Mullein: The Gentle Giant; Being Soft and Flexible From the Ground Up
Mullein. Verbascum Thapsis. My first herb. Really! The first herb I was really drawn to on this herbal path, and the the first herb I actually saw growing “wild” in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago
I was immediately drawn to its solitary solid presence; the big leaves, The way to takes up space, but doesn’t detract from its surroundings. Its tall, going with the flow manner as it sways on the breeze and wind, but doesn’t fall over.
It’s a stately, tall, solid plant that has a commanding presence, and the be real/get done what needs to be done; not in a military way but in a “it’s life, do it” (like the old Nike slogan :just do it”!). In some ways it feels like the Great Mother archetype holding space for us to ground our energy and feel nurtured as we take care of what happens in life.
I remember the excitement of seeing it, actually touching it fresh, taking a leaf from the stem home to sit with, and then going back to the plant anywhere I saw it over and over through the years.
I began working with it for it’s affinities for the inner ear. My first herbal oil was made with Mullein because my ears have never been great. Until I was 11 or so, I had horrible ear infections. I mean the kind that all you can do is cry because you can’t lift your head off the table to tell someone how bad it hurts.
Although I have grown out of these, my ears are still hyper sensitive, especially to wind invasion. (When wind whips into your ears.) The season or time of year doesn’t matter, if I get too much wind in my ears, I feel it. I reach for my Mullein and Garlic oil right away, and usually anything severe is averted.
But, I sidetrack here, let’s redirect shall we?
Mullein. The more I know and work with them, the more interesting they becomes.
The common name for Verbascum Thapsis, “Mullein”, comes from the Latin “Mollis”, meaning soft. Mollis is also the root word for mollify, emollient, and mollusk (an invertebrate who wore the softness!) All hints to some of its uses…
Mullein is an astringent, bitter, acrid plant indicating it has toning, calming, and some expectorant, actions with affinities for the lungs, inner ear, tonifying and fully grounding us into the earth.
The leaves are a bit soft, and they have an acrid and astringent taste which is great for helping spasmotic and inflamed tissues of the body. (Like when you have a bruised area, a blister, or irritations.)
Traditionally, leaves made into a tea (and strained really well) have been used for dysentery, TB, and bronchitis with chest complaints. This is due to their astringency.
They can be used to wrap around your foot in the wilderness if you have blisters to protect it from getting infected (an antibacterial quality) until you get first aid.
Due to the acrid taste, leaves also help with asthma as a smoke to clear and dry the lungs as they have an affinity for calming the mucous membranes. They are especially good for the respiratory system, and can be used for dry coughs anti-pathetically as well as they tend to warm/heat up the system itself
The Flowers of Mullein are bactericidal as well, and are excellent for ear infection/clearing the ears of inflammation when infused in an oil.
Now, here’s a Prabhava ( a special potency ) I have found with Mullein, as I sat with them this summer… it’s bit more energetic as it works with the outer energy of the body, like the aura… here, Mullein seems to ground all the shards of energy, the whirlwind of energy surrounding us that isn’t integrated into our bodies yet, or maybe just free-floating.
The root seems to work like an auger, drilling our magnetic field and energy system into the earth herself. It even LOOKS like an auger!! (See the picture to the bottom right below.)
Esoteric Significance/ Fun Tidbits about Mullein
Ruling Planet: Saturn -
Saturn asks us to take part in everyday life, it’s tasks, what needs to be done, it has
a yin/yang quality as Saturn is dark on one side and light on the other.
Ruling elements:
Fixed Air and Earth
The plant itself takes up a lot of air space due to its size. It’s calming to spiraling, discombobulated energy, creating a gravitational density, going down into the earth/grounding our energy field.
Ruling Principle: (What it is here to teach us.)
Saturn is about our personal boundaries and limits (something has to die in order to move up and outward). It IS the last planet we can see with the visible eye, so there is a boundary there…
Saturn Reveals the grand pattern(s) but with a distant perspective, so we learn to apply lessons to life: embodying the lessons from the previous phases of life so we integrate the wisdom instructing our transformation.
It helps us break down structures and patterns of the past, removing what’s not for our highest good (to get to our true essence!)
This makes Mullein good for people who are really hard on themselves, as it softens hardness of emotions and the mind.
I really feel this herb would be extremely beneficial during our Saturn returns in life.
In ending, with its affinities for the lungs, inner ear, and grounding, Mullein is an excellent plant for helping us through the stressors of life where we need to take life in as it is (not how we want it to be), breathe deeply as we ground into changes.
The more I know about this plant, the more interesting it becomes.
I probably will say this about every plant I work with and encounter, but it seems to be true so far ❤️
If you’ve had experiences with working with Mullein, or just being around this amazing plant, I’d love to know in the comments below.