Mullein has been trending in the wellness side of TikTok for a while now, and those who have tried it say the herb has helped them cough up mucus and—sometimes dramatically—improve the health of their lungs.
For example, Candice Garrett (@candicegarrett) shared an update on TikTok about her experience using mullein, and said: “I started trying the mullein a few days ago and it has totally ripped apart all the nasty stuff that is in my lungs.”
She said she had coughed up most of a Pringle’s tube of “gel-like phlegm” and added: “I haven’t felt my lungs this clear in years. Years.”
And, in another video, this time by @holisticmarketco and with 922,000 views, mullein was described as “probably the best herb for your lungs,” explaining: “It helps expel mucus, soothes irritation in the lungs, throat and bronchial passages, and it eases coughing spasms.”
The narrator recommended the plant for people with asthma, for smokers, and for those with a chronic cough.
Similarly, in a slideshow by @herbify.health with 220,000 views, mullein was said to help “clear the lungs and airways” of mucus.
After a couple of weeks using mullein, it said, the herb would improve senses of taste and smell, and allow the viewer to take “deeper, smoother breaths.”
Simon Mills, a medical herbalist and secretary of the European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy, told Newsweek: “No one so far has scientifically investigated mullein for its benefits in reducing coughing.”
A glass cup of herbal tea with fresh blooming mullein plant. The leaves of the mullein plant can be turned into a tea, that some say has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and soothing effects, but there is limited scientific evidence to back this up.
Madeleine_Steinbach/Getty Images
However, Mills said that mullein did have some potential health benefits and explained why that might be.
“Named for the Latin word for ‘soft’ (mollis), mullein is a very recognizable tall plant with large velveteen leaves, like long rabbit’s ears,” he said.
“It originated in Eurasia, but is now widespread through North America, Australasia and elsewhere.”
Mills explained that, when the soft leaves were crushed or dissolved in water, like in a tea, they had a soothing, anti-inflammatory effect.
“This is due to the high content of mucilages in the leaves, these having physical properties familiar to users of aloe vera, slippery elm, plantains, agar or seaweed products,” he said.
Traditionally, herbalists used mullein to relieve symptoms of mouth ulcers, throat pain, acid reflux, and even tuberculosis, thanks to its reputation for relieving coughs, he said.
“Mucilages are slimy!” explained Mills. “When applied to a surface, they form a physical coat that can feel soothing, especially if there is pain or inflammation, so mucilaginous plants have been favored wound remedies through history.
“When swallowed, mucilages convert to simple safe sugars in the stomach, and then have no further impact.
“However, in the mouth, throat, gullet and briefly in the stomach itself, the mucilaginous effect can reduce surface inflammation and resulting pain and spasm.”
Mills said that this could result in the relaxation of airway muscles, which he said was “the best explanation of the most widely used effect of remedies like mullein leaves in reducing coughing fits.”
This effect, he said, might be helped by the saponins—soapy substances—and polyphenols—antioxidant, anti-inflammatory plant compounds—that are present in mullein, in particular verbascoside: a polyphenol believed to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, brain-protective and anti-cancer properties.
All these combined, Mills said, might be responsible for the “more stimulating effect” that mullein seems to have on the airways, leading people to cough up mucus.
In conclusion, Mills said: “Mullein offers only short-term relief, is safe enough to try, and will not interfere with any other treatment.”
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