Mullein is a plant with various medicinal properties. The spelling of the word "mullein" is pronounced as /ˈmʌlɪn/ in the International Phonetic Alphabet. The word begins with the letter "m," which is followed by the vowel sound /ʌ/ represented by the letter "u." The vowel sound /ɪ/ is spelled with the letter "i," and the final consonant sound /n/ is represented by the letter "n." The word "mullein" is commonly misspelled as "mullen."
Mullein, scientifically known as Verbascum thapsus, is a biennial plant native to Eurasia and widely naturalized throughout North America. It belongs to the Scrophulariaceae family and is characterized by its characteristic tall spikes of yellow flowers and its distinctive hairy leaves.
In terms of physical appearance, mullein has a thick, sturdy and erect stem that can grow up to six feet tall, depending on environmental conditions. Its leaves are broad and alternate, densely covered with soft, woolly hairs that give them a fuzzy and grayish-green appearance. Mullein's flowers are small and yellow, clustered on a tall spike that emerges from the plant's center, providing a striking visual display.
Apart from its ornamental value, mullein has been recognized for its traditional medicinal properties for centuries. Its leaves and flowers are known to contain various active compounds, including saponins, flavonoids, and mucilage, which possess expectorant, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties. As a result, mullein has been utilized in herbal medicine to alleviate respiratory ailments, such as coughs, bronchitis, and asthma. Additionally, mullein has been reported to have soothing effects on the skin when applied as a poultice or infused oil.
Overall, mullein is a versatile plant valued for its visual appeal and medicinal properties, making it a subject of interest in both botanical and herbal medicine communities.
A wild hedge-plant whose seed was considered good against moths in clothes.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "mullein" originated from the Old English word "mylenwyrt", which is a combination of "mylen" meaning "mill" and "wyrt" meaning "plant" or "herb". This name was given due to the use of the plant's dried leaves as a source of tinder for lighting fires. Over time, "mylenwyrt" transformed into "molwynde" and later "mullein", which is the name commonly used today for the plant of the genus Verbascum.