Plants Pacific Northwest

Verbascum Thapsus - Mulleins

Note: These plants can be dangerous if improperly used. The author, and/or ernestartist.org assume no liability for experimentation of use.

Plate 204

Ernestartist.org assumes no liability for experimental use of medicinal plants, food plants or herbal remedies.

Verbascum Thapsus: Mulleins.

Common mullein, also known as woolly mullein, is a erect herb in the figwort family, or Scrophulariaceae. First year mullein plants are low-growing rosettes of bluish gray-green, felt-like leaves that range from 4-12 inches in length and 1-5 inches in width. Mature flowering plants are produced the second year, and grow to 5 to 10 feet in height, including the conspicuous flowering stalk. The five-petal yellow flowers are arranged in a leafy spike and bloom a few at a time from June-August. Leaves alternate along the flowering stalks and are much larger toward the base of the plant. The tiny seeds are pitted and rough with wavy ridges and deep grooves and can germinate after lying dormant in the soil for several decades.

Common mullein is a monocarpic perennial (i.e., takes two or more years to flower and die). Brought over from Europe by settlers, it was used as a medicinal herb, as a remedy for coughs and diarrhea and a respiratory stimulant for the lungs when smoked. A methanol extract from common mullein has been used as an insecticide for mosquito larvae.

The American Indians dried the leaves, (especially the first year, or new growth leaves) and smoked them to relieve asthma and other respiratory problems. The leaf tea is also medicinal, and is recognized by herbalists as a traditional remedy for respiratory congestion and hemorrhage. The flowers are said to have strong antimicrobial qualities and are used in an oil infusion for ear infections. The root has been used for its tonic properties as an astringent to treat urinary incontinence. The seeds were also used by American Indians as a paralytic fish poison.

Note: The plant contains coumarin and rotenone, specially the seeds. Be careful, and don't consume the seeds.

The leaves are a rubefacient, which means that if you rub them against your skin it will become red and irritated, which is something to remember when you're in the woods looking for toilet paper substitutes. It also means that when you've been handling it, your hands get a warm, fuzzy feeling. Some people have used this property to their supposed advantage as a natural sort of makeup, which is how mullein acquired the name 'Quaker rouge'.

The flowers make a bright yellow dye, which can be used to dye hair or cloth. The addition of sulfuric acid will produce a colorfast green. If you then add an alkali, to raise the pH, the dye becomes brown.