Open Source Apothecary At Home / The herbs

Mullein

The great roadside respiratory herb — the leaf for the chest, the flower for the ear. — Verbascum thapsus

remedy

Mullein Verbascum thapsus — hand-drawn plate, stylised. Not for identification — use a field guide and verify with a second source before eating any wild plant.

Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) is a tall woolly biennial that grows on roadsides and disturbed ground. Its leaf is a demulcent and expectorant used for dry, irritating cough; its flowers are used in the traditional ear oil.

What is defensible. Mullein leaf is genuinely soothing to an irritated airway — the same mucilage mechanism as marshmallow — and it appears in most traditional cough formulas. The trial evidence is thin. Mullein flower oil is a long-standing traditional ear remedy.

The ear oil carries a real caveat and it is the important one. Putting oil into an ear is only appropriate when the eardrum is intact. If there is any possibility of a perforated eardrum — pain, discharge, a history of perforation, or a child who has had recurrent ear infections — do not put oil in the ear. Ear pain with fever, hearing loss or discharge in a child needs an assessment, not oil.

Harvest the leaf from the first-year rosette, or from the second-year plant before it flowers. Strain mullein tea properly — the fine hairs are a mechanical irritant.

What the studies found

Unclassified2026Frontiers in pharmacology

Physician attitudes toward natural syrup formulations for cough and sore throat: a multinational cross-sectional survey of 398 healthcare professionals across 13 countries.

Physicians across diverse healthcare systems reported favourable attitudes toward this natural syrup formulation, with particular emphasis on the perceived safety profile for vulnerable patient groups.

PubMed 41847131 ↗

Growing it

| | | |---|---| | Life | Biennial | | Propagation | Grows wild — forage it | | Light | Full sun | | Soil | Poor, dry, disturbed ground; roadsides (harvest away from them) | | Harvest leaf | First-year rosette, or before flowering | | Harvest flower | Summer, at full flower | | Dry | Shade, ambient |

The rosette in year one is the leaf harvest; the tall flower spike in year two gives the flowers.

Preparation

Leaf tea — 1-2 teaspoons dried leaf per cup, strained through a fine cloth to remove the hairs.

Ear oil — mullein flowers macerated in olive oil in sunlight for 2-4 weeks. Only if the eardrum is intact. Warm gently before use; never hot.

Cough blends — mullein with marshmallow and thyme.

Steam inhalation — mullein leaf in hot water.

Cautions and interactions

Never put oil in an ear if the eardrum may be perforated — or if there is discharge, hearing loss or severe pain.
Strain mullein tea — the leaf hairs irritate the throat.
Do not home-treat ear pain in a child — it needs assessment.
Harvest from clean ground, away from traffic and spraying.

When this is not a self-care problem — get help

Ear pain with fever, discharge from the ear, hearing loss, or a child pulling at the ear with a fever — medical assessment.
A cough with breathlessness, chest pain, blood, or lasting over three weeks — medical assessment.

Sources

Physician attitudes toward natural syrup formulations for cough and sore throat: a multinational cross-sectional survey of 398 healthcare professionals across 13 countries. Frontiers in pharmacology 2026; doi:10.1016/j.phytochem.2013.07.023 PubMed 41847131