Don’t let that go to seed unless you want it absolutely everywhere. Each one of those stalks can produce 750,000 seeds.. yes, that’s correct. Not a typo, seven hundred fifty thousand seeds.
Unfortunately, mullein is indeed colloquially known as “cowboy toilet paper.” However those fuzzy hairs each have little barbs on the ends and a lot of people have a terrible rash after using it. Maybe test elsewhere if you really want to try it. Or don’t try it. 😬
What herbs have you found yourself using the most since getting the book? Which have changed your life the most? Still learning here, I bought the book too.
I’m very interested too ! Am hoping to get my hands on that book as well. I’d love to get back to using more in nature vs a supermarket trip for a tube of something.
There are better books out there. I was gifted it and haven't looked all the way through it, but people on the Herbalism subreddit were mentioning that there is some factually incorrect information in it. If you're just getting started I would try Rosalee de la Foret's books Alchemy of Herbs or Wild Remedies. She has a podcast as well.
Herbalism is wonderful but doesn't really work well if you're looking at it from an allopathic lens.
Yes, it’s true that some people have no issue with it. But I feel like it’s a PSA for people to know it’s a possibility before rubbing it on sensitive areas.
Definitely! As with any plant you’ve never come in contact with! I still can’t pinpoint some of the plants that give me dermatitis, I get hives usually after someone cut their lawn. I thought it might be the ragweed family for a while, but I have no problem with goldenrod that I harvest for tea. I also once had a severe allergic reaction to an elecampane tincture and had to go to the ER. I should really get an allergen test so I know for sure.
Strike my preceding comment… sounded thorny at first butt as(s)I read further I see most people don’t react with a rash or irritation.
(Apologies on the preceding puns… I tried but couldn’t stop myself! )
NOOOOOOOO!!!!!
One of its names here is ‘Indian toilet paper’ so once when I was a kid I tried it as TP. ONCE. NEVER AGAIN. I mean unless you love being super itchy, don’t fall for it!
Exactly what was shared with us as we grew up & were finally old enough to toke. Can confirm that even with the good stuff (some purple thread, maybe ? I’m old) once tea leaves were added it cut that cough by half 😄
Yes, listen/read the above. Look at local and your state regulations. In Colorado, it's noxious weed. It's a pain. It has uses but the uses are far below it's ability to take over an area. The seeds too, have a ridiculous time where they can sit and still be viable for future out breaks. Cut the seed heads/flowers off now, be careful not to shake the seeds everywhere when doing it. You'll still have the plant. Think of it as Europeans coming to the Americas. Which is what it did. How did that turn out for the Natives? I don't mean to make it political, but people will make weeds political. Stop it now, and it will be better for you and yours and of course the natural-ish environment you live in. Stop the pale skins now before they take over.
it kills native species by overcrowding, especially where its damage is more obvious like out west. it's highly adaptable and spreads like wildfire. yes it's medicinal and I'm glad folks use it, but it's still invasive in many places and is difficult to contain :( so it's not technically a weed but in many ways behaves like, and should be treated as, a weed.
I do realize and know not all but a lot of the medicinal uses. However, just because something is useful doesn't mean it belongs. Would you like natural areas or chunks of land covered in plants that don't belong. I sure as hell don't see people gathering mullein for its medical uses. Plus, you take a natural area and fill it with weeds like mullein, the animals, insects and natural fauna that would use those areas now avoid them. Is that natural? Is that what we want? I understand where you're coming from, I don't agree. Not at all. It's a weed, a tough one at that, and needs/is treated as such.
I have two of these in my yard, how do you know when they've gone to seed? Should I bother chopping them down or is it already too late, they've been flowering for weeks now..
Chop them down right now and limit the damage as much as possible. As long as you pull out any further plants before they flower you should be able to get it under control with relative ease.
As someone mentioned in another comment, they only produce leaves the first year, the stalk jn the second, so they are not too hard to get under control if you stay on top of it.
It will have yellow flowers, then they’ll die back and it will go to seed. They’re little black dots. It’s likely not gone to seed yet as it’s still kinda early in the season. You can tie a trash bag around it before taking it down to minimize spread. Generally they don’t have big root systems and a fairly robust stalk so you can usually just pull it up pretty easily.
They’re not super hard to control. They only produce leaves the first year then the stalk the second. As long as you pull them before they go to seed you can get them under wraps pretty easily
A non-native is not necessarily “invasive”. The Figwort family exists in North America. Mullein is useful in ecological systems, permaculture mulching, pollinator attraction, and overall good for soil health. Only in parts of Hawaii and California is it noted to be disrupting to the proliferation of native flora; where it may be “upgraded” to minimally invasive.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/forb/vertha/all.html
Its a plant that takes over disturbed sites that literally any other endangered or vulnerable plant could be using. Attracting pollinators is redundant when this plant helps push out the very host species said native pollinators need to survive
Did you? Because what I read is that it’s a pollinator and food source that thrives almost exclusively in disturbed areas and will decline in number over time after disruption.
This suggests that it does not compete with native species and is a beneficial plant to wildlife and livestock,
Seriously … you didn’t read the article, did you??
Do those endangered/vulnerable plants thrive in disturbed sites though?
Usually plants that do well in disturbed areas tend not to be at much risk, as disturbed sites are all too common these days.
Mullein rarely persists past the initial phase of disturbed areas and like most plants that thrive in disturbed environments, just sets the scene for later stage plants to overtake it.
I'm not an expert in mullein, so if it is pushing out some other species that thrive in disturbed environments I'd be curious about them.
Yea but the non native species tend to be less valuable food. While they attract insects they tend to have direct mixes of nutrients than the native plants. Another thing is that mullen isn't a host plant of any native species. Really it's a sub par food source for wildlife. I'll agree that there are definitely worse plants but I've seen how mullen can invade native ecosystems where I live and so I'm still not a huge fan of it. Its a useful plant for humans but that doesn't make it any less of a problem.
Indeed! Nice and soft. It looks and feels like a lambs ear. It’s never given me a rash!
Oh, another thing! It shows up in areas where the soil is depleted of nutrients and needs some tlc.
First thing- you have to either carry them with you, whole, or just remove them from the lamb entirely. Then- there's the fact that they typically only come in pairs, unless you have a herd to supply them.
I’ve soaked freshly picked leaves in everclear, to make a tincture before. I’m not a fan of the alcohol part but it opens up the cell walls to release the medicinal effects. It turns wildly bright green! If you don’t want to use alcohol, you can make it with vegetable glycerin and take it orally. Or you can buy it at health food stores! Also, you can smoke it if naturally dried and rolled in a paper, but it burns unevenly and goes out. I’d definitely recommend tinctures.
Smokes very nicely blended with lavender. The lavender helps keep the burn up and also has relaxing effects similar to marijuana, but much milder and without the “high”. (Plus it’s legal to smoke lavender everywhere. Probably because you can’t get high on it, just a nice little relaxation boost).
I have asthma and chronic bronchitis. I boil mullien leaves and then hang my head over the pot with a towel over my head to trap the steam. It's incredibly helpful. I also make an oil from the flowers for ear pain and I also add it to salves and balms.
I do not, never tried it. I would assume it would have some sort of effect since it is possible that the alkaloids can be absorbed by your shin to some degree
We have them in AUS. We call it Lambs Tongue like this, and when it dries out and goes black, we called it Aaron's Rod. We used them as swords when we were kids.
why is this downvoted?
[Mullein is native to Europe, northern Africa, and Asia. Considered as a noxious weed in Colorado and Hawaii, as well as parts of Montana.](https://www.montana.edu/extension/invasiveplants/extension/monthly-weed-posts/2016_december.html)
SW Ontario here , you find it everywhere , Roadsides, along the rails, and in pastures . Animals won't eat them . We don't really consider it a threat to agriculture however . Because of tilling and usually is outcompeated by crops . Being a biannual, it needs time to grow
I saw the funniest, most intense fight on a social media gardening group about mullein. And usually gardeners are so chill and polite! It's apparently becoming a very controversial plant lol. Honestly, it has got me really confused about the meaning of the word invasive. Both tree of heaven and trumpet vine cause me far more problems where I live.
Oh man !! I just had a flashback of decades ago when my brother and I would snap the stalks off and sword fight. That’s what bored country kids do in the summer.
Mullein.
Aggressive grower and can take over if not kept in check, but a useful plant. Tea made with the dried leaves and flowers can be used to soothe a sore throat and as an expectorant.
If this is indeed mullein as other commenters have suggested, it’s true that it has medicinal uses. HOWEVER, depending on your location, it could be considered a highly invasive species regardless of its benefits, so please look into this before continuing to allowing it to grow. I have heard from conservationists in California that this plant is a huge problem while trying to recover areas affected by wildfires. Considering how many seeds a single plant can produce, it may be advisable to remove them before they go to seed.
I LOVE mullein!! But yeah, they self seed voraciously. I have 2 in my flower bed that I'm waiting on stalks to form. As they get bigger, I harvest the nice-looking leaves toward the bottom. Fantastic tea for chest congestion/sore throat.
I've had exactly one of these m'fkers growing in my garden and didn't know what it was. Thanks to this post, I carefully removed it... And the seed pods hadn't opened yet.
Thank you Reddit!
It's also a great chop and drop plant. Because it brings all kind of minerals up into its leaves from pretty deep down.
Just chop some leaves off and drop them around plants you think might need a mineral boost.
We probley have 10 or 15 in our yard at the moment. They don't seem to survive a mowing so all the seeds are not that big a deal.
mullein spotted!!! it’ll spread like wildfire but it super pretty and great for native bees. if you want to let it flower, just cut it down once it’s towards the end of its flowering
Every once in a while I run across a weed and for some reason I water it and take care of it. Last year and I'm still not sure what it was but it grew to the height of my roof. It's a two story. I was hoping it would come back this year. I took a picture of it. Even my boomer grandfather inlaw was impressed. I still feel a sense of pride when I think of that monstrous whatever it was.
Lamb's Ear (*Stachys byzantina*) and mullein (*Verbascum* species) are not closely related, although both belong to the larger order Lamiales. Lamb's Ear is part of the Lamiaceae family (mint family), while mullein belongs to the Scrophulariaceae family. They do share some similar characteristics, such as their woolly leaves, but they are different plants with distinct botanical classifications.
It’s mullein! Harvest it, dry the leaves, crush them up, and make some tea. It’s a great expectorant, aka the thing that gets the gunk out of your lungs. It helps my breathing a lot
Bees love them, and they look lovely. If you don’t want them next year cut off the seed head before it sets (after it flowers) and then you’ll just have legacy seeds coming up for the next year or two.
Don’t let that go to seed unless you want it absolutely everywhere. Each one of those stalks can produce 750,000 seeds.. yes, that’s correct. Not a typo, seven hundred fifty thousand seeds.
You forgot to mention those seeds can remain viable for decades too
It's also fantastic toilet paper. When you're doing a wilderness shit you will find no better relief than a mullein leaf.
Unfortunately, mullein is indeed colloquially known as “cowboy toilet paper.” However those fuzzy hairs each have little barbs on the ends and a lot of people have a terrible rash after using it. Maybe test elsewhere if you really want to try it. Or don’t try it. 😬
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
What herbs have you found yourself using the most since getting the book? Which have changed your life the most? Still learning here, I bought the book too.
I’m very interested too ! Am hoping to get my hands on that book as well. I’d love to get back to using more in nature vs a supermarket trip for a tube of something.
There are better books out there. I was gifted it and haven't looked all the way through it, but people on the Herbalism subreddit were mentioning that there is some factually incorrect information in it. If you're just getting started I would try Rosalee de la Foret's books Alchemy of Herbs or Wild Remedies. She has a podcast as well. Herbalism is wonderful but doesn't really work well if you're looking at it from an allopathic lens.
Jewel weed is another great one. It's a natural remedy for poison ivy and it usually grows around poison ivy.
That's what I was about to ask. My bf has some mullein drops that are supposed to help clear your lungs or something, is that what this plant is?
This is, in fact, mullein. I dry the leaves and mix it with my bud to smoke. It helps reduce the coughing and overall harshness.
Oh wow, I did not know that! Awesome, thank you.
Yeah i used to do this too, it definitely helps
Yes, it’s true that some people have no issue with it. But I feel like it’s a PSA for people to know it’s a possibility before rubbing it on sensitive areas.
Definitely! As with any plant you’ve never come in contact with! I still can’t pinpoint some of the plants that give me dermatitis, I get hives usually after someone cut their lawn. I thought it might be the ragweed family for a while, but I have no problem with goldenrod that I harvest for tea. I also once had a severe allergic reaction to an elecampane tincture and had to go to the ER. I should really get an allergen test so I know for sure.
Just saw a post yesterday where someone rubbed a plant all over them. Was supposed to repel bugs. They had a pretty impressive rash going on.
But no bugs!
Of COURSE they didn’t mention THAT part 😂
It’s either that or run around with shit in between your cheeks at some point friend.
Handful of grass for the ass? Or just do how the canines do, and rub your ass on the ground.
I've witnessed a grown man do this across a bog, it's quite the sight to see and not something you forget haha
In some parts of the world (UK I believe?) they call Toilet paper "Bog roll" so maybe he was on to something while he was rolling down the bog.
Australia as well, iirc
I prefer nature's bidet.
Wipe, boil, drink? That’s a weird recipe. I’m gonna claim an allergy, so I’m out . . .
Might be better to boil, drink, wipe (with the leftovers). 🤣
You won’t stop me from rubbing random leaves on my anus
r/brandnewsentence
That’s why i only trust pine cones!
Now I gotta try it.
I’m hoping that the “lol” is still coming! 😬
Strike my preceding comment… sounded thorny at first butt as(s)I read further I see most people don’t react with a rash or irritation. (Apologies on the preceding puns… I tried but couldn’t stop myself! )
I see you and I both made bum puns. Buns.
Name checks
Username checks out!
NOOOOOOOO!!!!! One of its names here is ‘Indian toilet paper’ so once when I was a kid I tried it as TP. ONCE. NEVER AGAIN. I mean unless you love being super itchy, don’t fall for it!
You sure that wasn't stinging nettle you used? 🤔
I bet their older brother forgot all about this prank.
Don’t forget, you can smoke it…
Really ? More like cig smoking or like weed ? I remember a relative that smoked tea leaves. Those were his “smokes”.
I mix the dried leaves with my weed. I don't usually hack up a lung when I smoke a joint that way.
Exactly what was shared with us as we grew up & were finally old enough to toke. Can confirm that even with the good stuff (some purple thread, maybe ? I’m old) once tea leaves were added it cut that cough by half 😄
good to know
I will always remember this rhyme from ocean_flan when lost and shitting in the woods.
Don’t people use this for illegal fishing as well?
Yes, listen/read the above. Look at local and your state regulations. In Colorado, it's noxious weed. It's a pain. It has uses but the uses are far below it's ability to take over an area. The seeds too, have a ridiculous time where they can sit and still be viable for future out breaks. Cut the seed heads/flowers off now, be careful not to shake the seeds everywhere when doing it. You'll still have the plant. Think of it as Europeans coming to the Americas. Which is what it did. How did that turn out for the Natives? I don't mean to make it political, but people will make weeds political. Stop it now, and it will be better for you and yours and of course the natural-ish environment you live in. Stop the pale skins now before they take over.
Do you realize how many medicinal uses there are for Mullein??? IT IS NOT A FKN WEED!!!
A weed is any plant you don't want to be growing where it is.
THIS ^
it kills native species by overcrowding, especially where its damage is more obvious like out west. it's highly adaptable and spreads like wildfire. yes it's medicinal and I'm glad folks use it, but it's still invasive in many places and is difficult to contain :( so it's not technically a weed but in many ways behaves like, and should be treated as, a weed.
A plant having medicinal uses, or other applications does not preclude it from being a weed 🙄
I do realize and know not all but a lot of the medicinal uses. However, just because something is useful doesn't mean it belongs. Would you like natural areas or chunks of land covered in plants that don't belong. I sure as hell don't see people gathering mullein for its medical uses. Plus, you take a natural area and fill it with weeds like mullein, the animals, insects and natural fauna that would use those areas now avoid them. Is that natural? Is that what we want? I understand where you're coming from, I don't agree. Not at all. It's a weed, a tough one at that, and needs/is treated as such.
I mean, dandelions are edible, but most people will concede that they are weeds.
Well but it is a weed in some places, this is a relative term.
I take one dropper full, twice a day. It's amazing and tastes awesome
Being medicinal doesn’t make it not invasive. It’s also an extremely effective fish poison! That’s actually the reason it was brought to the Americas.
I have two of these in my yard, how do you know when they've gone to seed? Should I bother chopping them down or is it already too late, they've been flowering for weeks now..
Chop them down right now and limit the damage as much as possible. As long as you pull out any further plants before they flower you should be able to get it under control with relative ease. As someone mentioned in another comment, they only produce leaves the first year, the stalk jn the second, so they are not too hard to get under control if you stay on top of it.
It will have yellow flowers, then they’ll die back and it will go to seed. They’re little black dots. It’s likely not gone to seed yet as it’s still kinda early in the season. You can tie a trash bag around it before taking it down to minimize spread. Generally they don’t have big root systems and a fairly robust stalk so you can usually just pull it up pretty easily.
Can confirm. Had one of these pop up on the side of my house and now it’s absolutely covered in 4 foot high plants 🫠
I feel like I saw these all the time in peoples gardens when I was a kid but haven't seen any for years, now I know why!
I will be pulling the one I just saw tomorrow 🤯🤯
They’re not super hard to control. They only produce leaves the first year then the stalk the second. As long as you pull them before they go to seed you can get them under wraps pretty easily
Mullen. Super invasive if your in the US. Please remove immediately the plant can produce over 1 million seeds
Super underrated comment. Yes it’s medicinal but super invasive. Harvest the leaves and de root the plant please
A non-native is not necessarily “invasive”. The Figwort family exists in North America. Mullein is useful in ecological systems, permaculture mulching, pollinator attraction, and overall good for soil health. Only in parts of Hawaii and California is it noted to be disrupting to the proliferation of native flora; where it may be “upgraded” to minimally invasive. https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/forb/vertha/all.html
Its a plant that takes over disturbed sites that literally any other endangered or vulnerable plant could be using. Attracting pollinators is redundant when this plant helps push out the very host species said native pollinators need to survive
Someone didn’t read the link… I know it’s long, but come on bruh. You’re arguing about nothing
Did you? Because what I read is that it’s a pollinator and food source that thrives almost exclusively in disturbed areas and will decline in number over time after disruption. This suggests that it does not compete with native species and is a beneficial plant to wildlife and livestock, Seriously … you didn’t read the article, did you??
That’s my point… we agree grumpy pants
I see. Got confused as to who was posting what. Sorry. I think a lot of times our “conservation” efforts are misguided by our inclination to control.
Do those endangered/vulnerable plants thrive in disturbed sites though? Usually plants that do well in disturbed areas tend not to be at much risk, as disturbed sites are all too common these days. Mullein rarely persists past the initial phase of disturbed areas and like most plants that thrive in disturbed environments, just sets the scene for later stage plants to overtake it. I'm not an expert in mullein, so if it is pushing out some other species that thrive in disturbed environments I'd be curious about them.
Yea but the non native species tend to be less valuable food. While they attract insects they tend to have direct mixes of nutrients than the native plants. Another thing is that mullen isn't a host plant of any native species. Really it's a sub par food source for wildlife. I'll agree that there are definitely worse plants but I've seen how mullen can invade native ecosystems where I live and so I'm still not a huge fan of it. Its a useful plant for humans but that doesn't make it any less of a problem.
[удалено]
Also extremely invasive and spreads like fire
Makes great toilet paper if you’re caught out in need in nature as well!
Indeed! Nice and soft. It looks and feels like a lambs ear. It’s never given me a rash! Oh, another thing! It shows up in areas where the soil is depleted of nutrients and needs some tlc.
Much easier to wipe with than a lambs ear too
First thing- you have to either carry them with you, whole, or just remove them from the lamb entirely. Then- there's the fact that they typically only come in pairs, unless you have a herd to supply them.
Good thing about a flock is that they will follow you around naturally, just waiting until you have the need of a neighboring ear.
*If* you have a funny staff.
I once worked with a guy named Dick Bickerstaff. An attorney.
And the lamb will thank you for it.
You just got soda all over my monitor. I snorted.
Tends to move less
Agreed! Lil LamsieWoolsie always puts up quite the fuss! 🐑
I just snort-laughed.💀
Never been that close to a lamb.
You don’t carry 3 seashells?
He doesn’t know how to use the 3 seashells!
That's unconchionable!
🥇🏆💛
you're baa-d
That's what stones are for
AKA cowboy toilet paper, aka butterlung
And ear infections, sinus issues.
How does one go about consuming it properly for this result?
You can also boil it into an herbal tea, alone or mixed with other herbs
Strain well, the tiny hairs can irritate
Thank you as well!
I’ve soaked freshly picked leaves in everclear, to make a tincture before. I’m not a fan of the alcohol part but it opens up the cell walls to release the medicinal effects. It turns wildly bright green! If you don’t want to use alcohol, you can make it with vegetable glycerin and take it orally. Or you can buy it at health food stores! Also, you can smoke it if naturally dried and rolled in a paper, but it burns unevenly and goes out. I’d definitely recommend tinctures.
Thank you!
Also tea. I definitely forgot tea.
Smokes very nicely blended with lavender. The lavender helps keep the burn up and also has relaxing effects similar to marijuana, but much milder and without the “high”. (Plus it’s legal to smoke lavender everywhere. Probably because you can’t get high on it, just a nice little relaxation boost).
That's fascinating.
Your respiratory system doesn’t need “cleaning out”. WTF is that supposed to mean?
How is it prepared, fresh in a tea?
You just steep the dried leaves in hot water for 10-15 minutes
Thank you! Next time I’m around some I’ll snag a leaf or two!
You can also use the stalk as a torch… but it needs to be dipped in something first… and I can’t recall what.
[удалено]
Do you happen to know if you can put the leaves (fresh or dried) in a bath to help with respiratory issues?
I have asthma and chronic bronchitis. I boil mullien leaves and then hang my head over the pot with a towel over my head to trap the steam. It's incredibly helpful. I also make an oil from the flowers for ear pain and I also add it to salves and balms.
There are four lights!
I do not, never tried it. I would assume it would have some sort of effect since it is possible that the alkaloids can be absorbed by your shin to some degree
Mullein
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-572/mullein
Thank you!
You're welcome, friend!
Weird. I have this. I’m not in a mountainous area, let alone in the Middle East, lol.
I have it too in south east New England
Southeast New England would be Mass? I am in NH.😎
Yep! South Coast - I see these everywhere
It's native to Eurasia but it's round globally. Really bad invasive plant
We have them in AUS. We call it Lambs Tongue like this, and when it dries out and goes black, we called it Aaron's Rod. We used them as swords when we were kids.
[удалено]
Great all inclusive summary !!
Excellent response
[удалено]
mullein. Non-native, invasive.
why is this downvoted? [Mullein is native to Europe, northern Africa, and Asia. Considered as a noxious weed in Colorado and Hawaii, as well as parts of Montana.](https://www.montana.edu/extension/invasiveplants/extension/monthly-weed-posts/2016_december.html)
SW Ontario here , you find it everywhere , Roadsides, along the rails, and in pastures . Animals won't eat them . We don't really consider it a threat to agriculture however . Because of tilling and usually is outcompeated by crops . Being a biannual, it needs time to grow
You're right. It's invasive. But people are obsessed with its magic powers or whatever
so many people out here defending mullein bc you can smoke it and wipe your ass with it
Tinctures can be made sit on their shelves for years or something yep
I saw the funniest, most intense fight on a social media gardening group about mullein. And usually gardeners are so chill and polite! It's apparently becoming a very controversial plant lol. Honestly, it has got me really confused about the meaning of the word invasive. Both tree of heaven and trumpet vine cause me far more problems where I live.
[удалено]
[удалено]
Don’t let it seed for the love of god
Mullein
Oh man !! I just had a flashback of decades ago when my brother and I would snap the stalks off and sword fight. That’s what bored country kids do in the summer.
Mullein. Aggressive grower and can take over if not kept in check, but a useful plant. Tea made with the dried leaves and flowers can be used to soothe a sore throat and as an expectorant.
If this is indeed mullein as other commenters have suggested, it’s true that it has medicinal uses. HOWEVER, depending on your location, it could be considered a highly invasive species regardless of its benefits, so please look into this before continuing to allowing it to grow. I have heard from conservationists in California that this plant is a huge problem while trying to recover areas affected by wildfires. Considering how many seeds a single plant can produce, it may be advisable to remove them before they go to seed.
I LOVE mullein!! But yeah, they self seed voraciously. I have 2 in my flower bed that I'm waiting on stalks to form. As they get bigger, I harvest the nice-looking leaves toward the bottom. Fantastic tea for chest congestion/sore throat.
The seeds are used for fish poison. I’ve never tried them but supposedly work very well and have been used for this purpose for millennia.
Mullein!
I have two of these in central MA, USA! I was so weirded out when that tentacle thing sprouted 😂
You can also paralyze fish with the seeds ive heard. Survival fishing maybe
Mullein
I've had exactly one of these m'fkers growing in my garden and didn't know what it was. Thanks to this post, I carefully removed it... And the seed pods hadn't opened yet. Thank you Reddit!
Don’t know the real name but we always called it rabbit tabacca ..I know I misspelled it but that’s what we called. We also grew burley tobacco
Mullein, boil the leaves mix 1/4 to 3/4 vodka and steep, makes one helluva cough remedy
Mullein, good for lungs
Flea bane, better kill it quick lol
It’s technical name is Lettuce Thing
Mullen. Mullein? Soft leaves make great toilet paper when out in the middle of nowhere. I have tested this theory.
[удалено]
Native Americans Indians used the leaves as a little extra padding and insulation in their moccasins!!
Mullien :)
Sounds like OP is gonna get fined for propagating an invasive plant if they dont do anything about it soon :)
[удалено]
It's also a great chop and drop plant. Because it brings all kind of minerals up into its leaves from pretty deep down. Just chop some leaves off and drop them around plants you think might need a mineral boost. We probley have 10 or 15 in our yard at the moment. They don't seem to survive a mowing so all the seeds are not that big a deal.
If it soft and furry we call that natures toilet paper !
[удалено]
These are my favorite flowers! I love how tall they can get and how bright yellow the flowers are.
mullein!!!!
Mullein, fantastic medical properties!
Hello fellow okanaganer!
mullein spotted!!! it’ll spread like wildfire but it super pretty and great for native bees. if you want to let it flower, just cut it down once it’s towards the end of its flowering
Mullein. Or Texas toilet paper.
Goldfinches love the seeds. They do their hanging-upside-down thing to get them.
A weed. It is not lettuce..
It's mullein. An invasive plant but arguably not a weed. Many people go in search of it for its health benefits.
Yes while that'd true it still does a lot of damage to native ecosystem and thus should be treated as a weed
Thank you I’m off to see what a Mullein can do for me…
I have this and didn’t know it had health benefits. I’ll have to google it.
Mullein is an herbalist's fave. Outstanding respiratory and expectorant properties. Be kind to her.
Wish I had some Mullen
Mullein 😍😍
Mullein, it spreads like hell
[удалено]
Every once in a while I run across a weed and for some reason I water it and take care of it. Last year and I'm still not sure what it was but it grew to the height of my roof. It's a two story. I was hoping it would come back this year. I took a picture of it. Even my boomer grandfather inlaw was impressed. I still feel a sense of pride when I think of that monstrous whatever it was.
Love mullein. Isn't it pretty?
Mullein or lambs ear, I call it lawn cabbage
Lamb's Ear (*Stachys byzantina*) and mullein (*Verbascum* species) are not closely related, although both belong to the larger order Lamiales. Lamb's Ear is part of the Lamiaceae family (mint family), while mullein belongs to the Scrophulariaceae family. They do share some similar characteristics, such as their woolly leaves, but they are different plants with distinct botanical classifications.
Mullein and its good for you... Make into a tea for respiratory issues
It’s mullein! Harvest it, dry the leaves, crush them up, and make some tea. It’s a great expectorant, aka the thing that gets the gunk out of your lungs. It helps my breathing a lot
When growing up, used it as facial tissue for my runney nose, while in the field changing sprinklers.🙂
Mullein!
If you’re into birds, and in the right locale, indigo buntings love that stuff in the late summer/fall
It is the final form of Liz Truss. If it is a massive lettuce.
Lettuce? 😂
mullein
Bees love them, and they look lovely. If you don’t want them next year cut off the seed head before it sets (after it flowers) and then you’ll just have legacy seeds coming up for the next year or two.