Mullein tea is searched 74000 times a month, roughly 30 times more than the supplement. Almost everyone meets this plant as a drink.
There are 0 clinical trials of mullein tea for anything. What follows is tradition, chemistry, and the 1 preparation step most people skip.
Quick Answer: What Does Mullein Tea Do?
Mullein tea is a caffeine-free infusion of dried Verbascum thapsus leaf, traditionally drunk for a cough or a sore throat. Of the 3 clinical trials of mullein, 0 tested the tea, so the honest answer is that it is a warm, mild, mucilaginous drink with a long history and no measured effect. The one step that matters is straining, because the leaf hairs irritate the throat.
Key Takeaways
- Mullein tea has 0 clinical trials behind it, for any indication.
- It has 0 caffeine, a mild sweet taste and a hay-like aroma.
- The leaf carries fine hairs, so 1 straining step is essential.
- 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried leaf per cup is the traditional amount.
- Steeping runs about 10 minutes, longer than a black tea.
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What Mullein Tea Actually Is
It is an infusion of the dried leaf, and occasionally the flowers, in hot water.
- Plant: Verbascum thapsus, the leaf.
- Caffeine: None.
- Colour: Pale gold to light green, translucent.
- Taste: Mild, grassy, faintly sweet.
- Texture: Slightly slippery, from mucilage in the leaf.
Spanish folk medicine used Verbascum for the respiratory system among much else, across 10 catalogued species.[1]Searching for Scientific Explanations for the Uses of Spanish Folk Medicine: A Review on the Case of Mullein — Biology (2024) View source Drinking it is the oldest form of that use.
That slipperiness is the whole traditional argument for it: a mucilaginous drink coats a sore throat. What the plant itself is comes first, in what mullein leaf actually is.
Why It Must Be Strained
This is the practical detail that separates a pleasant cup from an irritating one, and plenty of recipes omit it.
- The problem: The leaf is covered in fine, branching hairs.
- What they do: They pass through a coarse infuser and scratch the throat.
- The fix: Strain through a paper coffee filter, muslin or a fine mesh.
- When to skip it: Never, including with tea bags that have split.
A tea meant to soothe a sore throat that instead scratches it is a self-inflicted problem, and it takes 1 extra step to avoid.
How to Make It
There is no trial-established method, so this is the traditional preparation, stated plainly.
| Step | Detail |
|---|---|
| Amount | 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried leaf per cup |
| Water | About 8 fl oz, just off the boil |
| Steep | 10 minutes, covered |
| Strain | Paper filter, muslin or fine mesh, without exception |
| Frequency | Traditionally up to 3 cups a day |
Covering the cup while it steeps is worth doing, because the aromatic fraction leaves with the steam. Amounts for the capsule instead are in how much to take.
What the Evidence Says About the Tea
This section is short because the literature is.
- Clinical trials of mullein tea: 0.
- Clinical trials of mullein by any route: 3.
- Of those 3, taken by mouth: 0.
- What the chemistry shows: Flavonoids and saponins, measured in dishes.
A 2022 review of the plant records its long use for lung, skin and throat disorders as an astringent and calming agent.[2]Health-promoting and disease-mitigating potential of Verbascum thapsus L. (common mullein): A review — Phytotherapy Research (2022) View source That is a description of what people did with it, not of what it was shown to do.
The leaf has been characterised in detail and entirely in glassware, down to its sesquiterpenes, flavonoids, saponins and lignins.[3]The Antioxidant, Anticarcinogenic and Antimicrobial Properties of Verbascum thapsus L. — Medicinal Chemistry (2021) View source Which of those survive a 10-minute steep has never been measured.
Tea Versus Capsules
The 2 formats deliver different things, and neither has a trial behind it.
| Strained tea | Capsule | |
|---|---|---|
| Amount of leaf | 1 to 2 teaspoons, variable | 1000 mg, fixed |
| What you extract | Water-soluble fraction only | The whole dried leaf |
| Mucilage on the throat | Yes, that is the point | No |
| Repeatable dose | No | Yes |
| Evidence | 0 trials | 0 trials |
If the sore throat is the reason you are here, the tea makes more sense, because the coating is the traditional mechanism. If you want a number you can repeat, our mullein capsules give you one.
How Often Is Reasonable
Tradition says up to 3 cups a day and no study says anything at all.
- Traditional ceiling: About 3 cups daily.
- Long-term data: 0 studies of any duration.
- Sensible default: Treat it as a drink, not a course of treatment.
- Firm exclusion: Pregnancy and breastfeeding, in every form.
Who should leave it alone entirely is set out in who should not drink it.
See a Clinician Rather Than Brewing a Tea If
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding, which is the one exclusion every reference source states
- A diagnosis of COPD, asthma or emphysema, where a herb does not replace an inhaler
- Shortness of breath that is new, worsening or waking you at night
- Coughing up blood, or a cough that has lasted more than 3 weeks
- Any plan to smoke the leaf, whatever the reason
Frequently Asked Questions
What does mullein tea do to you? +
It is a mild, caffeine-free, slightly slippery drink. With 0 clinical trials behind it, the honest answer is that it soothes because it is warm and mucilaginous.
When should you not drink mullein tea? +
In pregnancy and while breastfeeding, which is the 1 exclusion every reference source lists. Also when a cough has lasted more than 3 weeks.
How do you make mullein tea? +
1 to 2 teaspoons of dried leaf, 8 fl oz of near-boiling water, 10 minutes covered, then strain through a paper filter.
Why do you have to strain mullein tea? +
The leaf carries fine hairs that scratch the throat. 1 pass through a paper filter or muslin removes them.
How many cups of mullein tea a day? +
Tradition puts the ceiling around 3 cups. 0 studies have tested any frequency, so that number is custom rather than evidence.
Does mullein tea have caffeine? +
No. It is 1 of the caffeine-free herbal infusions, which is part of why it is drunk in the evening.
What does mullein tea taste like? +
Mild, grassy and faintly sweet, with a hay-like aroma. Most people find it 1 of the gentler herbal teas.
Is mullein tea better than capsules? +
For a sore throat the tea makes more sense, because coating is the traditional mechanism. Both formats have 0 trials behind them.
Can you drink mullein tea for a cough? +
People have for centuries, and 0 clinical trials have tested it. A cough lasting over 3 weeks needs a clinician, not a tea.
Does mullein tea clear mucus? +
It is traditionally called an expectorant, but 16 mullein papers mention breathing and 0 of them are trials. Nothing has been measured.
Related Reading
- Does Mullein Actually Help Your Lungs?
- Mullein for Smokers and Ex-Smokers
- Mullein Compared With Other Lung Herbs
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