Mullein Leaf

Western Bulk Herbs – Mullein leaf

Mullein is used to sooth sore throats and make coughing more productive. The German E Commission relates that mullein is good for catarrhs of the respiratory tract and as an expectorant to helping to cough up the stuff in your lungs.

Latin Name:
Verbascum thapsus

Common Names:
Velvet Dock, felon herb, Great mullein, Witch’s Taper, Candlestick, Jupiter’s Staff, Felt Wort, and Flannel Mullein.

Parts Used:
Dried flower as an oil, and dried leaf as a tea.

Properties:
Expectorant and emollient

Traditional Uses:
Used as a tea or an oil infusion.

Topical Uses / Applications:

Culinary Uses:
Not used in cooking.

Chemical Properties:
Mucilage, flavonoids, Iridoids, sterols, and sugars.

Folk Lore:
The flowering stem was dried by the Greeks and Romans and dipped in tallow, and then used as a lamp wick or as a torch. These torches were said to ward off evil spirits and witches, not uncommon in a witch’s herbal garden. Mullein was added to the bonfire on Midsummer’s eve to ward away evil from the celebration. Some ancient magical grimoires have been found to list powdered mullein leaf as a substitute for graveyard dust when that was unavailable.

Cautions:
GRAS: Generally Recognized as Safe. This herb can be safely consumed when used appropriately.

*Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Resources:
PDR for Herbal Medicines, 2000. Medical Economics Company, Montvale, New Jersey.

The New Holistic Herbal. David Hoffmann, 1990. Barnes and Noble Books, New York.

A Modern Herbal, Mrs. M. Grieve, (Dover Publications, New York, 1971)

Major Herbs of Ayurvedic.Compiled by Dahur Research Foundation and Dahur Ayurvet Limited, Ghaziabad, India., 2002. Churchill Livingstone, London, England.

Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, Third Edition, Dan Bensky and Andrew Gamble, 1986. Eastland Press, Seattle, WA.