Mullein common. Application, recipes and medicinal properties

Mullein - the grass is useful and curative, and looks beautiful. This plant, thanks to bright flowers, can become an ornament of a flower bed. The genus Mullein (Verbascum) belongs to the numerous family Scorfulariaceae, which is known for its medicinal properties. This genus contains about 280 species that are distributed throughout Eurasia, but the greatest variety is found in the Mediterranean. Of all the species the most common and popular Mullein is common.

Description

Mullein is a grass that spreads easily throughout the county due to the huge number of seeds carried by the wind. The plant is familiar to everyone, probably. Mullein can be annual, biennial or perennial.
Leaves are simple, collected in a rosette outlet. Bunches, depending on the variety, are placed more or less densely on the spicate inflorescence. Flowers in the mullein are five-pointed corolla, they are often painted yellow, but again, depending on the variety, they can be white and even red. A lot of seeds are ripening in the boxes. In the wild, they are sown by themselves, forming whole clearings of the mullein.

Mullein common

The most common is the common mullein. He is still called a bear's ear. And this is only the beginning of a long list of different names of the same plant. In the nineteenth century, there were more than forty names of the mullein. The most memorable ones are the hare's beard, Adam's rod, ice sheet. Because of the hairiness, he was also awarded with such names as velvet, unclear, flannel and many others.

This species, unlike the others, has small flowers. Mullein is common, therefore, called small-flowered. In the European reference books, it is listed as a large mullein, in North America - as a normal mullein. The plant is very useful and, one might say, famous. Perhaps this is the reason for such a variety of names.

Description of mullein ordinary

Bear's ear is a two-year plant, grassy. The stem of the mullein is upright with regular large oblong leaves.

Flowers of light yellow color are collected in a spicate inflorescence in height of 1.6-1.8 cm. Blooms in June, flowering continues the whole summer until the end of August. In the natural environment occurs on forest edges, glades, glades, slopes of ravines and near water reservoirs.

Cultivation on the site

Mullein the ordinary likes the sun and a well permeable soil, so if you decide to "settle" in your area of this doctor by nature, then pick up for him a suitable sunny place.

Seeds can be sown in three terms: early spring, summer and late August. In any of the three options, the mullein will have time to form a rosette before the onset of colds. If you plant a plant in late summer, the rosette will be small, but this is not a hindrance to normal further development.

Mullein seeds are small, so they need to be sown with minimal embedding in the ground, the recommended depth is 1 cm. It is not necessary to prepare the seed for planting. To sprout more quickly, the bed should be watered, especially in the summer and in the absence of rain.

The first thirty days of sprouting develop very slowly. Care for them is the timely removal of weeds and loosening the soil. Care should be taken not to create a crust on the surface of the earth. If the seedlings are too thickened, they should be broken through, leaving a row of 14-18 plants on one meter.

The best place for the mullein to be identified near the fence, there it will be protected from gusts of wind.

Application and procurement of medicinal raw materials

Bear's ear is considered an ornamental plant, which looks great on flower beds, lawns, in single or group plantings. In addition, the mullein is an excellent honey plant. But most of all he is valued for being a medicinal plant. In folk medicine, stems, leaves, flowers and roots are widely used.

Collection of medicinal herbs is a necessary and useful thing. It is better to prepare a natural medicine for yourself and your family. To properly collect and dry mullein, you need to be very careful. When collecting, drying and storing flowers, they can lose their golden color, while acquiring a dirty brown color. But this is not the main trouble, more importantly, along with the beautiful coloring of flowers, they lose a lot of their healing properties.

To avoid this, it is necessary to collect raw materials in the late morning, when the sun dries the dew. At this time, it is possible to easily separate the buds that have opened up from the stamens that are attached to them. If you want to prepare a good medicinal raw material, try not to take flower cups. Drying is recommended in a ventilated room. The dried flowers are stored in well-closed containers. This is necessary in order that they again do not take up moisture from the air.

Tips for harvesting flowers mullein:

• The workpiece is carried out during July-August.
• It is inadmissible to collect wilted and wet rain or dew flowers for harvesting.
• Mullein is dried when the corollas become brittle, golden yellow, with a delicate mucus-sweet taste and honey smell.

Leaves and stems are harvested in the same way throughout the summer, the roots should be stocked in autumn. In the role of doctors by nature, the mullein medicinal and umbelliform have also proved to be very good. You can not use black and cockroach mucus.

Healing properties

In ancient times, even in pagan Russia, our ancestors used the medicinal properties of the mullein. And nowadays this plant is successfully applied by healers of many countries for the treatment of diseases. This plant has antiseptic, emollient, enveloping, expectorant, anti-inflammatory effects. Infusion of flowers mullein is recommended in the treatment of whooping cough, cough, hoarseness, pneumonia, dyspnea, bronchitis. With his help, an asthma attack and seizures stop.

Recipes of traditional medicine

In folk medicine, there are many recipes using mullein, with their help you can get rid of many diseases. Let's consider some of them.

1. 5 grams of raw material pour one glass of boiling water and leave to infuse for 2-3 hours, then strain. Take infusion recommended in warm form for half an hour before meals 3 times a day for 1/3 cup
2. One tablespoon of raw material pour one glass of boiling water. Leave to infuse for 20 minutes, then drain. Take one tablespoon 30 minutes before meals three times a day.
3. One tablespoon of raw material should be poured with one glass of 40% alcohol or vodka, leave to infuse in a dark place for two weeks, then strain. The prepared tincture is used for radiculitis, rheumatism and joint diseases.
4. Blooming shoots of the bear's ear are mixed with a string, ayr, pussy, sage, thyme and used for baths with rickets in children.
5. Powder of flowers is used to heal wounds and cracks in the corners of the mouth and on the nipples of the female breast. Previously affected places are smeared with carrot juice.
6. Ointment from the powder of mullein flowers is used to treat purulent wounds and ulcers.
7. Ointment from the powder of Mullein seeds is prepared as follows. Mix 5 parts of the powder from the seeds and 10 parts of butter. It is used to treat ulcers and putrefactive wounds.
8. You can do and poultices. 4 tablespoons of leaves or flowers pour boiling water and apply to problem areas, pre-wrapped in gauze.
9. Fresh leaves are applied to wounds, cheery and ulcers, and dry wounds, ground into powder, sprinkled wounds.

Contraindications

Mullein is a very valuable medicinal plant. Each medicine has its own contraindications, but as for the bear's ear, there are no contraindications to the use. It is only necessary, taking infusions from the mullein, to take into account personal intolerance and to see to it that there is no allergic reaction.

Interesting Facts

• Residents of the West of the United States call Mullein because of its hairiness "cowboy toilet paper".
• Mullein since ancient times is considered a magical plant.
• According to popular beliefs, witches used mullein for the preparation of a magical potion.

• Some people believe that the mullein medicinal allocates curses and drives away evil spirits.
• Our distant ancestors, having dipped the stem of the mullein in resin, made from it a torch that burned for a rather long time. In translation from German Koenigskerze is a "royal candle".
• Mullein served to paint fabrics, and sometimes even to color the hair. The flowers of the bear's ear gave a bright yellow or green color.