The leaves and flowers of coltsfoot contain mucous and tannins, carbohydrate substance inulin, essential oils, carotene, vitamin C, bitter glycoside mucilages, taraxacin.
Coltsfoot has expectorant, anti-inflammatory, emollient and disinfectant action. Emollient and anti-inflammatory effect occurs mainly due to the mucus and is increases by polysaccharides.
Coltsfoot has long been used in folk medicine. It is a traditional remedy for cough. Leaves of coltsfoot are used in conjunction with flowers in the form of decoction as an expectorant and diaphoretic agent for colds, and inflammations of the mucous membranes, gastritis, kidney diseases, catarrh of the bladder (cystitis), inflammation of the colon and small intestine (colitis and enteritis).