💊 Mullein
🍴 Edible Parts
🤝 Companions (7)
⚠️ Keep Apart (3)
💊 Medicinal Uses
Respiratory remedy par excellence. Leaves (demulcent, expectorant) soothe dry coughs, bronchitis, and asthma. Flowers infused in oil treat ear infections and earaches. Contains mucilage, saponins, and iridoids. Antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory. Leaves smoked historically for lung conditions. Root tincture used for back pain and bladder weakness.
📜 History & Traditional Uses
Used since antiquity; Dioscorides documented it. Roman soldiers carried dried mullein stalks dipped in tallow as torches. Called 'candlewick plant' and 'hag's taper.' Native Americans used leaf poultices for wounds. Leaves lined shoes for warmth and cushioning. Fishermen crushed seeds to stupefy fish.
📝 Notes
First year: basal rosette of large fuzzy leaves. Second year: dramatic 4–8 ft flower spike with yellow blooms. Extremely drought-hardy once established. Prolific self-seeder; remove flower stalks to control spread. Individual flowers bloom for just one day. 'Cowboy toilet paper' — large soft leaves used in wilderness.