My Mighty Mullein

I think that most herbalists are familiar with the Mullein plant. Their soft, velvety leaves and a single, tall flowering stalk make them easily recognized. Mullein is a biennial, medicinal herb. The first year, it produces thick, fuzzy leaves in a rosette-form that stays low to the ground. The second year, mullein will shoot up a tall, flowering stalk. The roots, leaves, flowers, and stalk all have beneficial uses.

I have several mullein plants spread across my property, and I was excited to start harvesting the much-desired flowers. But just a few weeks into summer, one of my mullein plants suffered damage from a storm. The flowering stalk was already bent over (see below pic), but the 80+ mph winds snapped it off. Well mostly...it was only hanging on by a small thread-like connection. I decided to cut the stalk below the damage and wait to see what happens.

While I waited, I did some research on damaged Mullein flower stalks. Most of the information was not too helpful; the articles/posts merely stated that the plant would redirect it's energy elsewhere. OK, so I was maybe expecting it's leaves to be more nutritious or perhaps it would regrow a smaller stalk. I was both right and wrong! It did regrow another stalk, then another, and another. In fact, the entire plant is now covered in stalks from the top to the bottom set of leaves.

~ Ang ✌️♥️

Not only does it have sooo many stalks now, but they are all producing flowers! Rather than harvesting from a single, tall stalk, I gather the flowers from all the smaller stalks. I haven't decided if I like it better this way or with a single stalk, but nonetheless, there are definitely no fewer flowers. You can click through the photos below to see it's journey.

Here I was, worried about my Mullein's survival only for Mother Nature to prove that she had it handled. My Mullein plant went from being "just another Mullein" to being "My Mighty Mullein". It survived the storm and came out more beautiful on the other side.

~ Ang ✌️♥️

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