MULLEIN
Verbascum blattaria, V. thapsus
COMMON NAMES: Moth mullein, white mullein, verbascum flowers, woollen blanket herb, flannel
flower, cow’s lungwort, velvet leaf.
FEATURES: The genus comprises some three hundred species native to Europe, North Africa, and western
and central Asia. Some species have escaped and are common in the United States, growing in recent
clearings, sparsely inhabited fields, and along roadsides. They vary greatly in size and form, but most
have a columnar aspect, are hairy or woolly, and have yellow, red, purplish, or brownish red flowers
arranged in dense terminal spikes or in narrow panicles. The best-known species in America is the
common Verbascum thapsus, marked by a stout, erect, unbranched, woolly stem 2–3 feet tall, with basal
leaves narrowing at the base into wings that pass down the stem. This characteristic of V. thapsus enables
it to be distinguished from the various other mulleins. The dense spikes of small yellow flowers bloom in
July and August; the fruit is a capsule or pod. The flowers and leaves have a faint, rather pleasant odor
and a somewhat bitterish, albuminous taste. Keeps well if properly dried and stored for winter use.
MEDICINAL PARTS: Leaves, flower (Culpeper used the root also).
SOLVENT: Boiling water.
BODILY INFLUENCE: Demulcent, diuretic, anodyne, antispasmodic, astringent, pectoral.
USES: The dried leaves were smoked by Native Americans to relieve lung congestion, this being one of
their many uses. Herbalists of the space age know of its remedies for coughs, colds, and pectoral
complaints, including hemorrhages from the lungs, shortness of breath, and pulmonary complaints.
Mullein has been considered a treatment for hemorrhoids for several hundred years and is still used for
this purpose, both internally and as a fomentation. A decoction made with equal parts of horsemint
(Monarda punctata) and mullein (V. thapsus) and taken three times a day is excellent for kidney diseases.
DOSE: 1 teaspoonful of the leaves or flowers to 1 cupful of boiling water. Of the tincture, 15–40 drops in
warm water every 2–4 hours, according to condition.
EXTERNALLY: A very early German remedy for deafness resulting from dried earwax, wax too soft, or