And yes, I sure did mean to mention those prickly hairs, which affect some people and not others but can certainly be very irritating.

You might be interested to know that mullein oil for the Eclectics was not an infused oil- I must agree with you that the infused oil isn’t so effective. Instead they picked the flowers and let them ferment in a copper bowl until they turned black, then extracted the oil. I don’t know anyone who makes it this way.

I have been told that the west coast mullein, Verbascum Olympicum makes better ear oil. Has anyone tried it?

My son Nick used to refer to mullein as “Aaron’s staff” after watching Moses and Aaron leading the Israelites out of Egypt in his children’s videos. While I harvested the flowers, he would find dead mullein staffs and march around the Red Sea of the meadow.

I spent a lot of time with mullein this summer and found it to be very comforting… I love the way the leaves form a cup to catch fallen flowers, it reminded me of a safety net to catch us when we fall. And it really does aid falls whether they are physically injurious or emotionally.

It also seems so familial, a strong presence of both masculine and feminine while also being surrounding by the elder stalks and the infant leaves and everything in between. And certainly mullein can help all of us from infancy to our wise years.

And finally I love how each flower bursts open one by one as if to say, each one of us is brilliant, we’ll take our own moment to shine so that you may appreciate each and every one of us.

Thanks again Kiva, I really appreciated your insights!

I remember, long before I knew what the book was about, thinking Matt Wood’s “The Magical Staff” must be referring to mullein (its actually history about some western herbalists). It’s been used as a staff, as a torch, you can use the stalks to start friction fires and the leaves as tinder; it symbolizes allignment and staying on a path, it helps us maintain or regain balance, and more than almost any other plant I know, it tells people how to use it. It’s the companion and guide to herbalists everywhere; the stave of our caduceus.