Mullein (Verbascum thapsus ) grows wild around here. It pops up with its velvety leaves and grows as wide as a truck tire. The second year it will send forth a tall spike topped with tiny yellow flowers.

Our Native American ancestors used mullein in many different ways.

The stalks were harvested to use as spindles for friction fire making, as kindling and they wrapped with the dried leaves, soaked them in fat and used as torches.

The little yellow flowers are harvested and infused into an oil and used for earaches, made into tinctures or used in herbal tea.

The thick velvety soft leaves were often used for smoking. It’s purported to ease a variety of ailments including sinus issues and other respiratory conditions.

Most people that use mullein use the dried leaves as fresh leaves are typically hard to find. You might even be lucky enough to find mullein growing nearby. To harvest mullein for smoking you need to pick a few leaves and hang them somewhere out of the weather to dry for a few days. The best way I’ve found to dry herbs is to put a few in a paper bag loosely, close the bag with a clothes pin and hang out of the weather until dry.

Once they are dry you can cut, tear or crumble the pieces. You can then use the mullein as it is or mix it with other smoking herbs.

Are you perhaps a little concerned about visiting the tobacco store to buy rolling papers? Worried what people might think?

Did you know that you can order rolling papers online?

RollingPapers.com offers a wide variety of papers, from plain or flavored, even hemp ones. Their packages come with a discreet return address, even your mailman won’t know what you’ve ordered!

mullein