Mullein |
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| Common Name | Mullein |
| Scientific Name | Verbascum thapsus |
| Pronounced to rhyme with "sullen," this popular plant has about thirty common names- including Great Mullein, Lady's Foxglove, Velvet Plant, Shepherd's Herb, Old Man's Flannel, Jupiter's Staff, Aaron's Rod, Candlewick, Jacob's Staff, and Witch's Candle-possibly because its towering height, sometimes 8 or 9 feet, makes it hard to ignore. General Agrippa, who served under Caesar Augustus, wrote that the overpowering fragrance of the plant was a deterrent to demons. Early Greeks and Romans dipped flowerheads of the dried stalks in tallow and used them as torches. The tea is considered beneficial for pulmonary disturbances-coughs, asthma, bronchitis, and hay fever. It is also used for sedation and pain relief and alleviation of cramps and gastrointestinal catarrh. | |
| Plant | A hardy biennial. The tall, stout, single stalk bears 10- to 16-inch, alternate, felt-like, light green leaves. These diminish in size toward the top of the plant, which is crowned by a spike of five-petalled yellow flowers from June to September. |
| Height | To 9 feet. |
| Soil | Poor, dry. |
| Exposure | Full sun. |
| Propagation | By seed sown in spring or fall during the third or fourth lunar phase. Self-sows freely. |
| Care | Place plants 3 feet apart. Cut the seed heads in fall unless you want the ground matted with seedlings the following spring. |
| Part used for Tea | Flowers, leaves. |
| Taste | Tea from the flowers is sweet; from the leaves, slightly bitter. Both are highly aromatic. |
| How to Brew | BY INFUSION: Steep 1 teaspoon of dried, or 3 teaspoons of fresh crushed leaves or flowers in 1 cup of boiling water. Be sure to strain this tea well in order to eliminate the fine hairs that cover the plant. Sweeten to taste. |
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