Mullien

     On the way to the farm to work on a Gehl loader I got to thinking about the plants coming on and Mullein stands at the top of the list on multi use,

both medicinal and for utility.

      Mullein prefers wasteland that is dry and has a two year cycle it appears, The first year soft leaves that lie close to the ground and the second a woody stalk, growing three to five foot in height that gets a head of small yellow flowers.

  Given the current state of affairs we are in a natural toilet paper comes to mind. Given it's soft velour like surface it has the ability to hold water making it useful for hygiene when dipped in water as it has an almost sponge like ability.Also this ability to hold fluids make it a natural dressing for wounds in a pinch.

 
   From the book Indian Herbology Of North America by Alma R. Hutchens. The smoke is inhaled from the leaves to relieve chest congestion as is mentioned in Tom Browns book guide to Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants which also includes the steam from the boiled leaves while making tea relieves nasal congestion and the tea when drank relieves stomach cramps.
   Culpepper's Complete Herbal and English Physician from the early 17th century uses a small quantity of the root given in wine for for stomach issues as well. There are numerous other uses which are not mentioned here.

   By and far my favorite use of this plant is using the woody stalk in primitive fire making using the stalk as a hand drill along with a suitable hearth of Basswood or Sycamore.

  This article is for entertainment and historical purposes only and not to be used as medical advice.

Stay safe
Bob