Botanical Name: Verbascum thapsus  Origin: Chile

Mullein is a biennial herbaceous member of the Scrophulariaceae family, bearing silvery green and extremely fuzzy leaves, and growing up to eight feet in height.

It is native to northern Africa, the Canary and Madeira Islands, many regions in Asia and Europe, and now widely naturalized throughout the world.

In the first year it appears as a basal rosette of leaves, and in the second year, it sends up huge flower spikes with many bright densely clustered yellow flowers which only open for one day. Its generic name, Verbascum, is thought to be derived from the Latin word 'barbascum' with 'barb' meaning beard and referring to the hairy leaves. It has over 200 hundred species including V.nigrum and V. blattaria, many of which can be used interchangeably.

Mullein herb can be macerated into mullein extract, brewed as mullein leaf tea, or encapsulated. Traditionally, it has been long used in herbal medicine, especially in remedies that aim in soothing the respiratory system and sometimes used as a flavoring agent in alcoholic beverages.