The Great Mullein |
MULLEIN (Great)
VERBASCUM THAPSUS The seed bruised and boiled in wine and laid on any member that has been out of joint, and newly set again, takes away all swelling and pain. The Great Mullein, more usually known as Aaron's Rod, has large woolly white leaves on a stalk rising four or five feet (1.2 or 1.5 m) high and yellow flowers in a long spike. Where to find it. Sunny banks and waste places, waysides and lanes. Flowering time: Midsummer. Astrology: Under the dominion of Saturn. Medicinal virtues: A small quantity of the root is commanded against laxes and fluxes of the body. The decoction is profitable for cramps, convulsions and chronic coughs, and used as a gargle it eases toothache. The oil made by infusing the flowers is good for the piles. A decoction of the leaves together with Sage, Marjoram and Chamomile flowers is used to bathe in for colds, stiff sinews and cramps. Three fluid ounces (85 ml) of the distilled water of the flowers drank morning and evening is a remedy for the gout. The juice expressed from the leaves or flowers or the powder of the dried roots applied to warts will take them away. The dried flowers powdered are taken for bowel complaints or colicky pains. To dissolve swellings, tumours and inflammations of the throat, take the decoction of the root and leaves. Modern uses: The leaves and flowers are used. A tea, made by using one teaspoonful of powdered leaves to a cup of boiling water, is excellent for most lung complaints, including asthma, bronchitis and croup. A tea made from the powdered flowers is pain-relieving and sedative. The infused oil, which is a good application for piles, is made by pouring olive oil onto fresh Mullein flowers in a jar and allowing them to macerate in a warm place, preferably in the sun for three weeks. The more flowers that are used the stronger the oil will be. The oil is strained before use. It is anti-inflammatory and has been used successfully for ear troubles, two or three drops being introduced into the ear two or three times a day. |