“Hello my name is Mullein”

Mullein is more than a weed!

My characteristics: Produces a large, fuzzy, grey-green rosette of leaves in the first year and a 6 to 10 foot tall flowing stalk in the second year. It produces dense yellow, five petal flowers that 

bloom bottom up from June to August in the second year. It reproduces over 100,000 seeds per plant that can hold viable in soil for up to 100 years. Mullein likes to hang out in pastures, roadside, and abandoned fields. 

My medicinal use: Mullein is known to support respiratory health by loosening mucus, easing coughs, and soothing inflamed mucus membranes. DID YOU KNOW: Mullein can also be used for earaches and aid in digestive comfort!! You can brew it in a steamy tea, tincture it, or infuse it in oil.

What part of mullein can I use, you ask?! I’ll tell YA! You can use:

• Leaves: for respiratory support

• Root: for anit-inflammatory, partially for back pain and joints

• Flowers: may help with ear infection and earaches, infused it in olive oil 

FUN FACT: Mullein is known as “Hag’s Taper” or “Witches Candle”;  ancient, natural torches made from dry mullein stalks dipped in tallow or beeswax. Dating back to the Roman and Greek times, they served as liable light sources for funeral prosessions, ceremonies and symbolic protection against evil spirits.

Need to know: The small hairs that blanket mullein's leaves, stems, and flowers can cause irritation to the skin and mucous membranes. Be sure to strain infusions and oils through a fine-weave cloth before use. It’s IMPERATIVE to be sure of your identification when harvesting mullein, as it resembles poisonous species, such as foxglove (Digitalis spp.)

Know the difference:

Mullein leaf and flower: Typically biennial, producing a large, fuzzy, grey-green rosette of leaves in the first year and a 6 to 10 foot tall flowing stalk in the second year. It produces dense yellow, five petal flowers that bloom bottom up.

Foxglove: Is a striking, often biennial herb known for tall spikes (2 to 5 feet tall) of tubular bell-shapped flowers in shades of pink, purple, or white spotted speckled throats. Leaves are downy in its first year. HIGHLY poisonous to humans and animals!!

Mulleins testimony: 

“I am the “Medical Helper” beyond my reputation as a common, hardy weed, I offer profound support for your respiratory system and stand as a testament to nature's ability to provide healing”