Mullein
MULLEIN
Verbascum thapsus
Common Name
Family
Actions
Antiseptic, anodyne, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, astringent, demulcent, diuretic, emollient, expectorant, lung tonic, vulnerary
Energetics
Cooling and Moistening
Edible Uses
The leaves and flowers are edible and may be added to salads. Most people prefer mullein as a tea.
Native To
Central/Southern Europe and western Asia
Geographic Distribution
Widespread worldwide
Botanical Description & Identification
Mullein plant can reach up to 6-8 feet high. Its leaves are hairy, long (12 inches), and shaped in a spiral. The plant is velvety soft. Its center spike around its second year of growth and it will be the tallest part of the plant. The flowers of mullein are five-petaled and pale yellow.
Key Constituents
Flavonoids, mucilage, triterpenoid saponins, tannins, volatile oil, glycosides, carbohydrates, proteins, fats and fixed oils, iridoid compounds, vitamins and minerals.
Sustainability Issues
None known.
Harvesting Guidelines
Leaves of mullein should be completely dry when harvesting - and then further dried after harvest which can take up to four weeks to dry completely. The best time to harvest the leaves is within the first and second year before the venter stalk shoots up. The flowers may be harvested when they open in the summer. Roots should be harvested only from first year plants.
Uses:
**BENEFITS OF MULLEIN:
Mullein is known to:
*Ease colic and mental distress
*Help expel gas
*Decrease spasms and restlessness of the muscles
*Reduce/Relieve teething in babies and toothaches in adults
*Help heal wounds, boils, ulcers, scrapes and sunburned skin
*Improve circulation
*Ease symptoms of depression
*Improve lethargy
*Relieve coughs
*Stimulate bruise healing
*Increase scalp health
*Improve skin lesions
*Relieve stomach upset
*Decrease swelling
*Expel intestinal worms (when taken as an internal herb remedy)
*Help normalize blood pressure
*Relieve symptoms of ADHD
*Reduce fever
*Ease hemorrhoids
*Ease symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea
*Ease joint pain and stiffness
Mullein is useful in the following more common disorders and diseases:
Bronchitis, emphysema, laryngitis, tracheitis, asthma, tuberculosis, emphysema, spasms, wheezing, skin wounds, snake bites, ulcers, tumors, hemorrhoids, earaches, ear infections, sunburn, inflammatory skin, warts, camps, gas, bowel stagnation, IBS, intestinal worms, urinary tract infections
Most common uses:
Most commonly used to ease and soothe dry, irritated coughs and 'stuckness' in the lungs.
Fun Facts:
Mullein is:
* An herb with the name 'candlestick', said to come from the days people used to
stick mullein stems in fat and burn them as candles and torches.
* A plant that readily seeds itself in damaged soil where most other plants will not
grow and is therefore called the 'Pioneer Plant'.
* An herb that the Native Americans smoked in order to inhale its vapors. Many
herbalists still promote this practice today. Children can benefit from inhaling the
smoke of burning leaves without having to actually smoke the plant.
* A plant with around 250 species.
References
Apelian, N., & Davis, C. (2019). The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies: The Healing Power of Plant Medicine.
Hoffman, D. (1987). The Herbal Handbook: A User's Guide to Medical Herbalism.
Lahhari, A. (2021). Native American Herbalist's Bible.
Recipes and Monographs Compiled From The Intermediate Herbal Course. Copyright: The Herbal Academy.
The Herbal Academy Herbarium and Materia Medica. Copyright: The Herbal Academy.
McIntyre, A. (2019). The Complete Herbal Tutor: The Definitive Guide to the Principles and Practices of Herbal Medicine.
United States Department of Agriculture. (n.d.). The PLANTS Database: Threatened and endangered. Retrieved from https://plants.usda.gov/java/threat
Wood, M. (2008). The Earthwise Herbal: A Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants
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