Mullein

It's a stellar year for Mullein at Lichenwood.  One gorgeous plant decided to grow right outside the front windows where it can be viewed every time I pass through the library.  It is a beautiful botanical candelabra. 

Also called:  Common mullein, Aaron's Rod, Adam's Flannel, Blanket Leaf, Cow's Lungwort, Flannel Leaf, Flannel Mullein, Flannel Plant, Great Mullein, Hare's Beard, Hedge Taper, Indian Tobacco, Jacob's staff, Jupiter's staff, Mullein Dock, Old Man's Flannel, Peter's Staff, Torch-wort, Velvet Dock, Velvet Plant, White Mullein, Torches,

Mullein Dock, Our Lady's Flannel, Blanket Herb, Bullock's Lungwort, Woolen, Rag Paper, Candlewick Plant, Lady's Foxglove, Donkey's Ears, Shepherd’s Clubs, Beggar's Stalk, Clot, Duffle, Wild Ice Leaf, Feltwort, Hag's Flannel

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Habit and Habitat:  Mullein is a familiar tall, weedy biennial that grows from 3 to7 feet in height, belonging to the figwort family, or Scrophulariaceae.   Its leaves are covered with a hairy down. Leaves are large and oblong from 2 to 12 inches in length. The flowers are yellow with five petals.  Buds are densely packed along a thick terminal spike, but bloom only a few at a time.

In the first year of growth, a large rosette of downy leaves grows close to the ground.  During the second year of growth, the stalk emerges and the plants begin a bloom that starts in June and lasts through September.  Toward the end of the blooming season, the entire plant turns a deep tobacco brown and goes to seed.  .Mullein is a prolific self-seeder, producing scores of seeds that are capable of germinating even after decades of dormancy in the soil. Just one Mullein plant can disperse 100,000-180,000 seeds that may remain viable for more than 100 years. 

Mullein favors old fields, rocky or gravelly banks, wastelands, roadsides, embankments, pastures, and meadows. It grows well in poor, sandy soil. It is easy to transplant the first year rosette and place it where you would like to enjoy its beauty in your garden.  It requires full sun.  Mullein also attracts a wide variety of pollinators, including bees, flies, and butterflies.

 

 

History and Folklore:  Not only does the flower stalk of Mullein resemble a lighted candle, the ancients used the plant as a source of light.  Gathered from hedge rows once the plants had gone to seed and dipped in tallow, Mullein makes a striking botanical torch which would make any Samhain celebration truly magickal.  Originally, these torches lit the way for funeral processions.  The hairs on the dried leaves are quick to burn, igniting easily, and were also used as lamp wicks before cotton wicks were available.

 

European settlers brought Mullein to the North American continent in the mid-1700’s.  They prized the plant for its medicinal value, and used the seeds as a fish poison.  Mullein seeds contain rotenone, a natural insecticide and fish poison, which is supposed to be non-toxic to mammals. The flowers yield a yellow dye, suitable for cloth or hair.  Leaf and flower poultices can be used to treat burns and boils.

 

As the colonists moved west, they brought Mullein with them.  Some wore the fuzzy leaves inside their shoes for their insulating effect during cold weather.  Appalachian Granny magick also promised protection from the common cold if Mullein was placed in the shoe. 

 

Mullein’s magickal properties bring courage, protection, health, and love.  Add the leaves to mixes for sharpening divination skills, performing exorcisms, and preventing nightmares.  The classical hero Ulysses carried Mullein with him on his voyages to protect himself from Circe’s enchantments.  Mullein can be used in pillows, incense, charm bags, and hung over doorways.  It is also smoked for medicine and magick.

  

Medicinal Uses and Constituents:   Both Mullein flowers and leaves contain a significant amount of mucilage and saponins. These constituents provide Mullein’s famous demulcent quality. Not only is Mullein consumed as tea for sore throats and respiratory problems (asthma, bronchitis, croup), it was once smoked to achieve its healing effects.  An interesting idea I once read is to substitute Mullein for some of the tobacco in a cigarette.  Gradually increase the amount of Mullein and decrease the Tobacco.  Add peppermint if the person’s smoking habit involved menthol cigarettes. This is a novel and creative way to fight nicotine addiction.

 

Mullein is often part of a formula for cough syrups and lozenges. The leaves are known  for their astringent, antitussive, respiratory sedative, antifungal, and anodyne qualities. Herbalists have also used the root as a mild diuretic.  Harvest the leaves and root from the first year plant for medicinal use.

 

The flowers are used for their sedative action.  Macerated in olive, or some other healing oil, they provide relief for earaches, hemorrhoids and insect bites.  Traditionally each flower is harvested as it blooms, but this can be tedious work.  In recent years, we have learned to harvest the entire top 6 inches of the flower stalk, chop it up and infuse it in the oil.  Organic garlic and St. Johnswort are often added to “ear oil”.

 

There are no known contraindications to the use of Mullein during pregnancy or lactation.  Nor is their any evidence of drug interactions.

 

Flower Essence:  Mullein is the flower essence of inner conscience. Sometimes we find it difficult to walk our path, especially if it seems out of synch with society and our peers.

Still, it is of the utmost importance for the soul’s purpose that we are true to ourselves.  We all possess an inner knowing about what is right and correct for ourselves, yet it can be difficult to listen to our inner voice and connect with that knowing.  Mullein will help us hear, know, and understand that inner voice of conscience and life purpose.  More importantly, Mullein will help us to act on our convictions.  It will help us find our life’s purpose and take action to achieve it.

 

Mullein would be an important essence for adolescents who may be struggling with moral dilemmas for the first time.  They are also under extreme pressure to yield to peer pressure.  Many times young people find themselves in compromising situations, legally and morally, because their inner voice and conscience is not as strong or loud as the voice of the peer group.  Thus, they find themselves involved in illegal and dangerous activity.

Mullein will bring a calm inner certainty and sense of protection that allows the following of the moral conscience.

 

All of us face these issues at all times of life.  Mullein is not just for adolescents.  When you are faced with a strong desire to follow a particular path, and yet family, friends, or society is disapproving, Mullein can let you discern with clarity what course of action is for your highest good.  You will rise in strength from your center and stand tall, in the light, like the Mullein plant itself.

 

 

Another important signature of Mullein is the phallus-like stalk of the plant that expresses masculine strength.  This stalk is covered with velvety down evoking an overall softness.  Therefore, we see that we can use Mullein essence to bring softness and receptivity to personalities that are too aggressively masculinized.

 

Mullein flower essence works primarily on the third chakra.  The solar plexus chakra is connected to the fire element as is Mullein.  It is the seat of will and personal power.  Mullein flower essence strengthens and balances the solar plexus chakra.

 

Animals: Gurudas suggests using Mullein flower essence during times when animals are undergoing long training periods for tasks which will be their life’s work, such as with Seeing Eye dogs.

 

Astrological Considerations:  Mullein falls under the rulership of Saturn.  Use the essence during the Saturn return.

 

Comments

[Zodiac Ring]

Interesting post and thanks for sharing. Some things in here I have not thought about before. Thanks for making such a cool post which is really very well written. will be referring it to a lot of my friends about this.

Regards
Indian Astrology Signs