Walk a back road around Opp in late summer and you will find mullein standing waist high, a spike of yellow flowers over a rosette of pale, fuzzy leaves. People have leaned on this plant for a very long time, and in more ways than most folks would guess. This page is about using it, not a list of what it is supposed to do for you. How you brew a cup, why you strain it, how we dry the leaf, and what the old traditions did with it. We wildcraft ours by hand around Opp, Alabama.
How do you use mullein leaf?
Mullein leaf gets used in a few plain forms. Most people brew the dried leaf as a tea. Some take it as an extract, a few drops in water. It is also the base of a lot of herbal smoking blends, because it burns mild and even. And you can dry your own if you have a stand of it growing nearby. We sell the wildcrafted leaf, an extract we make from it, and blends and prerolls built on it.
Where does your mullein come from?
Every bit of our mullein is wildcrafted here in and around Opp, Alabama. We do not import it or buy it in from a supplier. We walk the stands, cut the leaf by hand through the summer, and dry it on our own screens on the farm. If you want to know which week a batch was cut, ask us and we will tell you. This is the leaf that goes into our tea, our extract, and our prerolls.
How do you make mullein tea?
To make mullein tea, use 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried leaf per 8 ounces of hot water and let it steep 10 to 15 minutes. Mullein wants a long steep, longer than most teas, because the leaf gives up its character slowly. Cover the cup while it steeps to hold the heat in. Drink it plain or add honey. One thing matters before you drink it, and it has its own question below.
Do you have to strain mullein tea?
Yes, strain mullein tea before you drink it, every time. The leaf is covered in fine hairs, the same fuzz that makes it feel like flannel, and those hairs can tickle or scratch the throat if they end up in the cup. Pour the tea through a fine strainer lined with cloth, a paper coffee filter, or a nut milk bag. This one step is the difference between a smooth cup and a scratchy one.
What is the best way to strain mullein tea?
The best way to strain mullein tea is through something tighter than a plain kitchen sieve. The leaf hairs are fine enough to slip through metal mesh, so pour the tea through an unbleached coffee filter, a piece of clean cotton cloth, or a nut milk bag instead. If a few hairs still get through, pour it a second time. Two passes through cloth leaves a clean cup with nothing to scratch the throat.
What does mullein tea taste like?
Mullein tea is mild and a little sweet, closer to warm hay or a light green tea than to anything sharp. It is not bitter and it does not need much help. Most folks drink it plain. A spoon of honey suits it if you want the sweetness brought forward, and a squeeze of lemon brightens it, but the leaf carries a soft, grassy flavor on its own.
How much mullein tea can you drink?
A cup or two or three across a day is the amount people have long settled on for mullein tea. Start with one cup and see how it sits with you before you make it a daily habit. There is no need to steep it strong or drink it by the potful. A moderate, steady cup is the traditional way to take it, not a heavy one now and then.
Can you reuse mullein leaves for a second steep?
You can get a second cup out of mullein leaf, though it will be weaker than the first. The leaf gives up most of its character in that long first steep, so a second pour comes out paler and milder. If you want it, steep the used leaf a little longer the second time to pull more from it. After two rounds the leaf is spent and belongs in the compost.
Can you eat mullein leaves or cook with them?
Mullein leaf is not a plant you cook or eat like a green. It is not poisonous, but the leaf is thick and covered in fine hairs, and that fuzz feels unpleasant in the mouth and can scratch going down. That texture is the reason mullein has always been taken as a strained tea or an extract rather than chopped into food. Brew it and strain it, do not put it on the plate.
How do you use mullein extract?
Mullein extract is the leaf pulled into vodka, made for people who would rather not brew a pot. Shake the bottle, then put 1 dropperful, about 1 milliliter, into a glass of water or a cup of tea, up to three times a day. It travels well and takes no steeping. We make ours from the same wildcrafted leaf that goes into our tea and our blends.
How do you make mullein-infused oil?
To make mullein oil, pack a clean, dry glass jar with fully dried mullein flowers or leaf, then cover it with a carrier oil like olive oil, an inch over the top of the plant. Cap it and set it somewhere warm and out of hard sun for four to six weeks, giving it a shake when you think of it. Strain it through cloth into a clean jar. Use dry plant only, since any moisture will spoil the oil.
How do you make a mullein poultice?
A poultice is one of the oldest ways mullein leaf was put to use. To make one, soften dried leaf in a little warm water, or bruise fresh leaf until it turns damp, then lay it against the skin and hold it in place with a clean strip of cloth for a half hour or so. This is a traditional preparation people have used for a long time. We sell the dried leaf for folks who want to make their own.
Can you smoke mullein?
Mullein is one of the oldest leaves used in herbal smoking blends, and it is the reason a lot of blends feel smooth. It carries no tobacco and no nicotine. On its own it is mild and a little sweet, and it burns slow and even, which is why blenders lean on it as a base and mix brighter herbs on top. We roll it into our prerolls and sell the dried leaf for people who make their own.
What part of the mullein plant do you use?
We use the leaf, mostly the big, soft lower leaves of the plant in its first year, before it sends up its tall flower stalk. Those leaves are the ones that dry down well for tea and for blends. The bright yellow flowers get used too, usually steeped into oil rather than brewed, though the leaf is what we harvest and sell. The root and the seed we leave in the ground.
How do you tell mullein apart from other plants?
Common mullein is easy to know once you have seen it. In its first year it sits low as a rosette of big, pale, felted leaves that feel like flannel. In its second year it throws up a tall stalk of yellow flowers. Before that stalk appears, beginners sometimes mix the young rosette up with foxglove, which is toxic, so if you forage your own, learn the difference first. Foxglove leaves are smoother and far less woolly than mullein's.
How do you harvest and dry mullein leaf?
We cut mullein leaf by hand from the stands around Opp, on a dry day once the dew has burned off, taking the lower leaves and leaving the plant to keep growing. We do not wash it. A wet leaf molds before it can dry, so we brush off any dirt and dry it as it is, spread on screens out of direct sun until it goes crisp and crumbles clean. Low and out of the light keeps the color in a green leaf.
How do you store dried mullein leaf?
Keep dried mullein leaf in a sealed jar or bag, out of heat and away from light. Stored that way it holds its color and its flavor for about a year, sometimes longer. A cabinet beats a windowsill every time, since sunlight fades the leaf and warmth dries out what little oil it holds. If it has gone pale and lost its scent, it is past its best and worth replacing.
Who should be careful with mullein?
Mullein has a long record of gentle use as a tea, but a few people should take care. Strain the tea well so the leaf hairs stay out of your cup, since they can irritate the throat. If you are pregnant, nursing, or taking prescription medicine, ask your doctor before you make mullein a regular thing. Start with a small, weak cup the first time so you learn how it sits with you.
What was mullein traditionally used for?
Mullein has a long history behind it. The Greeks and the Romans wrote about it, and the dried stalks were once dipped in tallow and burned as torches, which is where the old name candlewick plant comes from. In the Appalachian and Southern folk traditions it was kept as a leaf for the throat and the chest, brewed into a tea and passed down through families. We grew up around that same use here in Alabama.
Questions about using mullein? Email us at info@mayimfarm.com. We read every message ourselves.
Shop wildcrafted mullein leaf · Mullein extract · Mullein prerolls · More about mullein · Back to the Learning Center
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. We make no medical claims. Consult your healthcare provider before use, especially if pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.