Mullein is the common name of a number of species in the
Verbascum genus. Verbascum thapsus (also Verbascum densifolium)
grows throughout Germany in open fields and roadsides. It is a
biennial which prefers sandy soils and its stately second-year
growth is a welcome sight for the interested observer. Mullein
is a native Eurasian plant with a long history of medicinal use.
It was brought to North America by early settlers and it did not
take long before it became part of the ethnobotanical repertoire
of many Native American tribes. Smoking the leaves was thought
to have a calming effect in addition to clearing the respiratory
tract. Interestingly, Native Americans realized that mullein
could be an effective fishing aid. Once released in a stream,
the seeds temporarily paralyze the fish, thus facilitating their
catch. Indeed mullein contains rotenone, a fish poison which
naturally occurs in certain plants and is found in both mullein
seeds and seed capsules. Mullein has a number of suggestive
common names in Ge