Mullein Tea, The Healing Herbal Tea For Your Lungs

What is Mullein Tea?

Mullein (Verbascum Thapsus) is also known as hare’s ear, common mullein, and tearwort. It’s found in temperate regions of Europe and the United States. Mullein comes from the plant genus of Scrophulariaceae. It is a perennial herb with long, hairy leaves and yellow or pink flowers.

Mullein leaf tea is a soothing traditional herbal tea made from either the flowers, leaves, or both flowers and leaves of the mullein plant that can be made in many ways and used as an effective treatment of many respiratory tract conditions. It can also be used as an inhalant to open the lungs, which has been used for centuries to treat asthma, bronchitis, and other lung conditions. The tea can also be used to relieve bronchial spasms and coughing, either by drinking it or inhaling the steam.

Mullein tea is a medicinal plant which is often prescribed to people who have upper respiratory complaints, such as bronchitis, asthma, and other lung conditions as Mullein has a soothing effect on the lungs and is an excellent tea for treating the symptoms of many respiratory issues, coughs and breathing related conditions.

How Does Mullein Tea Work?

The active ingredients in mullein tea include flavonoids, such as kaempferol and quercetin. These compounds have been found to be powerful anti-inflammatory agents that can help reduce inflammation and infection in the respiratory tract. Mullein tea also contains medicinal glycosides (plant compounds that are similar to drugs).

Mullein is able to reduce the symptoms of a cough due to its diaphoretic properties which help promote expectoration of phlegm and mucus. Mullein tea also contains a number of volatile oils, including many terpenes such as beta-phellandrene and camphene. These are both powerful lung-soothing agents, which are able to help reduce the symptoms of a cold or flu. Mullein tea can also be used to effectively treat bronchitis due to its sedative, expectorant and anti-inflammatory properties. Mullein tea can be used to reduce the symptoms of allergies due to its antihistamine, antioxidant and antiviral properties. Mullein tea is also effective at helping to treat hay fever due to its expectorant properties.

Mullein tea is excellent at reducing the symptoms of asthma, due to it being an anti-inflammatory. Scientific evidence has shown that Mullein tea also has a beneficial effect on dry coughs, as it reduces mucus production and can help break up mucus congestion in the lungs.

Mullein Leaf tea can also help with relief from an irritating cough, sore throats, flu and cold symptoms. It also helps with irritations in the respiratory system and congestion and is commonly used to relieve symptoms of colds, congestion and flu.

A recent clinical study into the medicinal properties of mullein titled, “Mullein flowers on improving pulmonary function: a pilot study,” showed kids with asthma and other respiratory problems who were treated with mullein flowers exhibited a significant improvement in their lung function.

What Are The Benefits of Drinking Mullein Leaf Tea?

Mullein tea is a soothing, refreshing drink. It has many health benefits that are said to be able to help with digestion, insomnia, and respiratory problems. The plant’s leaves are also said to be an effective remedy for insect bites and stings.

What Are The Side Effects of Mullein Tea?

Mullein is known to be safe for consumption during pregnancy, although it is best to consult with your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Mullein tea is safe to drink during breastfeeding and does not pose any risk to the baby.

Is It Safe To Drink Mullein Loose Leaf Tea?

Mullein tea is considered safe to drink, but research has linked mullein with a few mild side effects. There are no known toxic or allergic reactions to mullein tea, but there have been rare reports of stomach upset, nausea, and diarrhea. How to consume mullein leaf tea?

Is it Possible To Overdose on Mullein Tea?

There are no known side effects to either mullein leaf tea or mullein flower tea. If you feel any discomfort while drinking mullein tea, stop and consult your doctor.

How Much Herbal Mullein Tea Should I Drink?

The amount of tea that you drink each day will depend entirely on your preference. In general, the most important thing is that you drink the tea in moderation and increase the amount slowly.

How To Make Mullein Leaf Tea

Mullein tea can be made in many different ways. The simplest way to try mullein tea is to boil fresh (unprocessed) mullein leaves in hot water for several minutes, then strain it into a cup and drink it like tea. You can also add dried mullein leaves to your cup of tea and let it steep for 10-15 minutes or more.

Due to the small hairs on the mullein leaf it is advisable to strain the mullein tea before drinking as some have complained of a slightly itchy throat after drinking mullein leaf tea. There are a wide variety of herbal tea strainers available including natural bleach free tea bags and strainer balls which make the it much easier to make mullein tea.

An excellent way to enjoy fresh mullein tea is to brew a cup in a teapot, then strain it into a mug. Add a few drops of lemon juice to the tea for a refreshing taste, and enjoy it daily in the morning. For a very calming effect, you can add a couple of drops of lavender oil to the tea, or a few drops of rosemary oil. Add a pinch of stevia leaf, stevia extract or raw honey to the tea and enjoy it as a healthy alternative to your morning cup of coffee.

Can You Use Fresh Mullein Leaves For Tea?

Mullein leaves can be brewed like many other herbs and used to make a medicinal tea infusion. You can certainly use fresh leaves if you are lucky enough to have a readily available source of the herb but if you are not that fortunate, then dried leaves can most definitely be used as tea and may even be more beneficial as you will not need to dry out the remaining unused herb and can keep a steady supply of mullein handy throughout the winter months.

How To Dry Mullein Leaves

To dry mullein leaves, you will need to put them in a large brown paper bag or wrap them in newspaper then place the package on a windowsill that has no direct sunlight. Leave the mullein tea leaves alone for at least a week. In some cases, it may take up to a month for the mullein tea leaves to completely dry out. You can then store your mullein tea in a tightly sealed jar until you are ready to use it.

Some Quick Tips for Making a Good Cup of Mullein Leaf Tea

Some quick tips for making a good cup of mullein leaf tea:

• Start with 2 cups of cold water and add approximately 2 teaspoons of dried mullein leaves to the pot.

• Simmer for about 10 minutes.

• Strain the tea leaves and drink hot or cold.-Bring to a boil and immediate reduce the heat, cover and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

• Yield: 2 – 3 cups of tea

• Do not continue to boil, as this kills the plant’s medicinal properties!

What Does Mullein Tea Taste Like?

Mullein tea is made with the leaves of the plant, which are usually dried and crushed before mixing in boiling water. It’s a common remedy for coughs and colds, but the taste is fairly mild but can also be slightly bitter.

Mullein Tea Recipe

Mullein tea is commonly just the herb (flower, leaf root or any combination) added to hot water but you can also add a healthy sweetener such as stevia or honey to sweeten the tea. There are also numerous food grade essential oils that you can add to the tea to make it more palatable.

Many recipes will include fresh or dried fruits such as lemon, orange, etc in order to add a slight citrus flavour to the tea. When feeling run down with a cough over winter my preferred recipe is with freeze dried summer fruits such as strawberry, papaya and blueberries.

Is Mullein Safe To Inhale?

Yes, evidence suggests that mullein is safe to inhale and is a good way to get the healing effect direct to your lungs. You can use mullein as an inhalant by adding some of the mullein leaves or flowers to a bowl and covering in boiling water, cover the bowl and your head with a towel and simply inhale the mullein infused steam.

Further information on the using mullein for the lungs goes into more detail on the medicinal properties and other health benefits.

Where Can You Purchase Mullein Tea In The UK?

Although we do not sell Mullein Tea bags, the dried Mullein herb can be purchased from our online store. We currently stock the dried mullein leaves and flowers so you can make your own mullein leaf tea or mullein flower tea. If you are looking to benefit from the medicinal properties of mullein but do not with to consume it as a tea then we also supply mullein leaf tincture and mullein flower tincture which can simply be added to your preferred hot or cold drink or taken direct to mouth.

Our herbs and herbal remedies are grown and manufactured in the UK by NIMH registered Herbalists and we will never compromise on quality so you can rest assured that the mullein supplements and her that you purchase from us is of the highest quality,.

The information in this article is not intended to treat or diagnose, and we always recommend that you consult your GP, healthcare professional or registered herbalist if you are considering reducing or stopping prescribed medication in favour of an alternative natural herbal remedy.