Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) is a common, hairy biennial herb that grows with ease in North America, Europe and Asia. It is recognizable by its tall flower stalk and golden yellow flowers. It has been used by herbalists since Dioscorides documented it as a lung-friendly entity around 2000 years ago. It has been ingested, applied topically and smoked to help relieve respiratory ailments including bronchitis and asthma. It acts as an expectorant, loosening phlegm and making coughs more productive, and as a demulcent, soothing irritated mucus membranes. It has also been used for diarrhea, migraine, inflammatory conditions, gout and joint pain.
For those who like to smoke their herbs, mullein is an excellent additive for smoking blends. It doesn’t have a strong flavor so it won’t overpower the delicious terpenes of your favorite strain and it will help make for a smoother smoke. It is also an easy addition to make for people who smoke often and tend to cough a lot when they do.
You can easily find mullein leaves to add to your smoking blends. Simply pick the fresh leaves off a plant that you know is growing in clean soil and away from polluted roads and dry them for use in your next herbal smoke session. To learn how to do this, check out our post on how to prepare herbs for smoking. We host Herbal Smoking Mixtures Workshops about twice a year where you can get hands-on training and sample some of the herb blends that we feature in our herbal smoking products. You can find more information about our workshops here.