Although Verbascum thapsus or the great mullein, native to Europe, northern Africa, and Asia was introduced to North America by the Europeans in the mid-1700s. It was first used in Virginia as a fish poison. It quickly spread throughout the eastern U.S. including Connecticut. Europeans used this plant to treat coughs and diarrhea. By 1818, flora of the East Coast described it as a native plant. and by 1839 it spread as far as Michigan and by 1876 it was well established on the Pacific Coast. Native American communities embraced this plant and found ways to use it medicinally.
Described as an erect herb, this plant is considered a weedy species that grows in dry soil in large groups. Today it is considered a problematic pest that threatens open meadows and forest openings. The plant has a deep taproot that is hard to pull up. This is a hairy biennial plant that can grow up to seven feet tall or more. It has small yellow flowers that are densely grouped on a tall club-shaped spike that grows from a large rosette of leaves. Individual flowers have five petals and five orange-tipped stamens and bloom in the second year of this plant's life in July and August. Taller stalks can bloom into October. The leaves, which feel like flannel or felt are densely covered with short hairs. They can grow up to 15 inches long and five inches across. The leaves become progressively smaller and erect as they ascend the stem. The fruit of this plant is an oval two-celled capsule that contains many seeds. Each capsule splits down the seam to release the seeds.
The mullein leaf and flowers were made into tea and drunk to treat respiratory problems. The Creek drank a decoction of the roots for coughs and the Catawba made a sweetened syrup from the boiled roots that they gave to their children for coughs. The Menominees smoked the pulverized, dry roots for respiratory complaints, and the Potawatomis, Mohegans, and Penobscots smoked the dried leaves to relieve asthma. The Cherokee rubbed mullein leaves in their armpits to treat prickly rash, they also made a decoction of the leaves mixed with honey or brown sugar to treat coughs. They would also wrap the leaves around the neck for mumps and would use scalded leaves to relieve swollen glands.
The Abnaki made a necklace of the roots that were worn by teething babies to help soothe them. The Atsugewi and Delaware took a decoction of the leaves for rheumatism and to treat colds. They also rubbed crushed leaves over their body to remove aches and pains in a sweat bath. The Delaware combined the leaves with coltsfoot, plum root, and glycerine and used this mixture as a syrup to treat coughs. The Hopi smoked the leaves with gromwell for fits of "craziness and witchcraft. The Iroquois smoked dried leaves for bad hiccoughs. They also made a decoction of roots and leaves and took it to relieve diarrhea. The Iroquois made a poultice of leaves and applied them to swellings, and sores, they also used heated leaves to treat earaches.
Did You Know...
Great Mullein has gone by about 50 different common names, including Velvet Plant, Flannel Plant, Hare's Beard, Aaron's rod, Velvet Dock Flannel Leaf, and Candlewick.
It can produce 100,000 to 180,000 seeds per individual plant and the seeds may remain viable for 100 years.
Mullein is unpalatable to cattle and sheep because of the dense cover of trichomes on the leaves, goats, however, feast on it.
A yellow dye can be extracted from the flowers. This dye has been in use since Roman times as a hair rinse as well as to dye cloth.
The name mullein comes from the Latin word mollis, meaning soft, referring to the plant's felt-like leaves.
Mullein stems were dipped in tallow to make torches.
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