Cowboy toilet paper

[Smiles Jr.]

Can anyone please name this plant? We have it growing along the roadsides in our county. It is 3 to 5 ft. tall, single green stalk, 10 to 16 inch top flower cluster with tiny yellow/green flowerettes. I cannot describe the leaves very well - long narrow, green, not many of them, and I do not know if they are opposing or staggered. Could it be Mullein? Are there any uses for this plant? Just curious.

 

[Smiles Jr.]

Holy Cow!!! Look what I found. A blind pig found an acorn

This is from the WebMD website . . .

Mullein is a plant. The flower is used to make medicine.

Mullein is used for cough, whooping cough, tuberculosis, bronchitis, hoarseness, pneumonia, earaches, colds, chills, flu, swine flu, fever, allergies, tonsillitis, and sore throat. Other uses include asthma, diarrhea, colic, gastrointestinal bleeding, migraines, joint pain, and gout. It is also used as a sedative and as a diuretic to increase urine output.

Mullein is applied to the skin for wounds, burns, hemorrhoids, bruises, frostbite, and skin infections (cellulitis). The leaves are used topically to soften and protect the skin.

In manufacturing, mullein is used as a flavoring ingredient in alcoholic beverages.

How does it work?
The chemicals in mullein might be able to fight influenza and herpes viruses, and some bacteria that cause respiratory infections.

• Ear infections (otitis media). Early research shows that applying a specific product (Otikon Otic Solution by Healthy-On Ltd) that contains mullein, garlic, calendula, and St. John’s wort to the ear for 3 days reduces ear pain in children and teenagers with ear infections.
• Wounds.
• Hemorrhoids.
• Colds.
• Flu.
• Asthma.
• Diarrhea.
• Migraines.
• Gout.
• Tuberculosis.
• Croup.
• Cough.
• Sore throat.
• Inflammation of the airways (bronchitis).
• Other conditions.

More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of mullein for these uses.

Mullein is POSSIBLY SAFE for when applied to the ear, short-term. A specific product (Otikon Otic Solution, Healthy-On Ltd.) that contains mullein, garlic, calendula, and St. John’s wort has been used in the ear for up to 3 days.


Special Precautions & Warnings:
Children: Mullein is POSSIBLY SAFE when applied to the ear, short-term. A specific product (Otikon Otic Solution, Healthy-On Ltd.) that contains mullein, garlic, calendula, and St. John’s wort has been used in the ear for up to 3 days.

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: There is not enough reliable information about the safety of taking mullein if you are pregnant or breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.

The appropriate dose of mullein depends on several factors such as the user’s age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for mullein. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.

 

[Nyboy]

Wow I always have that growing some where.

 

[thistlebloom]

Is that a pic of your plant Smiles?
Definitely mullein, which occurred to me by your description, except you left out the part about how fuzzy it's leaves are.

 

[so lucky]

Oh, I need some! I think I have all those symptoms!

I like the way they say "possibly safe". Let's not commit ourselves to a statement here, haha.

 

[Smiles Jr.]

Is that a pic of your plant Smiles?
Definitely mullein, which occurred to me by your description, except you left out the part about how fuzzy it's leaves are.

No that's a pic I swiped from the internet somewhere. But the plants in that pic looks just like a ditch down the road a mile or so. And yes I did forget to mention the fuzzy leaves. Sorry. A neighbor says they always called it cowboy toilet paper. Has anyone ever heard of that? Uck! But, you know what, I'll bet the cowboys of yesteryear used almost anything for their personal hygiene. Super uck!

 

[Smart Red]

Cowboys had personal hygiene? Surprise to me. I have always been amazed at the fine, white teeth cowboys in the movies have -- good guys and bad guys. I would'a figured more dingy yellow to black-ish.

 

[catjac1975]

I feed it to my horses if they have a cough. It is one of those herbs that you cannot overdose.

 

[baymule]

My grandpa said his mother used it to cure what they called spring fever when he was a child. He said looking back, it was probably malaria. The concoctions his mother made were bitter and made him sweat. They were poor people, far from a doctor they couldn't afford anyway, so they used what they had.

 

[ninnymary]

Smiles, as Thistle knows and maybe others, there are a lot of things that go over my head. Your title of this thread is one of them. Can you explain it to me? Hope I'm not embarrassing myself.

Mary