WILD, MEDICINAL WEEDS: HOW TO RECOGNIZE & USE MULLEIN (VERBASCUM THAPSUS)

For my latest video, we are back in the garden to focus on another medicinal plant that you can find growing in the wild. This one is mullein (Verbascum thapsus). Mullein is a fantastic herb for lung health and for soothing the pain and discomfort of earaches, so parents take note!

Mullein is native to Europe, Asia, and Africa. It has been introduced to Australia and the Americas, where, usually, it doesn't pose a problem as an invasive weed. That's really great news too, because, as you'll soon learn, mullein is a handy herb to have around, especially for the family and for those with lung health issues. It should be noted that Verbascum is a genus of plants in Europe, Asia, and Africa. When I speak of mullein's medicinal properties, I'm talking specifically about Verbascum thapsus, also called common mullein or great mullein.

Using Mullein Medicinally

As I mentioned in the video, all parts of the plant are usable medicinally, except for the seeds, which are considered poisonous. I promised a link to my article on using a homemade mullein and garlic oil to handle earaches and ear infections. You can find that here.

There are some herbalists that focus on using just the mullein flower medicinally, especially for topical applications. Remember my warning about some being contact sensitive to the leaves? You can sidestep that issue by utilizing just the flowers. The pain of harvesting the flowers is that they won't all bloom at once. If you aren't working from a huge stand of blooming mullein, then my suggestion is to harvest as many flowers as you can, cover them in oil, and then return for a few weeks afterward to harvest more until your jar is full. Remember to keep adding oil to the jar, ensuring that the flowers are completely submerged. Make sure to leave some flowers intact to go to seed. You don't want to lose your source of medicine!

Fore more on making herb infused oils, see my how-to article.

Close-up of a mullein flower. Image by Jennifer Capestany.

For other medicinal uses I have found that the leaves are just as medicinal as the flowers. The roots can also be tinctured to assist with lung complaints. I have included mullein in herbal tea blends and syrups to assist with colds and coughs. Mullein is truly a fantastic plant for assisting with unproductive coughs, asthma, and even severe disorders like COPD. I think of it as a guardian herb. Not only does it LOOK strong, but it helps you to be strong as well!

Quick Gardening Note!

It may not be clear in the video, but I see quite a lot of bugs on mullein. The stinkbugs (also called leaf-footed bugs here) particularly seem to like it. That raises the potential of mullein for being a good companion plant. If it can lure certain pest bugs away from more tender vegetable plants in the garden, then mullein might be a very good plant to have growing around the place! I've noted that the mullein itself is hardly bothered by the stinkbugs. It's a right pillar of a plant!

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Other Posts You May Like:

Ask an Herbalist Video 1

Three Springtime Backyard Weeds to Look For

Edible Landscaping: Turk's Cap

Eatin' Wild Series (Edible Weeds): Henbit

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Author: Jennifer Capestany

Jennifer is a clinical herbalist and health coach, specializing in autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. Her interest in plant medicine led Jennifer to spend years studying herbology, physiology, and nutrition. She works one-on-one with her clients via her herbalist and health coaching business, Prairie Hawk Botanica. Jennifer lives on a homestead in rural Texas with her husband, 2 children, and various animals. In her spare time she loves to be in her large herb and vegetable garden. Sharing herb knowledge and her love of natural healing with others is her calling. Steem and Bitcoin accepted.