Butterbur Petasites hybridus L.

Butterbur (Petasites Hybridus) is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Compositae family. The rhizome is highly developed, fleshy, creeping with many roots. The flower stem is up to 80 cm high. The ground leaves are very large, dense, rounded, heartbeat or kidney, on top smooth and green. They appear after blossoming. The colors are reddish, sometimes white, heterogeneous. The flower stem is covered with flakes only. It blooms in early spring, before the leaves develop. The fruit is a kite.

It is situated along the banks of the rivers and the streams, in the rocky and humid places, up to 1000 m above sea level.

The leaves (Folia Petasite), as well as Rhizoma et radix petasites, are used. Picking up August - October. Leaves of Petasites Hybridus are harvested when fully grown without the stems, and harvesting is caused by damaged leaves. Ruminants are dug together with the roots at the end of the summer and early autumn.

In folk medicine, the cough is used for coughing and as an antipsychotic, for appetite and for improving digestion. Outwardly applied to wound healing.

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