"Oh, stony pasture,
Where the tall mullein
Stands up so sturdy
On its little seed!"
-Edna St. Vincent Millay

Family: Scrophulariaceae (Snapdragon)
Other names: hag's taper, beggar's blanket, lungwort, mule ears, velvet dock, wild tobacco, aaron's rod, feltwort, hare's beard, pig taper, many others
Name meaning: The name mullein probably derives from the Latin mollis, soft. Verbascum is the Latin word for mullein (from the word for beard), and thapsus refers to the genus Thapsia, which this plant is said to resemble.
Origin: Mullein is native to Eurasia; in North America it is a common invasive alien.
Range: In addition to its native range, mullein grows all across North America, in every state including Hawai'i, and also has been introduced to other areas such as Australia and New Zealand.
Habitat: Roadsides, waste areas, disturbed soils
Life cycle: Biennial
Description: A densely wooly, biennial plant. The first year, the leaves are arranged in a basal rosette, and in the second, a tall stalk appears, with leaves rising up to the club-like flowerhead. The leaves are thick and velvety, the basal ones stalked and up to a foot long, the upper ones sessile (stalkless) and smaller, decreasing in size as they go up on the plant. The flowers are small, yellow, and 5-petaled, clustered tightly on the flowerhead. Later, brown seeds replace the flowers.

Uses

Edible: The leaves can be dried and steeped for tea. Use sparingly.

Medicinal: While this plant is not native to North America, as soon as it arrived Native American tribes recognized its usefulness and began using it. The leaves and flowers can be made into a tea and used as an expectorant, antispasmodic, diuretic, and for kidney infections, bronchitis, chest colds, and asthma. The flowers are also made into an oil and used for ear infections and aches, hemorrhoids, inflammations, rashes, sunburns, and bruises. The flower tea is used as a sedative for the head and digestive system and for pain. The leaves are used in all sorts of ways for bronchial afflictions, coughs, and chest congestion, including inhaling the fumes from the leaf tea, smoking the leaves, and using them as incense and inhaling the smoke. The tea is used for colds, coughs, diarrhea, and sore throats, and externally, as a wash for cuts. The leaves are poulticed for hemorrhoids, ulcers, and tumors. The leaves are very muciliginous, and are poulticed on inflamed mucous membranes. The stalks have been used in India for cramps, fever, and migraine headaches. The root can be made into a decoction as an antispasmodic and for nervous indigestion. The infusion is used for liver ailments.

Utilitarian: The leaves can be used as toilet paper (but see warning below), and the wooly hairs rolled off to use for a candle wick or for tinder to start fires. Some Native Americans used the leaves to insulate their moccasins. The dried heads can be dipped in oil, tallow, or pitch to be used as torches. The stalk makes an excellent hand drill for firestarting, and can also be dipped in oil, tallow, or pitch to make candles. The inner pith of the stalk can be used as tinder. The seeds are used as a fish poison, stunning them for easy collection, and the flowers produce a yellow dye.

Magical: The leaves are carried for protection and courage, and used in dreaming pillows to prevent nightmares. Mullein can be hung over doorways for home protection. Candles made from the dried stalks are used in Samhain ceremonies honoring the dead. The powder leaves can be used as a substitute for "graveyard dust." In ancient Rome, torches made from mullein were carried in ceremonial processions. The leaves are a tobacco substitute and were smoked ritually by some Native American tribes.

Warning: Overuse of the plant externally can irritate the skin; keep this in mind if you use it as toilet paper. Overuse internally can also irritate the lungs; Tom Brown has a horror story about this in his book Tom Brown's Guide to Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants. If you harvest the plant from roadsides, remember that there is a risk of pollutants, and keep as far away from the road as possible.

Where to find mullein

Pretty much any highway in America is lined with mullein, especially where the roadside is sloped (but see warning above). Other places to find mullein are old fields and the edges of farmland. Overharvest all you like (if you're in North America) since it's an invasive species, but check your local laws before harvesting from public lands. Mullein is also bought quite easily; most natural food stores and co-ops carry it. You can also order it from suppliers like Frontier or Capricorn's Lair.

Links

Wikipedia: Common Mullein
Botanical.com: Mullein, Great
Plants for a Future: Verbascum thapsus
Foraging with the "Wildman": Mullein
Wild Flowers of Minnesota's Iron Range: Mullein, Common
Wildflowers of the Southeastern US: Mullein, Common
King's American Dispensatory: Verbascum
Nature's Herbal: Great Mullein
Herbs 2000: Mullein
An Illustrated Herbal: Mullein (Great)
Alternative Nature Online Herbal: Mullein
Herbs and Oils: MNO Herbs (scroll down to mullein)
The Herbal Encyclopedia: M (scroll down to mullein)
The Soul Element: Herbs (scroll down to mullein)
Capricorn's Lair: Mullein
Common Mullein
Medical Attributes of Verbascum thapsus
Herbal Musings: Mullein
USDA Plant Profile: Verbascum Thapsus
PCA Alien Plant Working Group: Common Mullein