mullein in permaculture

i live in the outskirts of my city and in the fields there were some mullein plants, i used to spread the mullein seeds while walking with my dogs and now there are mullein plants everywhere. still have not any mullein plant in my piece of land, so i will seed some seeds next autumn.

If you have access to that other land with the mullein, then maybe you should just take advantage of that.? Mullein is pretty well behaved, but maybe there is something else you could put there that you don't have access to?

I found one of these plants on the back corner of the property last fall, and wondered what it was. Then last week I spotted another one next to the mother-in-law's propane tank. By sheerest coincidence, a few nights later I was laying awake one night because of chest congestion from spring allergies, and passing the time looking at "weed" identification photos on the internet. Figured out it was mullein and that it had medicinal uses relevant to my current interests, LOL.

So I grabbed some leaves and made tea. Was surprised that it actually tasted good! My congestion got better, too; but then, it would have anyway, eventually. I'm now a mullein fan even if I have to grudgingly credit the possibility of a placebo effect or of the "post hoc, ergo propter hoc" fallacy.

By the time my congestion mostly went away, the plant I was stealing leaves from in the yard was looking pretty threadbare. So just today, I went to check on the plant I first found, at the back of the property. It was still there and doing fine, so I harvested a couple of more leaves in case I need some more tea in the next few days. Then I looked around and found three huge dried spindles from last year's flowering. Shook them into a ZipLoc and now I have a few tsp of very fine seed. Must decide where to plant them now.

paul wheaton wrote:I think this may very well be the best movie ever about mullein:

at around 7min he talks about olive oil with garlic and letting it sit for weeks or days...DO NOT EAT THIS. I have no idea how safe it is as a topical but garlic is a botulism host and the anaerobic conditions in the oil will make it very dangerous very quickly.
http://theolivepress.com/blog/be-aware-of-the-risks-of-botulism-with-homemade-garlic-infused-oil

I did not go back and review the video but I believe the infusion is for ear aches. There is actually NO reason to infuse the garlic for that purpose. The freshly pressed garlic juice can and should be used instead. Either that or onion juice and save the garlic for more useful purposes (like EATING!)

Someone had had trouble growing mullein from seed. I was spread them over an area and got nada. What works for me is -
"winter sowing"
last year - in the winter I prepare thus: a plastic container (the bottom half of a water jug), holes in the bottom, a top made of plastic (holes),
fill 3/4 with dirt. Plant seeds. cover if required.
Place outside and leave 'em til they sprout.

I had a lot of success with this method.
also grew for first time the purple mullein which didn't bloom this year, guess it will next. Can't wait to see it.

if you want more on winter sowing (which can be used for anything - adjust the time you put outside )
http://www.wintersown.org/

I have three volunteer mullein at the foot of my driveway, and one is seven feet tall with multiple flower stalks. They are growing out of a margin of soil along cobblestones where they get full sun, and no additional water or compost/fertilizer. They seem to thrive on neglect, and i suspect cultivating them in rich soil would be a failure. I have had many passers-by ask me what this "beautiful, stately" plant is, and when I tell them its considered a weed, they are astounded. Mullein was an ornamental garden plant in Victorian england, so i feel justified in keeping it in such a visible place. It makes a very helpful ear drop for those who have recurrent swimmer's ear. Its deep taproot is helpful to soil. The long stalks can be dried, and then dipped into tallow or wax to make a candle or slow burning torch.

Also, there are mullein hybrids that are valued ornamental garden plants that have lovely pink/lavendar blossoms.

We cut off the seed head of a mullein in our yard in Colorado, to take up to Wyoming and get some growing there. I noticed today that it had put out dozens of new seed heads. I had never seen that before. I Just thought I would post a picture to let you all know that you can increase flower heads by cutting off the main flower.

Yikes! another use for mullein. I didn't write the source down, but it says for pain in the body: "steep the leaves in boiling water, and lay on affected area (when cooled down).
Use plastic wrap to keep them on, and keep the moisture in."

I don't like the idea of using plastic, but I can't think of what else. Any cloth would absorb the moisture. Maybe tin foil.

Ellen, I'd use wax paper in place of plastic wrap.

thanks. good idea.

Maddie was recently at Wheaton Labs and tooks a bunch of great pictures. You can see them all here. But here is a sweet one of Davin with some giant mullein!.

Nice information in the video, Thanks.

ronie dee wrote:Leaves make great toilet paper substitute.

Quote Allison:

Just as I was about to transplant all my little mullein seedlings to form a 'garden' around our composting loo, I read this ....

"Mullein tea is made from the leaves of a 1st-year plant and is considered a good cough suppressant. A similar tea can be made from the root after cleaning, peeling, and dicing. Although the leaves feel soft and fuzzy they do not make good "wild" toilet paper as the small hairs can get stuck in your skin which is very uncomfortable."
http://www.foragingtexas.com/2006/12/mullien.html

So, user beware!  I've changed my plans!

I recall Paul Wheaton specifically advising that one goes "with the grain" when wiping with mullein leaves. That way the hairs dont get embedded in your *sensitive places". Sounds like solid advice to me.

I would be cautious about using mullein leaves for toilet paper. The little hairs on the leaves can be irritating to sensitive membranes.

I love mullein. I add the the dried leaf to my tea if I have a scratchy throat. I add it to my earache oil. I've used the stalks in my 1st little rocket stove.  It grows wildly all over here.
It is not native. The local invasive plant species organization said its not a good idea to plant.

Mullein DOES work as toilet paper, as long as the leaves are fresh.
dried leaves do not work.

Request above for pictures of a really big mullein.  Here's one that volunteered atop a large hugelkulture mound.  It would look even larger if I hadn't taken off the lower leaves; they were dehydrated for medicinal purposes (supposedly good for lung issues):

Paul Cereghino wrote:I usually see it recruiting on poor bare ground.  I have moved starts from dry bare sites into my food forest, but on my site the seed fall hasen't resulted in more seedlings under mulched or competative situations.  I would describe it as a 'ruderal stress tolerator' specializing in colonizing bare dry ground and surviving drought.  I could imagine growing it with lupines

I visited this topic through the 'dailyish'. Started reading at page 1 ... When I came at this post I thought: that is exactly what I found out about mullein! It wants to grow in very very poor sand, it even seems to like to grow in the cracks between stones or pavement! And when I try moving it to a 'better place' (not right in the middle of the path), it doesn't like that, the plant dies, or behaves poorly ...

Haru Yasumi wrote:

Dave Bennett wrote:
Has anyone fed Mullein to rabbits?  Mugwort is OK for them to eat and it is the same genus so I was wondering......

They are not the same genus.  I don't know about feeding to rabbits but I imagine it'd be safe.

Have you ever seen wild rabbits eating mullein?  It is a strong medicine plant, not the best as a food plant.  I’ve never seen rabbits or even deer eating mullein.  It is one of the Cherokee sacred plants and to use for any purpose other than medicine seems a sacrilege.  

I let it grow where it wants, cos it’s gorgeous statuesque and the insects love it, remove it if it’s too obstructive , but otherwise let it grow, why not!

Dried mullein leaves are quite brittle...wiping anything with them is going to result in a handful of fuzzy mulch.

I'm thankful for this thread - just realized that I have a monster mullein growing over our septic tank. With it's deep tap root, probably best to move ... especially before it seeds?!? If it's a second year plant (tall, with flowers), can I just cut it off at the base, or do I need to get the root out?

There are many impressive benefits to using mullein leaves, particularly for respiratory ailments, cardiovascular health, and various infections, among others.

Bursitis: Using the leaves or flowers topically on the knees to calm bursitis
Ear infection: Crushing mullein leaves into a paste to alleviate ear infections [3]
Disinfectant: Brewing the leaves into a tea or tincture can be used as a disinfectant
Respiratory health: Soothing respiratory ailments, such as asthma, sore throat, and dry cough
Chest infections: Speeding up recovery from bronchitis and chest infections
Wounds: Antiseptic, antiviral, and antibacterial agent for topical inflammation and wounds [4]
Hair care: Stimulating hair growth and protect against dry scalp
Inflammation: Soothing inflammation from gout and migraines
Heart health: Aiding in heart health by reducing inflammation of blood vessels
Stomach upset: Treating stomach upset, constipation, and diarrhea

Making oil for itchy ears.

Wow, John, that's an awesome first post! Welcome to the forums.

John Walter wrote:

Bursitis: Using the leaves or flowers topically on the knees to calm bursitis
Ear infection: Crushing mullein leaves into a paste to alleviate ear infections [3]
Disinfectant: Brewing the leaves into a tea or tincture can be used as a disinfectant
Respiratory health: Soothing respiratory ailments, such as asthma, sore throat, and dry cough
Chest infections: Speeding up recovery from bronchitis and chest infections
Wounds: Antiseptic, antiviral, and antibacterial agent for topical inflammation and wounds [4]
Hair care: Stimulating hair growth and protect against dry scalp
Inflammation: Soothing inflammation from gout and migraines
Heart health: Aiding in heart health by reducing inflammation of blood vessels
Stomach upset: Treating stomach upset, constipation, and diarrhea

I'm curious about the delivery method for these medicinal applications. Like, for stomach upset, is that a tea? Chewing on a raw leaf?

John Walter wrote:
Bursitis: Using the leaves or flowers topically on the knees to calm bursitis

This can be done as a poultice, by crushing them, spreading them thickly on the area to be treated, then wrapping and adding a heating pad; by infusing  the mullein into a carrier oil, and gently rubbing that into the affected area, or; adding a bit of beeswax, to make a salve/balm to gently rub in.

John Walter wrote:
Ear infection: Crushing mullein leaves into a paste to alleviate ear infections [3]

Personally, rather than a paste, I'd Infuse the flowers and some fresh garlic into olive oil, and use a dropper to put it directly into the ear, then and some heat: a sock with a couple handfuls of dried beans or rice, tied off and warmed a bit - not too hot for the patient, and applied to the ear. This has completely healed many an earache, in my family,  over the years.

John Walter wrote:
Disinfectant: Brewing the leaves into a tea or tincture can be used as a disinfectant
Respiratory health: Soothing respiratory ailments, such as asthma, sore throat, and dry cough
Chest infections: Speeding up recovery from bronchitis and chest infections

All the of these are the same prep process.

John Walter wrote:
Wounds: Antiseptic, antiviral, and antibacterial agent for topical inflammation and wounds [4]

In my experience, these needs are best met with a poultice or  salve, made as the first items in this list.

John Walter wrote:
Hair care: Stimulating hair growth and protect against dry scalp

This one can be met in a few ways. Infused into a carrier oil and used as a hot oil treatment, or just a tad massaged into the scalp before bed, followed by a good night's sleep, and a wash in the morning, and as a tea cooled as used as a rinse, as well as for drinking.

John Walter wrote:
Inflammation: Soothing inflammation from gout and migraines
Heart health: Aiding in heart health by reducing inflammation of blood vessels
Stomach upset: Treating stomach upset, constipation, and diarrhea

This one I use as a strong tea (I use 1oz mullein - any part of it - to 1qt just boiling water, steeped to room temp, strained & pressed 1C/day) or a tincture, and it helps with my asthma, too.

Erica Colmenares wrote:
I'm curious about the delivery method for these medicinal applications. Like, for stomach upset, is that a tea? Chewing on a raw leaf?

I'd imagine chewing on a raw leaf would work, if it's the only way you can get it in quickly. But, the texture would - for me, at least - be way to off-putting. It works well as an emergency bandage, too.

I have ALOT of wild moth mullein growing on my 4 acres. Does it have the same properties as the other mullein?
I have COPD, would it help me?

Leila Blair wrote:I have ALOT of wild moth mullein growing on my 4 acres. Does it have the same properties as the other mullein?
I have COPD, would it help me?

Disclaimer: I always strongly advocate everyone doing their own research.

I believe they're the same plant. As far as treating copd, my husband has mild/early stage copd, and it helped ease the symptoms, but I can't speak to actual healing of it. For immediate symptom relief, some will recommend smoking it in a water pipe. I personally get just as much relief (for my asthma) by drinking it, strong & hot with some raw honey and a bit of lemon - and hubby agrees.

I have had chickens and mullein for over twenty yrs.  Nothing ever bothered to eat the mullein until a new rooster pecked it and told the hens it was good to eat.  The chickens have eaten it ever since.  No bad effects for them (that I can tell) at all.  They don’t kill it cuz they just eat the lower leaves.  The rabbits and deer still don’t touch it.  Nor does anything else.  

If it grows easily in your area and you use it. I see nothing wrong with planting it.  There's a maintenance free medicinal.  It is big and beautiful. Bees like it.  It has a lot of uses.  I use it for asthma myself.  I smoke it when I have trouble breathing once a month or so. Some folks mix it with that other weed for a smoother smoke.  Haven't tried that bc m j is not my thing, so much. But mullein is a smooth smoke, surprisingly, and opens up my lungs right away when I can't get air.  I really should make tea with it, but I've been too busy with other things.

I'm in western Washington State, SW actually, and it grows moderately here.  Both on gravelly clay hillsides, and down in the rich compost soil by my barn by the creek.  It seems to grow in the same places foxglove (digitalis) grows. And for this reason I'm extremely careful when I harvest it because when they are both young, they look a lot alike. Digitalis is used by EXPERIENCED herbalists as heart medicine. But it can also easily KILL YOU.  So, for this reason, I harvest leaves on a fully grown, 4-6 ft tall mullein, vs the little guys, bc they both pop out at the same time and in the same places.  The fuzziness on the leaves is harder to determine when they are small. When I was a kid in the woods, I would pick digitalis for my Mom to put in the table, often biting off the stems to make them the right length.  Didn't wash my hands.  Ate food.  Didn't die.  But it can kill youm. Go figure.

In north Eastern Washington, Spokane and northern. I see mullein literally EVERYWHERE.  I have family up there. And my Dad invariably yanks plants out of his property, and fills up the back of my truck when I visit.

It is one of the plants I used when I got the c (twice), to open up my breathing.  It's also a mild sedative. Not mind altering in any way.  Also made teas with raw honey. Garlic, onion. Yarrow (which grows here in abundance)  Ginger, turmeric.  Usnea  (which grows over here on the rainy side in abundance as well)Apple cider vinegar.  These are all either nature's antibiotics and/or anti inflammatory, infection fighters.  Y'all can Google them.

Point in case:. Think I'm full of bunk about the plants?  Gross pics attached of 2 days difference. Couple of days ago, I  slipped on some tomato sauce in my living room. Spilled dinner, happened all at once, the bowl broke and I crashed down on top of it.   Carved a nice, deep chunk off my leg and dragged it through a nice, germy pile of dirt in the process.  Plus. I'm diabetic.  Hello, infection!  So after settin' there for a minute to see if I broke anything important,  I cleaned it, picked out pieces of broken ceramic bowl out of my leg.  Assessed that it could use a few stitches but that's probly not gonna happen.  Addressed any infection first and stopped bleeding with powderized, dry yarrow.  Left that on for a few hours, with a clean cloth to protect it taped on.  Blue painters tape.  I love that stuff.  Over top of a clean, soft cloth to hold in the medicine. This was bigger than a bandaid.  Then cleaned and changed bandage w more yarrow mixed with straight aloe from my plants.  Bc you have to address infection before you start super-growing flesh. Or pus gets trapped underneath and then you are still in trouble. I have had extra tetanus shots due to cellulitis, and it was NOT fun.  Have also treated livestock this way after they cut themselves. As well as hubs when he shoved a piece of rusty fence right through his finger.   Address infection first, THEN grow skin.   Daily changed bandages, and have done 2 days of just aloe now bc I see no puffy redness, indicating inflammation/infection (that's what the yarrow was for).  It's just mildly sore at the site, thats it.    The aloe has closed up a 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch cut in about 24 hours.  I'm just sayin, plants work, k. I'm a good candidate for infections. Before I started eating better I would get a red line up my arm from a pulled hangnail. No bueno. So I work hard to not let it get that far.  And I stay the heck away from candy bars.

Sorry, I got off track.  We were talking about mullein.  I love the stuff. I love that I don't have to go to the pill pushing, expensive  doctor and can address a lot of concerns at home. The doctors cringe when they talk to me.

Yes. Mullein is one of my go-to plants and IMHO, worth the planting. And they're just big and impressive looking!

Used as a tobacco substitute for folks with sensitive lungs. Also used mixed as a tobacco extender.
Works great as bung fodder!

Mullein has a very deep tap root that will bring benefits to the soil. Try pulling one up!
I grow it for its medicinal properties as well as it's value to the garden. The flowers appear in the second year and look magnificent. They take very little nutrition from the soil, improving it, and will do very well on 'useless' ground. There's a bee (forget the name) that builds it's nest with the soft hairs from the leaves. Smokers can smoke it to ease coughs and bring up sputum.

https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-572/mullein

Web md does not recognize any medicinal science from mullein.

Web md does not recognize any medicinal science from mullein.

It likewise doesn't recognize any medical science for mint. And yet menthol (a chemical from mint) commonly appears in over-the-counter preparations. WebMD lists 361 OTC products containing menthol.

Joseph Lofthouse wrote:

Web md does not recognize any medicinal science from mullein.

It likewise doesn't recognize any medical science for mint. And yet menthol (a chemical from mint) commonly appears in over-the-counter preparations. WebMD lists 361 OTC products containing menthol.

It also typically has a rather negative slant on the majority of herbs, and is on my list of sites I *only* trust, for illness/symptom tracking.

Daniel Hatfield wrote:Recently at a wild edibles workshop when we came across some mullein, the instructor said it is a dynamic accumulator, great expectorant when smoked, and the dry stem is hard enough to use as a fire drill. I have some drying to smoke now will let you know.  There is a quarry near my house covered in mullein so it must be able to digest nutrients out of rock and make them available for other plants.  One is one its second year near my compost and i use the lower leaves to wipe off my tools then throw them in the compost. 

I wipe with old newspapers.
Cheers

I can confirm that mullein is pleasant to smoke (mostly, but not totally dry, as it can seem a bit harsh without a little moisture) and is an excellent expectorant.  I just used some this morning for that exact purpose!   I store whole leaves well-dried, and just flick/mist a few drops of water to moisten up the amount I need after crumbling it for use.

BTW, many "herbal smoking mixtures" that can be ordered on the internet contain it.  It is a beautiful plant, and, once you recognize it, is easy to find foraging.  (Please be a responsible forager and take less than 1/3 of the leaves off any wild plant so that it has enough energy to develop the seeds).  

Anyway, here's a link to a Healthline article outlining uses, benefits, side effects and risks:  Mullein usage info

Somewhere around twenty years or so ago, I quit smoking.  To do it, I tried an herbal solution posted somewhere. It required mixing plantain and Mullen, then smoking it. I bought a corn cob pipe to that end.

It was a gamble, but it didn't cost much, if anything, to test drive.  Plantain is a common problem in yards and Mullen seems to grow everywhere in dry climates.  The plantain was supposed to take away the urge for a cigarette and the Mullen was to make it smokable.

Leary, I tried it.  I had to think a while to realize I hadn't reached for a smoke in three hours, so I packed another pipe load and  continued on.  As I said, I quit smoking about twenty years ago.

Paul Cereghino wrote:I usually see it recruiting on poor bare ground.  I have moved starts from dry bare sites into my food forest, but on my site the seed fall hasen't resulted in more seedlings under mulched or competative situations.  I would describe it as a 'ruderal stress tolerator' specializing in colonizing bare dry ground and surviving drought.  I could imagine growing it with lupines

It has been my experience that it is a pioneer plant in poor soils. I have some beat up, crummy, polluted soil near a railroad easement that nothing but maybe some moss will grow in and suddenly this year a few stalks of mullein have taken residence. I have take the time to harvest some seeds as well as spreading some seeds before the winter set in this year. If I can line the whole thing with mullein then I will try it.

I just now need to figure out what works well with mullein and perhaps intercrop it to speed up the reclamation of the ground.

paul wheaton wrote:I have been collecting video footage of mullein.  If anybody has some, please take pictures and post here.  Especially closeups of the leaves.  Or pictures of really BIG plants. 

We regularly get 6 footers, they're getting pretty ratty right now but I can definitely get some good pics next year.  My wife gets asthmatic occasionally so we always have some dried on hand and we never interrupt it when it's growing.  Crazy how smoking something clears the lungs so quickly.