After “a dark and stormy night” traveling last week, I woke with sinuses and lungs become mucus-generating machines. Thanks goodness I’d stockpiled a Costco-case of Kleenex. I’ve never had such tsunamis of, well, expectorant flooding from nose and throat. Goodness!

Meanwhile, swaddled in flannel and bundled beneath quilts, I searched Donna Cunningham’s Flower Remedies Handbook for a flower a short story character might plant. Mullein seemed a good choice because it’s for January birthdays and is believed to repel evil spirits. I read that “… monasteries grew it to keep negativity away and stuffed it in pillows to guard against nightmares.”

To make sure mullein looked like a flower this character would plant, I learned that–while way too tall–mullein contains “flavonoids and saponins with proven anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antihypertensive properties.” Very Well Health  also reports that mullein has traditionally been used for ear aches, healing burns and wounds and diarrhea as well as lung and respiratory problems like coughs and colds, asthma, hoarseness and bronchitis.

In “How Mullein Benefits Your Lungs,” the Cleveland Clinic writes that the plant [a member of the snap dragon family],

• Loosens mucus
• Calms inflammation
• Protects cells, and
• Fights germs.
• Read more

Further, mullein blooms in almost any soil. It’s flowers attract bees and butterflies. Here’s “How to Grow and Care for Mullein.”

More Information

While researching lung health and mullein, these videos were found:

• Understanding the Lungs and How to Clear the Lungs – 05:39,   — Great. In showing how the lungs work and how to keep them healthy. This video is definitely worth a look.
• Easy to Make & Healthy Mullein Tea – 07:22
• Grow Your Own Toilet Paper [a/k/a Mullein] – 08:58,

What an amazing world.