Mullein (rhymes with “sullen”) is a prolific biennial plant that has leaves and stems covered with soft, fuzzy hairs. Typical of a biennial, mullein forms a basal rosette of enormous, velvet-soft leaves in its first year of growth. In its second year, the plant shoots up a towering flower stalk packed with yellow flowers. The mullein plant is very prolific, and many consider it a weed.

Mullein leaves and flowers have long been used to soothe respiratory irritations — for example, asthma, coughs, colds, laryngitis, bronchitis, and COPD. The herb is an expectorant that looses mucus and a demulcent with soothing tissue-coating properties.

Mullein leaf powder can be encapsulated, used to make syrups or lozenges or topical treatments like poultices, ointments and salves. It has a mild, earthy taste.