Mullein, also known as Velvet Dock, is an annual wayside herb that seems to spring up where nothing else can take hold, even gaining a foothold between rocks and patches of concrete. Reaching a height of up to 8 feet, mullein is easily recognizable in the wild by the simple fact that it towers over most of its botanical neighbors. The plant also produces large, fuzzy leaves that resemble dried tobacco by the end of the growing season, and spikes of yellow flowers in mid-summer. Because mullein is very high in mucilage, the herb is traditionally used to make throat lozenges and syrups. It is also added to teas, used to produce skin care formulas or is tinctured.

Mullein, also called Great Mullein, is a tall-growing biennial in the figwort family that is distributed throughout Europe, Australia, Asia, North Africa and the Americas. It's a common sight in late summer in open pastures and along roadways in the eastern US, often finding a perch between rocks and in gravel. The plant is easy to recognize—the fuzzy leaves emerge from a center rosette to form a stalk several feet high, from which bright yellow, slipper-like flowers appear.

While the flowers are typically infused in oil or used to produce a natural dye, the collective aerial parts of the plant are tinctured, infused or prepared as tea. Mullein also makes an excellent cosmetic herb because it contains astringent and emollient compounds.