Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)
The Guardian of Breath and Quiet Strength
Mullein doesn’t shout.
It stands tall in forgotten fields, silver-leaved and sun-kissed, with a stalk like a sentinel. You might pass it by, not knowing it’s medicine. But in folk traditions, Mullein has always been a protector, of lungs, of light, of endurance.
At Soulcraft Apotheca, we return to Mullein as one of our most loyal herbal allies. Especially when the world feels heavy, and the breath shallow. Especially when grief lingers in the chest. Especially when we need to remember what it means to stand tall with softness.
✦ The Breath-Bringer
Mullein is best known as a respiratory tonic, but calling it just that would miss the poetry.
Used for:
Dry, irritated coughs
Asthmatic tightness
Smoke or pollution exposure
Bronchial and lung inflammation
Stuck emotional grief in the chest or heart-lung axis
It works by moistening and toning tissue, calming spasms, and helping the body release what's no longer needed, whether that's phlegm or old pain.
✦ How We Use It at Soulcraft
We use mullein leaf in tinctures, teas, smoke blends, and infused oils.
Each form is created with intention, not just to soothe the physical, but to make space. Breath is more than oxygen. It's how the soul reenters the body.
✦ Energetics & Spirit Work
Temperature: Cooling
Moisture: Slightly moistening
Tissue state: Dry, irritated, constricted
Associated with: Mercury (air, communication), Saturn (structure, boundaries)
In folk magic and ancestral practice, Mullein was carried by travelers for protection and lit as torch flames to ward off darkness, inner and outer. Some called it “hag’s taper,” and burned it during solstice rites to guide spirits to the other side.
For us, Mullein is a plant that helps you speak again after long silence. Breathe again after long grief. Walk again after collapse.
At Soulcraft Apotheca, we honor this plant for what it is: a pillar of quiet strength, a guardian of grief and breath, a reminder that softness and resilience often come wrapped in the same leaf.
Explore our Mullein blends in the Apotheca →