{ Pictured: This year we found a new mullein patch on our property (thanks to my eldest! }
Some time had passed after my boys ran outside to play and explore and I began to wonder what my eldest was up to, since I could not spot where he was. I started wandering about outside when I heard him call “Mommy!” Here he was running uphill from the slope with a large bunch of long leaves in one hand! “Mommy, I have a gift for you! Mullein!”
He was coming with a big bunch of mullein leaves in his hand that had a length half his height! These leaves were magnificent!
Yes, he had a gift for me, and what a gift that was! I took them inside, washed them with running water, and put them in my hanging rack to dry.
Mullein traditional uses
Mullein has a wealth of traditional uses. In our house we have just started to explore the possibilities of this plant. The first thing we made with mullein was mullein flower oil, to use for problems in the ear. We had a large patch of mullein last year right outside our yard gate, on their second and final year of life, which is when they grow this large stalk with yellow flowers. These flowers are traditionally known to help treat bacterial or fungal ear infections and earaches when turned into oil through infusion and used as ear drops.
{ Pictured: Last year’s flower laden mullein stalk outside our yard }
Mullein is also largely known for the gifts of its large leaves that grow at the plant's base, and these you can harvest from the first year of the plant’s life cycle. The leaves, that have a fuzzy, hairy texture, when internally used as tea are known to help treat respiratory problems, as the plant is known as a major lung supporting agent. Externally, as mullein infused oil, they have been known help to soothe the skin. The oil as well as the salve that contains it, is traditionally used to treat skin problems such as sunburns, skin rashes and infections. In the form of a massage oil or salve it can be used for respiratory support as well, given the plant’s lung supporting properties.
Mullein leaves may be harvested at any time. Technically, before they flower, during the plant’s first year, is the best time. Mullein's fuzzy, green-gray rosettes of leaves and tall spikes of yellow flowers make it easy to identify. It can be found growing in a wide array of regions, from dry and rocky to wastelands and field edges.
Go outside and harvest this precious gift! Make your own oil to use as is or for making a salve.
And stay tuned, towards the end of summer, we will have our very own Herbacea Mullein Salve up on our shop. As always, this will be the same salve we will be using on our own family, one we can confidently recommend for yours.
Happy summer harvesting! Penelope