We harvested and tinctured fresh mullein (Verbascum) root after reading Stephen Buhner’s paper about treating long-haul Covid symptoms that impact the bladder, and mullein root tincture’s role in treating them. Stephen made a request that those of us who could do so make some of this tincture, which is more difficult to find in the marketplace. So here it is. Buhner recommends “10-30 drops to 6x daily. Will help restore bladder tone over time. Best, in this instance, if used with an endothelial normalizer and protectant such as Salvia miltiorrhiza or Polygonum cuspidatum [japanese knotweed (available in our store)] tincture daily.” (See full paper linked below).

Then we encountered other herbalists who spoke about its use in treating lymphatic swelling, spinal injuries and pain, bone healing/alignment, and connective tissue pain. We welcome this plant into our cabinet, and invite you to help us discover its healing properties.

From Jim McDonald at Herbcraft.org:

“Mullein root on its own, though, is also markedly effective. Prepared either as an infusion or taken in small doses as a tincture, it has been a lifesaver for me when working a bit too gung-ho has me wake up the next morning with my back "kinked" and not quite able to straighten up. I usually take about 7 drops of tincture, stretch out a bit, and I can feel myself shift back to alignment. It won't always work in one magical dose (though sometimes does), so take more as needed. While the occasions when this has dramatically reduced discomfort are too numerous to recount, it doesn't always work... does anything? But most of the time I feel that mullein is a key part in any blend for structural alignment I create, and I've seen otherwise identical blends be significantly less effective if mullein root is omitted.

Over the years as I've been using and praising it, countless others have found it useful as well. In one past visit to Michigan, Matthew Wood and I were talking about this little known use of mullein, and comparing and contrasting his use of the leaves with my use of the root. One of the participants, who, though completely new to herbalism and perhaps a bit overwhelmed by the onslaught of information, went the following week to get some mullein (leaves; the root is quite hard to find, commercially) and sent me an email another week later, saying, "I've suffered with a herniated disc (the one between the lumbar vertebrae and sacrum) since my son was 15 months old. I ended up being on bed rest on a cortisone "blast" for a week at that time. The disc is really thin and the area has been fragile since then. So, my back got really whacked out a couple of weeks ago and I didn't want to go the Motrin route. I purchased some mullein tincture at my local health food haunt and by the time I was half way to Commerce (from Ferndale) to pick my son up my back was feeling so much better... The mullein has been a life saver." This is just one story of so many that have been shared with me over perhaps two decades (and incidentally, this person is a fine herbalist now) . Mullein root is one of the things I get the most email about, from people whose injuries it turned around.”

Stephen Buhner’s paper on treating long-haul Covid symptoms.