– photographed along the Flint Hills Nature Trail near Council Grove
According to Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses and other sources this plant’s uses include:
- Dried leaves were used by Native Americans as a treatment for asthma and bronchitis.
- The fat, fuzzy leaves were used in the soles of shoes as insulation
- A hair dye was made by boiling the leaves in lye
- The ancient Greeks and Romans dipped mullein stalks in tallow for funeral torches
- The fuzz on the leaves was woven into candle wicks
- An oil made from mullien flowers is used for earache, frostbite and bruises.
