Mullein
Useful properties and uses of mullein
Botanical characteristics of the common mullein
Useful properties of mullein
Mullein is rich in carotene, ascorbic acid, flavonoids, sugars, tannins and essential oils. This herb is known to be an excellent expectorant with anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant and analgesic effects. Along with this, mullein boasts unique wound healing capabilities.
Mullein application
Infusion of flowers of the common mullein is often used for severe cough, whooping cough, bronchitis, as well as for pneumonia and hemoptysis. It perfectly removes thick phlegm from the bronchi and lungs due to the mucus included in its composition. Traditional medicine recommends using this herb for severe rhinitis, asthma and shortness of breath. In addition, this wonderful plant copes well with diseases of the spleen and liver, inflammation of the stomach and intestines. To achieve a noticeable effect in treatment, mullein is almost always used in combination with other herbs.
Mullein for hemorrhoids
The common mullein can be called one of the best remedies for the treatment of hemorrhoids. This medicinal plant helps to normalize the functions of the gastrointestinal tract, and most importantly, it is able to quickly stop bleeding by removing the inflammatory process from the hemorrhoids. A decoction of mullein roots is used for sitz baths. You can also poultice the anus with crushed leaves and flowers of this medicinal herb.
Mullein tincture
Mullein tincture is made from 100 grams of freshly picked flowers and 250 grams of alcohol. It is necessary to insist the remedy for at least 20 days and only then strain. This medicine is indispensable for rubbing in rheumatic, nervous and arthric pains.
Mullein leaves
Mullein leaves should be stored with flower picking on sunny days. Well-dried leaves retain their gray-green color for a long time. They taste slightly bitter and odorless. For medicinal purposes, it is recommended to boil the leaves in milk to relieve pain from burns or hemorrhoids.
Mullein flowers
The medicinal mullein flowers are used as a soothing for coughs and shortness of breath, and they are also included in the famous chest collection. The collected flowers must be dried well in the fresh air, stirring gently. If the drying technology is not violated, then they will not lose their yellow tint and will have a pleasant honey aroma.
Common mullein
So that the common mullein does not lose its healing qualities and light golden color during the collection and drying process, it is necessary to collect it in a dry time of the day. Good raw materials should not have flower cups. Drying can be done indoors, but then it should be well ventilated. Immediately after harvesting, it is recommended that the flowers be placed in a hermetically sealed container or used as a necessary component in various collections. Folk medicine mainly uses leaves and flowers that are harvested in late summer.
Scepter mullein
It is no secret how widely the scepter mullein is used for the treatment of hemorrhoids. In addition, this particular species is included in various medicinal tinctures. This plant has medicinal properties such as expectorant, diuretic, diaphoretic and anti-inflammatory. It is the scepter mullein that cures pulmonary diseases, even in an advanced form.
Mullein "royal scepter"
This plant is indeed very similar in shape to the majestic royal scepter. Such a grass can be impressive in size, growing up to 2 m. This species blooms almost round the summer. The blossoming flowers are collected, dried and made into unique tinctures that heal many internal human organs. And most importantly, the "royal scepter" mullein perfectly relieves pains of various kinds.
Mullein "bear ear"
The bear's ear mullein differs from other species of a similar plant in its small corolla size and two lower stamens. This herb, indispensable for traditional medicine, grows on sandy slopes and forest glades. Flowering lasts from July to August.
Mullein purple
The purple mullein is a graceful perennial with delicate purple flowers. The erect stem is both multileaf and leafless. Flowers are collected in thin simple brushes. The fruit is presented in the form of an ovoid capsule, most of which is naked. This herb blooms in June and early July. Infusion of violet mullein perfectly stimulates cardiac activity and motor activity of the human intestine.
Mullein hybrid
The hybrid mullein is an unpretentious biennial plant with erect stems and petiolate basal leaves collected in a socket. Yellow inflorescences are presented in the form of a panicle or spike. This herb is drought-resistant and frost-resistant, and also loves light. The hybrid mullein gives abundant self-seeding, often clogging up the adjacent land.
Panicle mullein
The panicle mullein is a special type of mullein, which differs in the height of the erect stem up to 130 cm and the presence of serrated leaves. The flowers of the plant are collected in a kind of brush, and the fruit is in a box. The panicle mullein is found both in the Urals and in the Volga region, mainly on the slopes of hills and dry meadows. This herb blooms from June to August. It has been found that infusions from it are able to lower blood pressure.
Black mullein
The black mullein is characterized by a fusiform root and an erect stem, not exceeding 1 m in height. This plant has alternate leaves, and the mullein flowers are collected in unusual bunches. This herb blooms all summer, from June to the end of August. As a rule, in medicine, only flowers of the black mullein are used to treat the upper respiratory tract, which have a sweetish odor even when dried.
Dense-flowered mullein
The two-year-old dense-flowered mullein in the second year of life has a flowering stem, the average height of which is about 70–80 cm. This plant is covered with tomentose pubescence, and the basal leaves are striking in their oblong shape. Dense apical brushes form inflorescences. The fruit is an elliptical box, the size of which does not exceed 1 cm. This plant blooms all summer, and the seeds ripen in early autumn.
Olympic mullein
The Olympic mullein is a large perennial plant that reaches 2 m in height. This herb has large, elongated grayish leaves. The flowers do not exceed 3 cm in diameter and are collected in an unpretentious paniculate inflorescence. The flowering of the Olympic mullein occurs in July.
Contraindications to the use of mullein
There are no serious contraindications to the use of mullein in medicine. But it is worth considering the individual intolerance of each specific person.
The author of the article: Sokolova Nina Vladimirovna | Phytotherapist
Education: Diploma in "General Medicine" and "Therapy" received at the Pirogov University (2005 and 2006). Advanced training at the Department of Phytotherapy at the Peoples' Friendship University of Moscow (2008).
