Mullein
Verbascum thapsus
Other Names: Common Mullein, Great Mullein, Big Taper, Flannel Plant, Velvet Dock, Woolly Mullein, Aaron's Rod, Cowboy Toilet Paper, Toilet Paper Plant — Spanish: Barbasco
Plant Family: Scrophulariaceae (Figwort / Snapdragon Family)
Edible Parts: Flowers (tea), Leaves (tea), Inner stem (edible raw)
Elevation Range: 3,500 to 7,000 feet in Arizona
How to Identify
Once you know Mullein you will never miss it. It is one of the most visually distinctive plants in the Arizona highlands — a towering spike rising from a rosette of the softest leaves in the plant world.
Life Cycle — Two Very Different Years: Mullein is a biennial — it lives exactly two years, looking completely different each year.
Year One — The Rosette: In its first year Mullein produces only a low-growing rosette of large, thick, velvety leaves directly on the ground. Leaves are oval to elongated, 6–15 inches long, pale gray-green, and covered in dense, soft, flannel-like hairs. The texture is unmistakable — like touching thick velvet or the softest chamois cloth. No flowering stalk appears in year one.
Year Two — The Spike: In its second year a single tall, unbranched flowering stalk shoots up from the center of the rosette — typically 4–7 feet tall, occasionally reaching 8 feet. The stalk is densely hairy and has alternate leaves that clasp and extend down the stem, giving it a winged appearance. The top 12–20 inches form a dense, club-shaped spike of tightly packed yellow flowers.
Flowers: Small, five-petaled, saucer-shaped, bright sulphur-yellow. Bloom from the bottom of the spike upward — only a few flowers open at a time. Each individual flower is open for only about one day, from just before dawn until mid-afternoon. Bloom period runs June through September in Arizona.
The Leaves — The Easiest ID: If you find a plant with leaves so soft and thick they feel like flannel or velvet and are pale grayish-green, you have Mullein. No other common Arizona plant has this combination.
Habitat Clue: Mullein is a plant of disturbed ground — look for it along roadsides, trailheads, forest edges, clearings, and burn areas in the mid-elevation pine and pinyon-juniper zones.
Where and When to Gather
Habitat: Disturbed ground, roadsides, forest clearings, trailheads, burn areas, waste ground. Thrives in full sun with well-drained soil. A classic pioneer plant — one of the first to colonize disturbed areas after fire or human disturbance.
Elevation: 3,500 to 7,000 feet in Arizona. Most common in the ponderosa pine and pinyon-juniper zones — White Mountains, Mogollon Rim, Prescott area, and mountain ranges of southern Arizona.
Range in Arizona: Found throughout the state in preferred mid-elevation habitats — Apache, Navajo, Coconino, Yavapai, Graham, Cochise, and Pinal counties. An introduced species from Europe now naturalized across all of North America.
Note on Status: Mullein is introduced — not native to Arizona or North America. Originally from Europe, West and Central Asia, and North Africa. Now naturalized and widespread. This means harvesting has no negative impact on native plant communities — Mullein is considered weedy or invasive in many states.
When to Gather:
First-year leaves: Fall through spring of year one — large, fresh rosette leaves
Second-year leaves: Spring of year two — before the flower stalk shoots up
Flowers: June through September — gather individual open flowers daily during bloom
Inner stem: Early to mid-summer of year two — harvest the flexible upper flowering stalk before flowers fully open
Roots: End of first year or beginning of second — primarily for medicinal use
Fall
Wet Summer
Dry Summer
Spring
How to Gather
Leaves:
Select large, healthy leaves from clean plants away from roadsides
Wear gloves if you have sensitive skin — the fine leaf hairs can cause mild irritation in some people
Gather the largest, most intact leaves for drying
Dry flat on a screen or hang in bundles in a warm, well-ventilated area
Store dried leaves in a glass jar away from light and heat
Well-dried leaves keep for 1–2 years
Flowers:
Gather individual open flowers in the morning — each flower is only open for one day
Pinch flowers directly from the spike — they come away easily
Gather daily during the bloom period for the best yield
Dry on a screen in a single layer — they are small and dry quickly
Dried flowers stored in a glass jar keep for up to a year
Flower tea is noticeably sweeter and more pleasant than leaf tea
Inner Stem:
Select a second-year plant in early to mid-summer
Clip the last 8–12 inches of the flexible upper flowering stalk
Carefully remove adhering flower buds and the outer rough layer
What remains is a tender, pliable inner stem — thinner than a pencil, slightly sweet
How to Use
Mullein is primarily a medicinal plant — edible uses are limited but pleasant, particularly the flower tea.
Flower Tea: The flowers produce a mild, slightly sweet, aromatic tea — significantly more pleasant to drink than the leaf tea. Traditionally used as a soothing drink for respiratory comfort and general wellness. One of the nicest wild teas in the Arizona highlands.
Leaf Tea: An aromatic, slightly bitter tea made from dried leaves. More medicinal in character than the flower tea — most people add honey or lemon. Primarily used therapeutically rather than as a beverage.
Inner Stem: The peeled inner stem of a second-year plant can be eaten raw — mild and slightly sweet. A trail snack rather than a meal, but edible and interesting.
Mullein is one of the most widely used respiratory herbs in traditional medicine worldwide — valued across European, Native American, and folk medicine traditions for its gentle but effective action on the lungs, throat, and sinuses.
Primary Active Compounds: Mucilage (soothing, coating), saponins (expectorant — loosens mucus), flavonoids (anti-inflammatory), verbascoside (antioxidant, antiviral).
Respiratory — The Primary Use: Mullein is above all a lung herb. The mucilage in leaves and flowers coats and soothes inflamed mucous membranes of the bronchi and trachea. Use it for persistent dry coughs that verge on being spasmodic, bronchitis, chest colds, asthma, and sinus congestion. Both leaf and flower teas are effective — the leaf tea is stronger, the flower tea gentler and more pleasant.
Earache — Mullein Ear Oil: One of the most validated folk uses. Flowers infused in olive oil and dropped into the ear canal have been used for centuries to relieve earache pain — particularly pain associated with ear infections. Several studies have supported this use. The oil is soothing and anti-inflammatory.
Skin and Wound Healing: Fresh or rehydrated leaves applied as a poultice to swellings, bruises, wounds, and inflamed skin. Anti-inflammatory compounds reduce swelling and redness.
Urinary Tract: Leaf tea used as a gentle diuretic and urinary tract soother — a secondary but documented traditional use.
Smoking for Respiratory Relief: Mullein leaves have been smoked — often in combination with other herbs — as a traditional treatment for asthma and chest complaints. The smoke is said to be soothing to irritated airways. This is one of the more unusual documented uses and remains practiced in some herbal traditions today.
Anti-inflammatory and Antiviral: Laboratory research has identified inhibitory activity against influenza viruses A2 and B, and some murine lymphocytic leukemia cells. Research is ongoing — not clinically validated for human use.
Although Mullein is not native to North America, it arrived with European settlers and was rapidly adopted by Native peoples who recognized its medicinal value. It spread across the continent within generations of European contact and became integrated into many tribal medicine traditions.
Cherokee: Used leaf tea as a cough medicine. Smoked dried leaves for respiratory complaints.
Catawba: Poultice of smashed leaves applied to swellings, bruises, and wounds.
Atsugewi: Decoction of leaves taken internally for rheumatism.
Abnaki: Roots used to make a necklace worn by teething babies — the root's mild properties were thought to soothe teething pain.
Navajo and Other Southwest Nations: Adopted leaf tea for respiratory complaints after the plant naturalized in their regions. Leaf smoking for asthma and chest conditions also recorded.
General Adoption: The speed with which Native peoples across North America adopted Mullein after European contact speaks to how obvious and effective its medicinal properties are. A plant that went from unknown to widely used across dozens of tribal traditions within a few generations is a plant that clearly works.
How to Prepare / Recipes
Mullein Flower Tea
Gather fresh open flowers in the morning — pinch directly from the spike
Use fresh or dry first — dried flowers make a more concentrated tea
Place 1–2 teaspoons dried flowers (or a tablespoon of fresh) in a cup
Pour hot but not boiling water over the flowers
Steep 10–15 minutes covered — covering keeps the volatile oils in the tea
Strain well through a coffee filter or fine cloth — remove all plant hairs
Sweeten with honey if desired
The flower tea is mild, slightly sweet, and aromatic — pleasant to drink
Use for respiratory comfort, coughs, and general wellness
Mullein Leaf Tea
Dry leaves thoroughly — spread flat on a screen in a warm, ventilated area
Once completely dry, crumble 1–2 teaspoons into a cup
Cover with freshly boiled water
Steep 10 minutes covered
Strain through a coffee filter or fine mesh — critical to remove leaf hairs which can irritate the throat
Add honey and lemon to taste
Stronger and more bitter than flower tea — more medicinal in character
Drink 1–3 cups daily as needed for respiratory complaints
Mullein Ear Oil
Fill a small glass jar loosely with fresh Mullein flowers
Cover completely with olive oil
Place jar in a warm sunny window for 2–4 weeks — or use a double boiler on very low heat for 4–6 hours
Strain out flowers through cheesecloth — squeeze well
Store infused oil in a dark glass dropper bottle in the refrigerator
For earache: warm the bottle in warm water first — never put cold oil in the ear
Place 2–3 drops in the affected ear, plug loosely with cotton
Use 2–3 times daily — do not use if eardrum may be perforated
The Trail Wipe — Nature's Toilet Paper The large, thick, velvet-soft first-year leaves of Mullein are legendary among campers and hikers as nature's best trail wipe. The leaves are large enough to be practical, soft enough to be comfortable, and the mild anti-inflammatory properties of the leaf hairs may actually be soothing. Look for the first-year rosette — large, pale gray-green, velvety leaves low to the ground. Select a large, clean, dry leaf. This is not a joke use — Mullein is genuinely referred to as the Cowboy Toilet Paper plant throughout the Southwest and is listed in multiple foraging references specifically for this purpose.
Cautions
Always strain Mullein tea well through a coffee filter or fine cloth — the tiny leaf hairs can irritate the throat and digestive tract if consumed. This is the most important preparation caution.
Some individuals experience mild skin irritation from contact with leaf hairs — wear gloves if you have sensitive skin during harvest.
Mullein ear oil: do not use if the eardrum may be perforated — consult a healthcare provider first.
Leaves contain small amounts of rotenone (a natural insecticide) and coumarin (a blood-thinning compound) — avoid heavy long-term internal use without consulting a healthcare provider.
Pregnant or breastfeeding individuals should consult a healthcare provider before extended use.
No toxic look-alikes — the soft velvety leaves and tall flowering spike are distinctive and not easily confused with toxic plants.
Do not harvest from roadsides or areas with chemical contamination.