Mullein
Verbascum thapsus | Coinnle muire
Mullein is easily grown from seed. It forms a pretty but modest rosette of woolly leaves that don’t really let on about what is coming in the second year, when it shoots up to be a giant of the garden, covered in beautiful little yellow leaves.
Planting / Foraging
It does grow in the wild but is quite hard to come across. So, for medicinal uses, it is as easy to grow it at home. It was widely grown in Irish gardens for use as a cure- all for coughs, colds and bronchitis, and was widely considered to be the cure for consumption (tuberculosis).
Uses
In modern herbalism, mullein is known as a herb to help with the respiratory system, particularly where dryness is a factor. For centuries, across most European countries, it has been prescribed as a cough remedy, especially good for deep, tickly coughs. The herb reduces inflammation while stimulating fluid production, thus facilitating expectoration.
Traditionally, it has also been used for asthma and tuberculosis, and the leaves used to be smoked to relieve lung congestion. The leaves were dried and rolled and smoked like tobacco.