Nature's Drugstore & Cowboy Toilet Paper

Nature’s Drugstore & Cowboy Toilet Paper

It started out with a few photos of these curious plants; I thought they were pretty, especially with the fall colored scenery behind them.   

A few days later, at the Glacier View Meadows office, I learned the plant’s name:  Common Mullein (Verbascum Thapsus) -sometimes called the Great Mullein because they grow up to 6 feet tall.

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At the GVM office there was a small handout stating some concern that this Common Mullein is cropping up more frequently in our meadows and on our hillsides.  

Just one Mullein plant can produce 300,000 to-500,000 seeds and those seeds can survive 50-80 years in the soil before germinating!  

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 A little more research on this unusual plant revealed that it has healing properties and is used as an herbal remedy for sore throats, coughs, lung disease and a variety of other ailments. 

Mullein tea is made from the leaves (the seeds are poisonous) and a tinture made from the flowers can be used to help migraine headaches.

In Nature’s Drugstore, you can find a cough, sore throat and headache remedy on Aisle 3 County Rd 74E in Livermore, Colorado.

I could have lived the rest of my life happily unaware of this fact;

but in the mid-western United States (including Colorado) Mullein is commonly known as Cowboy Toilet Paper (because the leaves are soft and velvety). 

I hesitated to include that information here but, you never know when this tidbit of knowledge may come in handy

and Real Estate Agents have a duty to disclose all known facts. :-]

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Mary Douglas, your Mountain Broker-Associate and REALTOR®

United Country Ponderosa Realty, Red Feather Lakes, CO

www.marydouglas-redfeatherlakes.net

800-531-2195

“A Day in the Mountains will always soothe your city soul”

I specialize in the Red Feather Lakes area, Crystal Lakes and Glacier View Meadows Subdivisions, if you are interested in buying or selling your mountain home, please give me a call, I’m here to help you.

The information contained in Mary’s blog is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and the opinions and views expressed in these articles are solely those of the author.