Mullein Herb

The Mullein herb is a widely found herb that has been used as herbal remedies for thousands of years. With such a long history it comes as no surprise to hear that the benefits associated with the herb have been varied, and whilst many have now been discounted as not working there are still a number of benefits to be gained from using Mullein as part of your herbal medicine collection.

As we mention the Mullein plant is widely found, growing almost all over Europe as well as in Asia and North America. This ability to grow in all sorts of areas is why it is so commonly used in herbal medicine throughout the ages, almost all cultures had access to it in one form or another.

Since the herb is made from the Mullein plant many people like to grow Mullein in their own herb patch or windowsill herb garden. It is a relatively easy plant to grow (compared to many herbs that are much more delicate). This means people can easily grow it for their own herb collection or to make mullein oil.

The Mullein plant prefers direct sunlight (and ideally lots of it) and a dry, well drained soil... it especially loves gravel, sand or chalk soils. It is not at all happy when put in wet soil or in the shade (would you be?).

You can get Mullein plant cuttings from many garden centres or online shops – but you can also pick your own. They are very abundant in many parts of the world, so much so you can often find them by hedges or at the roadside. Waste ground where the soil tends to have more sand and gravel is particularly abundant in mullein plants.

Whilst the plant is biennial it is the second sprouting, taking place in July and August, that should interest anyone who wants to make the herbs, Mullein tea or Mullein oil. Wait until the plant has flowered and then harvest it and dry it out to make the herb.

There has been a lot of scientific research go into the Mullein herb – and it has found the herb to have a lot of health benefits that it is able to pass on to people. From helping with chest and breathing problems through to beating earaches, it really is one of the more powerful healing herbs

This is because there are a number of different properties contained within the Mullein herb – that can be passed on when drinking Mullein tea or using Mullein oil. It has shown to have anti-inflammatory, antiviral, fungicide, sedative, bacteristat and antihistaminic properties. Other medical benefits have been suggested but not yet followed up on in scientific research.

Mullein oil is one of the most popular ways of using the herb. In this instance it has powerful properties for killing off germs. It is used as a salve to help clean wounds by killing off and keeping away bacteria and viruses. Mullein Oil is also often used to treat earaches, being applied directly to the ear that has the problem and killing off any infection.

In this manner it can also be used to treat teeth and gums, where it is able to kill off any bacteria that are causing pain or infection to the mouth.

It is also often used internally, usually as Mullein tea though capsules are not unheard of. In this manner the tea is drunk to allow the herb access to the inside of the body, where it is able to help with all manner of complaints. Most commonly to help treat chest complaints or stomach upsets such as bleeding of the bowels.