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How to Identify Mullein

Mama To Many (Tennessee) on 04/27/2017

I took some pictures of some mullein plants that are growing wild on the edges of our pastures. You will often see this plant along roadsides. It is sometimes mistaken for the lamb's ear plant as both are have leaves that are fuzzy and somewhat light in color. Mullein grows in more of a rosette form, though. When the plants produce stalks and flowers it is easier to tell them apart. I hope to send some pictures of my mullein plant with stalks and flowers at some point.

I love mullein. It is gentle an mild tasting. The leaves make a wonderful tea for a cough. The flowers can be used in an oil for earaches. The most remarkable thing to me about mullein though is the roots. A tincture from the roots, applied topically to the spine is thought to help increase the synovial fluid. It has worked for me in the past. Herbalist Jim McDonald suggests 5-15 drops of the tincture internally to help "unkink" the spine. It is also recommended by some herbalists as a treatment for trigeminal neuralgia, which is usually very difficult to treat.

The second picture is a bit blurry but has part of my hand in it so you can see the size of the leaves.

~Mama to Many~

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