The mullein Greg and I picked this morning is in the studio now.

People ask me sometimes what we do once the leaves come in from the field, and the honest answer is not much. Mullein doesn't need anything fancy to become tea or tincture. It mostly needs time, air, and a careful hand.

The first thing I do is brush every leaf. Mullein grows close to the ground, and the fuzzy underside catches every bit of dirt, dust, and tiny field debris that blows by. I never wash the leaves. Water mats down the hairs and slows drying. A soft brush, leaf by leaf, takes care of it the way it should be done.

Then they go into our stacker dryers. We have two of them hanging in our studio, layered mesh trays that move air around the herbs without crushing them. One layer per tray, no overlap.

How long it takes depends on the day. Lower Alabama humidity has a mind of its own. Some weeks the leaves are crisp in five or six days. Other weeks I'm checking and turning for two weeks before the leaf will crumble between my fingers the way it should.

Once it's fully dry, I pull the big stems by hand. The stems don't add anything to tea and they make the leaf bulky in a pouch. After the stems come out, I cut and sift the rest into pieces the right size for brewing. Then it gets sealed and bagged for the shelf.

We sell our dried mullein leaf loose, sealed in a pouch, which keeps the leaf fresh longer than a jar would. To brew a cup, scoop a small spoonful of loose leaf into a tea ball or strainer, drop it in a mug, add boiling water, cover, steep at least fifteen minutes, drink warm. Use a fine mesh strainer if you brew loose in the pot, because the small leaf hairs can tickle the throat.

Picked this morning. Brushed and on the trays by noon. On the shelf, sealed in a pouch, by the time the humidity decides.

If you want to read more about what mullein does once it gets into the cup, Greg wrote about that side of things over on his blog: What Mullein Does for the Lungs. And our Bronchial Support Tea blends mullein with a few other lung-friendly herbs we grow or wildcraft.

If you want it all in one place, the benefits, the uses, how to brew it, and the safety notes, we keep a full mullein guide on the site.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Talk to your doctor before using any herbal supplement, especially if you're pregnant, nursing, managing a health condition, or taking medication.