Common Mullein: A Wild Herb With An Interesting Purpose

If you’ve ever walked along a country road, hiked a trail, or explored a mountain path, you might have noticed this unique, fuzzy plant. It's likely a Mullein, and it has a purpose.

Common Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) has soft, velvety leaves and a towering spike of yellow flowers. Often overlooked as just another weed, this biennial plant actually has an interesting history and plays a vital ecological role.

Overview

The fuzzy leaves of a Mullein have earned the plant clever nicknames like "cowboy toilet paper," "flannel leaf," or "bunny ears.” You might also hear it referred to as Great Mullein or Woolly Mullein. It thrives in poor, dry soils where other plants struggle, typically popping up in places like roadsides, abandoned lots, and rock-heavy hillsides.

But Mullein is actually critical to an area as an ecosystem developer.

Mullein is referred to as a “pioneer species” because the plant helps stabilize soil and prepare an area for other plants. This is why you will frequently see Mullein pop-up in recently disturbed locations, like around fallen trees, sides of hills, or places where storms caused soil disruption.

Appearance & Behavior

In its first year, Mullein forms a rosette of large, soft leaves that can grow up to a foot long. Covered in fine, woolly hairs, these leaves give the plant a silvery-green hue and a texture that’s almost plush to the touch.

By its second year, Mullein shoots up a single, sturdy flower stalk that can reach heights of 6 feet or more. From summer to early fall, this stalk blooms with clusters of small, bright yellow flowers, each lasting only about a day but collectively creating a stunning display that attracts bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.

Adaptation Strategies

Adaptability is probably the plant’s greatest strength. Its deep taproot allows it to access water and nutrients in poor, dry soils where other plants struggle. This means the Mullein helps stabilize disturbed soil and create an environment where less resilient plants can eventually grow.

The Mullein’s woolly leaves help reduce water loss and can deter herbivores, allowing other plants opportunity to germinate and grow.

The Mullein’s prolific seed production (up to 180,000 seeds per plant) ensures wide dispersal. These seeds can remain viable in the soil for decades, waiting for the right conditions to germinate.

Toxicity

Common Mullein is generally considered non-toxic to humans and pets. However, its hairy leaves can cause skin irritation for some people due to the fine trichomes, which may also cause mild respiratory discomfort if inhaled. While it’s not inherently poisonous, eating it raw or ingesting significant quantities should be avoided.

Uses of the Plant

Mullein has an intricate history as an ingredient for medicine, survival, and even fishing. Herbalists have used its leaves and flowers for teas, infusions, and salves to treat respiratory ailments, inflammation, and skin conditions. The dried leaves were once smoked to help alleviate coughing or other respiratory issues (don’t try this, go to a doctor if you’re having health problems).

The plant’s soft leaves earned it the "toilet paper" moniker, as they were reportedly used by settlers and outdoorsmen for hygiene in a pinch. The powder from dried and ground up roots was also rumored to clear warts.

More intriguing is the suggestion that Indigenous peoples in North America used crushed Mullein seeds as a fish narcotic. The seeds contain rotenone, a natural compound that stuns fish by inhibiting oxygen uptake, making them easier to catch, a practice now obsolete due to environmental concerns and more modern tools for fishing.

Ecological Role

As a pioneer species, Common Mullein thrives in freshly disturbed areas like construction sites, areas hit by severe storms, or burned landscapes. Its ability to colonize barren, nutrient-poor soil helps stabilize the ecosystem, preventing erosion and prepping the area for other plants. Over time, as the ecosystem recovers, Mullein often fades out, outcompeted by later-succession species. This role underscores the ecological importance of Mullein as a temporary healer of scarred land.

The Mullein establishes itself in a barren ecosystem, attracting pollinators and deterring herbivores, which allows other plants to grow. The pollinators and other diverse plants attract insects & spiders, thereby attracting herbivores that produce compost, leading to all the complex elements that make up life in a thriving ecosystem.

Summary & WIIFM

Deer don’t usually eat Mullein, so if you’re hunt-scouting looking for antlers, don’t count it as a food source. Neither do rabbits nor squirrels (typically).

If you’re camping or in a survival situation and need to start a fire, Mullein might help you out. The down on the leaves and stem can be dried out and used as a perfect flammable tinder. Sprinkle it on dry grass or leaves (if available) to help turn that spark into a flame.

People use Mullein less today than they used to since tools and services evolved in the form of medicines, veterinarians, fishing poles, and lighters. But this adaptable plant is one to take notice of when you’re out and about.

Even though it’s a herb, most gardeners and landscapers treat it like a weed, so it might not be something you’re planting in your flowerbed.

The beautiful fact is, Mullein is a drought-tolerant air-purifier and pollinator-magnet that helps drive ecological healing. So, cheer it on as you pass by, or maybe just leave it alone and let it work. At a minimum, Mullein can give you clues to other valuable ecological signals, like recent thunderstorms, soil quality, and what wildlife may or may not be in the area.