoot leaves, is a drug used in herbal medicinal products for the treatment of mild inflammation of the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat and acute catarrh of the airways with coughing and hoarseness.

HMPC: Not processed.

ESCOP: Not processed.

Commission E-monograph: Acute catarrh of the respiratory tract, cough and hoarseness; acute, mild inflammation of the oral and pharyngeal mucosa; warning for pyrrolizidine alkaloids.

Deleted from the German Pharmacopoeia due to pyrrolizidine alkaloids.

Farfarae folium contains 6 to 10 % acidic mucus polysaccharides, inulin, about 5 % tanning agents, varying amounts of hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids with a 1,2-unsaturated necine skeleton and their N-oxides (tussilagin and sinkirkin).

Coltsfoot leaves have an irritant, expectorant and antiphlogistic effect

Farfarae folium is used to treat mild inflammation of the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat and acute catarrh of the airways with coughing and hoarseness.

The daily dose of the drug is between 4 and 6 g, depending on the preparation. The daily dose of coltsfoot tea should not exceed 10 ug, that of extracts and fresh plant juice should not contain more than 1 ug of pyrrolizidine alkaloids with 1,2 unsaturated necin skeleton including their N-oxides.

The application period should not exceed 4 to 6 weeks per year.

There are no known adverse effects.

In the case of an existing pregnancy or during breastfeeding should be used as a precautionary measure on the intake, but there are no concrete suspicious cases.

Children and adolescents under 18 years of age

Allergy to one of the ingredients

There are no known interactions with other ingredients.

Recommendations for limit values issued by the European Medicines Agency EMA in November 2014 state that herbal medicinal products may contain a maximum of 0.35 ug of toxic unsaturated pyrollizidine alkaloids in the daily dose.

Research in the field of breeding has now succeeded in producing coltsfoot leaves that are free of pyrrolizidine alkaloids.

1. Schilcher H (ed.) in, Leitfaden Phytotherapie, Urban & Fischer Verlag (2016) Munich, p. 162 f.
2. https://arzneipflanzenlexikon.info/huflattich.php
3. Wenigmann M. (2017) Phytotherapy medicinal drugs, phytopharmaceuticals, application. Urban & Fischer, pp. 127-128