Mullein is unmistakable when it is in flower, with its spires of yellow flowers on a spike reaching two or more metres tall. It likes disturbed ground and dry soil, often growing on roadsides.
The flowers, infused in oil, are a remedy for earache and other nerve pain. The leaves and flowers taken as a tea relieve dry irritable coughs. Mullein, so supple and strong itself, has an affinity for the spine and helps in setting bones.
Scrophulariaceae Figwort family
Description: Biennial plants, growing in their first year as a rosette of downy leaves, and sending up a tall spike with yellow flowers in their second summer.
Habitat: Sides of fields, hedgerows, dry ground.
Species used: Great mullein is the species generally discussed in herbals, but any of the tall, yellow-flowered mulleins can be used, as can white mullein (Verbascum album).
Distribution: Great mullein (V. thapsus) is native to Europe, northern Africa and Asia, and naturalised in parts of North America, Africa and Australia. Common in the British Isles except in the far north and west. Hoary mullein (V. pulverulentum) is local in East Anglia, and dark mullein (V. nigrum) is mostly found in the south.
Related species: There are about 300 species of Verbascum.
Parts used: Leaves and flowers, sometimes the root.
Mullein has a long history of use in Europe, and has been attributed magical powers in several mythologies. Almost three thousand years ago, according to Homer, Odysseus used the root of moly, which was probably the white mullein, as a protection against the enchantments of Circe. Odysseus was lucky to have the help of Hermes, for, in Homer’s words, ‘it was an awkward plant to dig up, at any rate for a mere man. But the gods, after all, can do anything.’
There are records of the long stalk of mullein being dipped in tallow and used as a taper by Roman legionaries and in medieval funerals. It also has a reputed association with witches’ covens, recalled in the common name hag’s taper.
Mullein leaves have made a natural toilet paper, baby nappies, food wrappers and soothing insoles for shoes – all possible emergency uses today. Despite their softness, however, mullein leaves can be irritating when dry because of all their little hairs. It is this attribute that gave the plant the name of Quaker rouge, as Quaker girls were said to redden their cheeks by rubbing the leaves on them.
A cure for hoarseness, with mullein and fennel in equal parts, cooked in wine, goes back to Hildegard of Bingen in the 1100s.
John Parkinson (1640) recommends a decoction of the leaves with sage, marjoram and chamomile (applied externally) for cramps. He mentions that country men gave a broth of mullein to cattle that had coughs and used a poultice of the leaves for horses’ hooves injured in shoeing.
A Victorian doctor, Dr Quinlan, publicised a traditional Irish TB treatment in which one handful of fresh mullein leaves was boiled with two pints of milk, strained and sweetened with honey; the mix was to be drunk twice a day.
Use mullein for…
Mullein’s soft fuzzy leaves give a hint of its soothing qualities for internal use. Its particular affinity is for the respiratory system, but it also calms and strengthens the nerves, digestion and urinary system. It is good for swollen glands, and helps relieve pain in general.
Think of mullein tea for easing throat and chest problems, especially dry and irritable coughs. It can quickly soothe an irritating tickle at the back of the throat.
Mullein flower oil is the best natural remedy for earache. Our son’s ear infections when he was little were always quickly relieved (except for once when the oil was old and had lost its potency). The oil can be used externally for any kind of swelling and irritation.
Following up on ancient precedent, a useful remedy to ease the foot pain of plantar fasciitis is to put a fresh mullein leaf in your shoe, replacing with a new one when the first one has dried out.
Mullein poultices for external use are excellent to draw out splinters and boils, but, like the tea, also work at deeper bodily levels for backaches, lymphatic swellings and even broken bones. The poultices are effective in soothing swollen glands and for mumps.
Harvesting mullein
The leaves are best picked before the plant sends up its flower spike. Dry the leaves whole and then crumble them for storage.
The flowers are quite soft, so pick them carefully to avoid bruising. Spread in a single layer on a sheet of paper or a mesh screen to dry.
Mullein tea
The leaves can be used on their own, or you can add flowers. To make the tea, use a good rounded tablespoonful of the dried herb, slightly more of the fresh, according to taste. Pour a mugful of boiling water over it, cover and steep for 15 minutes. Strain through muslin or a fine sieve to remove any loose leaf hairs if you are using the dried leaf. Drink freely for dry coughs or any irritation of throat and chest.
Mullein flower oil
Pick the flowers on a dry sunny day, and lay them on a sheet of paper to dry a little overnight. Put them in a small jar and pour enough extra virgin olive oil over them to cover the flowers completely. Close the jar with a piece of cloth held on with a rubber band rather than using a lid – this allows any moisture to escape.
Put the jar on a sunny windowsill for two weeks, stirring every day to keep the flowers submerged in the oil. This is important, as the flowers will tend to float and may go mouldy if left exposed.
When the flowers have faded and become quite transparent, the oil is ready to be strained and bottled. Pour through a fine sieve into another jar. There will probably be a layer of water at the bottom of the jar, so the oil needs to be poured slowly and carefully into a third jar, leaving the watery layer behind. Store in a cool dark place for up to a year.
For earache, put 1 to 3 drops of oil in the affected ear as needed for pain.
Mullein poultice
To make a poultice, lay a few mullein leaves in a dish (for a splinter you’ll only need part of a leaf) and pour a little boiling water on them to soften them. Leave until they are cool enough to handle, then place them on the affected part. The poultice can be held on with a bandage, and you can keep it warm by holding a hot water bottle against it.
This is an excellent treatment for removing splinters, to draw boils, to soothe an aching back and for any lymphatic swellings. It can also be used to help heal broken bones, such as ribs or toes, that cannot be set.
Tip: Don’t use a bottle with a pipette top for long-term storage of mullein oil. We have found that volatile oils from the mullein destroy the rubber bulb after a while, and the oil loses its potency.