Coltsfoot Flower
Overview
Coltsfoot has one of the most striking botanical habits in the Tangaek-pyeon: it flowers in the snow. The text says purple-red flowers push out in the eleventh and twelfth months through the ice, that of all plants it alone ignores ice and snow, and that it blooms earliest of all in spring. This is the plant's selling point as a medicine too: it "moistens the lung, dissolves phlegm and stops cough," and a cited line calls it "the most essential for treating cough." The text also gives precise harvest advice: half-open flowers are best, and once the fragrance has fully bloomed it has no strength left.
In the Donguibogam
寶鑑
Traditional uses recorded in the Donguibogam
- Moistens the lung
- Dissolves phlegm
- Stops cough
Traditional applications recorded in the classical text
- Persistent cough
- Cough with phlegm
- Winter cough (classical context)
Traditional preparation
Flower buds harvested in the 11th lunar month (or on the first day of the year in some accounts) and shade-dried; half-open flowers are best. Stalks removed before use.
This describes traditional preparation recorded in the classics, not a recommendation for use today. DonguiHub does not provide dosage guidance — consult a qualified professional before using any herb.
Cautions
Frequently asked questions
Why does it bloom in the snow?
The text records that of all plants only this one ignores ice and snow and flowers in the cold of the eleventh and twelfth months.
When is it harvested?
In the eleventh lunar month (one account says the first day of the year), when the flowers are half open; fully fragrant flowers were said to have lost their strength.
Was it grown in Korea?
The text says the classic records it growing in Korea but that "now there is none."
Sources
- 『동의보감』 탕액편, 허준, 1613 (원문) — 한문 원문
- 한의학고전DB (mediclassics.kr) — 원문 및 국역 자료 참조