Mullein: Nature's Moleskin

[siguy]

(Warning: kindof a long story. The most relevant part is bolded)

Many of us are familiar with Mullein, which is also known as "lamb's ear", at least around my part of the world. The dried stalk of the plant is apparently frequently used in the hand-drill method of starting a fire. Apart from really sweet toilet paper, I didn't really know of any other practical use for this plant.

Last Sunday I went for a long run with a new friend of mine here in IA. We went down this trail that's right near campus that runs two towns over. It's a really nice trail, flat and mostly straight. I believe it used to be a railway, and was turned into a nature trail fairly recently. My friend was hungover, and I was just sort-of in the mood for a relatively short run, so we agreed to go about three miles out and three back.

The day was beautiful, so I quickly shed my layers down to my shorts (ditching my long sleeve fleece and my leggings in the bushes. This included my cellphone in the pocket). I typically wear cross country racing flats for running shoes, without socks. I have taken these shoes on plenty of long-runs before with no problems, but for some reason I was getting a little bit of chafing on the backs of my heels on this run.

Over the next several miles, the little chafing turned into painful blisters on the backs of both heels. It got so bad that for about the middle six miles, I took my shoes off and hid them in the bushes. On the way back, I picked them up again and carried them. As the trail became rockier and more skin wore off my feet, I could no longer do it. I happened to spot some mullein out of the corner of my eye, and decided to give it a shot. I took a midsize leaf for each foot, folded it up into a cushy little pad, and placed it where the chafing was. I tightly laced up my shoes to minimize movement, and had no problems for the last several miles. If I had athletic tape (which I normally do for planned long runs), I could have taped it in place too.

We were both feeling so good about the day and the run, we decided to keep going well after the three mile mark. We ended up doing a total distance of 15 miles.

Some major survival problems: I wasn't expecting a long run, so I didn't bring my pack which normally holds my cellphone, a liter of water, and athletic tape. This means that I was more deyhdrated than usual by the end of the run, I didn't have a way to call for help if anything happened, and I didn't have tape to take care of the hot spot when it started.

Stay prepared, be safe, enjoy the great fall colors!

 

[timogranzotti]

great for hand drills, as stated.

Medicinally Mullein (verbascum thapsus) is a potent medicinal, used for many thing. For throat issues, indigenous peoples' 'cigarettes,' in the west coast of California were usually a mix of herbs like mullein, wild coyote tobacco, and cleveland sage stuffed in a dry elderberry stalk and smoked as a throat and lung healer/. They would smoke such cigarettes infrequently, as for them it was a medicine, and beneficial. The modern cigarette is quite the contrary! Very potent stuff for colds.

Also good for digestive system, congestion, stomach cramps.
The flowers make a mild sedative, pain soother, and digestive tract soother.
Dried leaves mashed into a powder can also help in healing cuts.

Be careful, many of these herbs with multiple benefits are potent. Using it frequently, as toilet paper for example, can give you a rash!

Goes to show, respect the plant!

 

[Quirt]

Mullein is one of those unique plants that you can a lot with...it is one of my favorite plants because of it multiplicity of uses...namely;

The soft leaves make awesome toilet paper (one of my favorites in the wild and I've never had any rash issues) the pith in the center of the stock makes good char for char material (instead of char cloth), the native Americans used to dip the heads in suet and light them like a torch, and when ripe you can roast the heads and eat it like an ear of corn.

Althought I think it is too much work to do with Mullein, and I use Elderberry instead, but you can make a blower out of the stock once the pith is removed for coal burning or just to re-ignite a fire into flames.

You mentioned the other two common uses for sore feet and hand drills or drills for bows.

 

[DOC-CANADA]

Nice going, Simon. Survival is all about 'possibilities'.

Some additional Mullein information. Please forgive me, but rather than retyping, here is a copy of my hike notes:

_______________________________________

Verbascum thapsus

This is Mullein. It was brought to North America from Europe and was well established by the 1800's. (EJ239) Ancient cultures around the world considered Mullein a magical protector against witchcraft and evil spirits. (KV385) It's also a plant with many medicinal uses with, of course, an accompanying warning that the seeds are toxic and may cause poisoning. (KV387)

As far as utility applications go, this is a very useful plant. First stripped of its leaves, then dipped in suet, pitch, or resin and lighted, Mullein stalks served as the candles and torches of ancient kings and commoners alike. Until cotton came into common use, the down of the leaves served for tinder and lampwicks. (JW219)

An excellent pithy core, found in the stalk, was used as a charred tinder material. (KK36) The dried stalk was used as a hand drill for friction fire making. (TB7-147) The leaves could be used as a glove for picking Stinging Nettles (RM186), or as a potholder around the fire. (ASG9/00) Native Americans lined moccasins with the warm, wooly leaf (JM31), and probably a whole lot of campers, low on supplies, have turned to this, Nature's toilet paper.

Large amounts of the fresh, crushed leaves and seeds (which contain greater volumes of rotenone) were used as a fish stunner. (ASG9/00) This use as a fish stunner can be traced back more than 2000 years. (JW220)

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

·"Most rubefacients are quite irritating. It seems likely that it is the irritation of the tiny, woolen hairs of the Mullein leaf that causes the reddening." (SH230)

·Maybe only the 1st year leaves have rubefacient effect [see SH230].

·(Rubefacient - An agent that reddens the skin by producing active or passive increases of blood to the skin. (HM17))

-these dried plants were once used as torches in Europe, dipped in tallow, they burned long, each empty flowerhead holding the solidifying fat (BN-39)

-common name, Mullein, comes from the Latin mollis, meaning soft. (BN-39)

It was also called Quaker's Rouge because sometimes young Quaker women who were forbidden to use cosmetics, used to rub the Mullein leaves on their cheeks to redden them (due to the rubefacient effect)
____________________________________________________

This is a picture of a Mullein-wicked oil lamp. (The oil was some out-of-date Peanut oil I had in the cupboard )

Doc

 

[IA Woodsman]

Great plant and great post.

 

[kvaughn]

Good to hear from you,Si. Hope all is going well.Let us know how your new job is going. I bit the bullet and re-handled that old Collins double bit myself. Turned out ok but probably would have looked nicer with one of your home made handles.--KV

 

[KEmSAT-Survival]

Apart from really sweet toilet paper

...wait....you tasted it afterwords?

You sick little monkey.

Mullein is good for all kinds of stuff. Boils the leaves and stick your towel-covered head over the steam. Good for sinuses.

I suck with a hand drill though...really badly. I'm good with a bow drill, but I suck largely at hand drill method.

 

[Mistwalker]

Thanks for this thread. I already knew some great uses for Great Mullien...among a few other things a medicinal tea...never thought about the subject of the OP or the wick.

 

[mete]

It certainly has many names and Aaron's Rod is a common one. It also grows in poor soil rather than good soil.