Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) is a common biennial plant sought after for centuries. Native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa, this robust species has naturalized widely across the globe, including the Americas. Historically, its parts—especially the soft, woolly leaves, bright yellow flowers, and roots—have been used in traditional herbal applications. These uses often centered on supporting the respiratory system, which is the primary reason people seek out this plant today. Locating mullein depends on whether you intend to purchase a commercial product, forage for a wild specimen, or cultivate it yourself.
Purchasing Commercial Mullein Products
Acquiring mullein in a finished form is the most immediate way to utilize the plant. Commercial products are readily available at various retail locations, including health food stores, apothecaries, and herbal tea shops. The widest selection is often found through online retailers and herb companies, which provide options ranging from small quantities to bulk supply.
Preparations Available
Mullein is sold in several distinct preparations. The most common is the dried leaf, often cut and sifted for use in herbal infusions or tea. It is also encapsulated into powdered form for convenient ingestion as a dietary supplement. Liquid forms include alcohol-based tinctures and non-alcoholic glycerin extracts, designed for concentrated internal use. Flowers are frequently infused into oils to create topical ear oil products.
When selecting a commercial product, vet the source to ensure quality and purity. Product efficacy and safety depend heavily on proper harvesting and manufacturing practices.
Locating and Identifying Wild Mullein
For those interested in finding the plant in its natural state, mullein is a colonizer that thrives in disturbed, open environments. You will most often find it along roadsides, in meadows, open fields, clearings, and vacant lots. It prefers full sun exposure and well-drained, poor soils, often sandy or gravelly ones, which is why it appears readily in areas where other plants struggle.
Identification
Identifying the plant requires attention to its distinct biennial growth cycle. In its first year, mullein forms a low-growing, dense rosette of large leaves. These leaves are its most recognizable feature: they are thick, silvery-green, and covered densely in fine, star-shaped hairs called trichomes, giving them a soft, felt-like texture. In the second year, the plant sends up a single, stout, unbranched flower stalk that can reach heights of 6 to 7 feet. This stalk is topped with a dense spike of small, five-petaled yellow flowers that typically bloom a few at a time.
If you choose to forage, you must correctly identify the plant, as misidentification can have serious consequences. Avoid harvesting mullein found near industrial sites, agricultural fields, or busy roadsides. Plants growing in these locations may have absorbed contaminants, such as heavy metals or chemical residues, making them unsuitable for use.
Growing Mullein for Personal Use
Cultivating mullein offers a sustainable, long-term source, allowing you to control the growing environment and ensure purity. The plant is a hardy biennial that grows easily from seed, which can be purchased from various suppliers. Mullein seeds require light to germinate, so they should be surface-sown and gently pressed into the soil rather than buried deeply.
Planting should occur in a location that receives full sun, as this encourages large leaf and flower production. Mullein is tolerant of a wide variety of soil types, including dry or gravelly ones, but it requires good drainage. Seeds can be direct-sown in the early spring after the last frost or in the late summer or early autumn.
The plant’s growth follows its two-year pattern. The first year yields the large, low-lying rosette of leaves ready for harvest. The second year is marked by the tall flower stalk; after the plant sets seed, the entire structure will die back. Once established, mullein is drought-tolerant, requiring minimal watering, making it a low-maintenance addition to a garden.