Wild, this county
Common mullein
Verbascum thapsus
The cough leaf of dry ground. Tea and steam for a tight chest. Flower oil for a closed-eardrum ache.
Strain well. Do not put oil in an ear that is running, bloody, or after a head injury — you may have a hole in the drum.
- Part used
- Leaves the first year; yellow flowers the second.
- Gather
- Woolly rosettes in gravel and barn lots year one. Tall yellow spike year two, June–August.
- Tea
- 1 Tbsp dried leaf, steep 10–15 minutes, strain through cloth twice — the fuzz tickles throats.
- Other
- Steam: a handful of leaf in a bowl of hot water, towel over the head, breathe. Flower oil: see recipe.
Recipes
Mullein cough tea and steam
Dry, tickly, or tight chest. Strain the wool twice or you will cough more, not less.
Mullein flower ear oil
Yellow flowers in olive oil, sun-steeped. Only for a closed, intact eardrum.