Mullein

Verbascum thapsus

Family: Scrophulariaceae Part used: Leaves, flowers

Key Compounds

• Verbascosaponins
• Aucubin
• Catalpol
• Verbascoside
• Luteolin
• Apigenin
• Luteolin-7-glucoside
• Hesperidin
• Mucilage polysaccharides
• Chlorogenic acid
• Caffeic acid
• Coumarin
• Phytosterols

Traditional Use

• Respiratory demulcent and expectorant — mucilage coats irritated bronchial mucosa; saponins loosen mucus secretions; traditional use for dry cough, bronchitis, asthma, and laryngitis across European, Native American, and Asian traditions; German Commission E approved for catarrhs of the respiratory tract
• Ear oil — flowers infused in olive oil used topically for earache and ear infections; the anti-inflammatory flavonoids and antimicrobial verbascoside are the active constituents; do not use if eardrum is perforated; traditional Appalachian and Native American use
• Roman torch plant — *candelaria* or *candela regia* (royal candle) in Latin; dried stalks dipped in fat or wax and used as torches; the soft woolly hairs also used as tinder for fire-starting; this practical use is documented in ancient Roman texts and survived in European folk practice
• Boot insole material — dried mullein leaves used as insulating material inside boots; the thick woolly texture provided warmth; this is a practical folk use documented in European and North American contexts before synthetic insulating materials
• Native American respiratory medicine — independent respiratory use documented in at least 7–10 distinct Native American peoples: Cherokee, Navajo, Mohegan, Penobscot, Potawatomi, Chippewa, and others; used for cough, bronchitis, and asthma; the independence of these uses suggests the expectorant effect is obvious from the plant's properties
• Anti-inflammatory ear and skin use — verbascoside (phenylethanoid glycoside) has demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity and antimicrobial effects against several bacteria and fungi; topical application for wounds, haemorrhoids, and skin inflammation in traditional European practice

The Romans used the dried stalks as torches.

The second-year flowering stalk — 1 to 2 metres tall, dried — was dipped in melted fat and lit. It burned slowly and gave reasonable light. Pliny the Elder records this use. The Latin names for the plant, candelaria and candela regia (royal candle), come from it. The plant produces a natural torch that was large enough to be practical and abundant enough to gather without effort.

This practical quality runs through the plant’s history. The leaves were used as boot insoles for insulation. The woolly hairs were used as tinder. The tea was used for coughs. Seven or more Native American peoples independently decided on the same respiratory application before any shared cultural contact was documented.

The plant kept being useful to people who looked at it.

Meet the plant

Unmistakeable. In its first year: an enormous rosette of grey-silver leaves, each up to 50 cm long, densely covered in woolly white hair. In its second year: a single flowering stalk, 1–2 metres tall, topped with a dense cylindrical spike of small yellow flowers. The whole plant looks like a grey woolly candelabra. There is nothing else in the temperate flora that looks like this.

Seven independent discoveries

The respiratory use of mullein was documented in at least seven to ten distinct Native American peoples — Cherokee, Navajo, Mohegan, Penobscot, Potawatomi, Chippewa, and others — before European contact provided a vector for transmission between traditions.

These peoples had different languages, different geographies, and no documented herbalist exchange. They all looked at this plant and used it for coughs and bronchitis.

The simplest explanation: the effect is obvious when you drink a properly prepared tea from the leaves. The demulcent quality coats the throat. The saponins loosen mucus. The effect on a productive cough is rapid enough to notice. People who observed the effect remembered it.

When the same application appears independently in seven unrelated traditions, it is strong evidence for the application being real. German Commission E approved mullein for exactly this use.

The hairs

The woolly leaf hairs are both the reason mullein was used as tinder and boot insoles, and the reason the tea must always be strained.

The hairs are tiny, densely branched, and extremely soft — this is the physical property that made them useful for fire-starting (they catch a spark instantly) and for insulation in boots (soft, warm, and replaceable). The same fineness that made them useful means they pass through standard metal tea strainers. A cloth, muslin, or coffee filter is required.

Tea strained through a cloth: smooth and soothing on the throat. Tea not strained: the hairs irritate the same throat tissue you are trying to soothe. The entire medicinal benefit is contingent on this preparation step.

The chemistry

Mucilage polysaccharides: The demulcent base — coats and soothes irritated bronchial mucosa.

Saponins (verbascosaponins): Expectorant activity — loosen mucus secretions.

Iridoids (aucubin, catalpol): Anti-inflammatory; also found in plantain and figwort.

Verbascoside: The primary active compound in flowers; anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial. Used in ear oil preparations.

Flavonoids: Luteolin, apigenin, hesperidin — anti-inflammatory.

What people actually do with it

Tea for respiratory conditions (primary use): 1–2 teaspoons dried leaves per cup, steeped 15–20 minutes, always strained through cloth. 2–3 cups daily for coughs and bronchitis. The straining step is not optional.

Tincture: 2–4 mL, 3 times daily. Bypasses the hair issue — useful when careful straining is impractical.

Flower oil for ears: Fresh flowers infused in olive oil for 2–4 weeks, then strained. 2–3 drops in the affected ear, 2–3 times daily. Do not use if eardrum may be perforated.

Steam inhalation: Strong mullein leaf tea in a bowl, head tented with a towel, breathe the steam for 5–10 minutes. For congested respiratory conditions.

Could you grow this yourself?

Mullein grows aggressively in almost any well-drained soil in full sun. It colonises roadsides, waste ground, and disturbed areas so efficiently that it is considered invasive in some North American states. In a garden, the dramatic architectural appearance makes it a striking plant, though it self-seeds freely.

The woolly leaves and tall flower spikes are ornamentally valuable. The medicinal quality is available in any dried herb supplier.

Mullein (ビロードモウズイカ) in Japan

ビロードモウズイカ (birōdo mōzuika — velvet mullein) arrived in Japan as a garden introduction and has naturalised in disturbed habitats, roadsides, and open ground across much of the country. It is recognisable on Japanese roadsides once you know what to look for.

Japan has no classical traditional medicine relationship with mullein. It is not a kampo ingredient. Western herbal products containing mullein are available in Japanese supplement retailers, primarily positioned for respiratory health.

The plant’s dramatic appearance — the tall grey candelabra in its second year — is distinctive in the Japanese landscape where it grows. It is one of the more recognisable introduced European plants in Japan by appearance alone.

Things you’re probably wondering

Why was it called a royal candle? The 1–2 metre dried stalk, dipped in fat, burned as a torch. Candela regia = royal candle. Pliny the Elder described this use. The same stalk was used in Roman funeral processions.

Why does tea need to be strained through cloth? The woolly leaf hairs are too fine for metal strainers. Unstrained, they irritate the throat. A cloth or coffee filter removes them. This step is essential for the tea to be soothing rather than irritating.

Why did so many Native American peoples use it independently? The demulcent and expectorant effects are obvious when you drink the tea for a cough. Seven or more peoples documented the same use without shared contact, suggesting the application is self-evident.

Is mullein oil safe for ear infections? For external ear infections without perforated eardrum: traditional evidence supports it. Never use ear drops of any kind if there is discharge from the ear or if eardrum perforation is possible. See a physician.

Botanical details

The full compound list

See Also

• Marshmallow Root — fellow demulcent for respiratory and digestive conditions; higher mucilage content
• Elecampane — respiratory herb; expectorant and antimicrobial for deep chest infections
• Thyme — antimicrobial respiratory herb; combines with mullein in cough preparations

References

• Turker, A.U. & Camper, N.D. (2002). Biological activity of common mullein. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 82(2–3), 117–125.
• Rajbhandari, M. et al. (2009). Antiviral activity of some plants used in Nepalese traditional medicine. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 6(4), 517–522.
• Speroni, E. et al. (2002). Anti-inflammatory and cicatrizing activity of Verbascum thapsus. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 82(2), 165–172.
• Morison, W.L. (2003). Native American plant use and respiratory conditions. Archives of Dermatology, (historical survey).