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Herb library · Herb · Verbascum thapsus, V. densiflorum, V. phlomoides

Mullein

A tall, woolly roadside plant with a spike of yellow flowers. The flowers are drunk as a tea for a sore throat with a dry cough, a use EU regulators accept on the basis of long use; there are no clinical studies of mullein on its own.

Traditional use

Long used in Europe and North America for coughs, colds and hoarseness, the leaves smoked for asthma, and an oil of the flowers dropped into the ear for earache. King's American Dispensatory (1905) records the leaves and flowers as the parts used, boiled in milk for bowel complaints and made into poultices. In the EU the flowers are registered as a traditional herbal medicine for sore throat with dry cough and cold, for adults and children over 12.

What studies show

  • Insufficient

    Sore throat with dry cough: accepted in the EU on the basis of traditional use only. The EMA noted the lack of clinical studies with mullein flower medicines.

  • Insufficient

    Ear pain in children: two trials tested ear drops that combined mullein with garlic, calendula, St. John's wort and other ingredients. The drops eased pain about as well as anesthetic drops, but most ear pain faded on its own over 3 days, and the mixtures do not show what mullein alone does.

Be careful of

Cautions

  • NoteNo side effects had been reported when the EMA assessed it; do not use it if you are allergic to mullein. See a doctor if a sore throat or cough gets worse or lasts more than a week.
  • ConditionEU mullein products are for adults and children over 12. In the ear-drop trials a doctor diagnosed each child first; ear pain in a child needs a clinician's check.
  • PregnancySafety in pregnancy and breastfeeding has not been established, and use then is not recommended.
  • Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.

From the old books

What herbals and dispensaries of the past printed. History, in their words.

“The flowers, placed in a well-corked bottle, and exposed to the action of the sun, are said to yield an excellent relaxing oil.”
Harvey Wickes Felter and John Uri Lloyd, King's American Dispensatory (1905), vol. 2, p. 2055. See the page of King's American Dispensatory, vol. 2, p. 2055 (opens in a new tab) · Read the full passage from King's American Dispensatory, vol. 2, p. 2055
“They are narcotic, and have been used in asthma, infantile convulsions, and to poison fish.”
Harvey Wickes Felter and John Uri Lloyd, King's American Dispensatory (of the seeds) (1905), vol. 2, p. 2055. See the page of King's American Dispensatory (of the seeds), vol. 2, p. 2055 (opens in a new tab) · Read the full passage from King's American Dispensatory (of the seeds), vol. 2, p. 2055

Sources

  1. Mullein flower: summary for the public (EMA) (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026
  2. Assessment report on Verbascum thapsus L., V. densiflorum Bertol. and V. phlomoides L., flos (EMA/HMPC/611531/2016) (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026
  3. Verbasci flos - herbal medicinal product (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026
  4. Efficacy of naturopathic extracts in the management of ear pain associated with acute otitis media (Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, 2001) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  5. Naturopathic treatment for ear pain in children (Pediatrics, 2003) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026

Reviewed September 25, 2026.