Of Mullein and Thyme in Polish Folklore and Medicine

     In the children’s fairy tale titled Historya O Krasnoludkach i Sierotce Marysi (About the Gnomes and Orphan Mary) published in 1896, the famed Polish author Marya Konopnicka gives Polish children a little lesson on the use of various plants used in folk medicine. She writes:

     “…an old dame was in the grove gathering herbs. She was as dry and withered as a dead branch, dark of face as a mushroom growing near a stump and so bent and stiff with age she could not raise her head to the sky. She walked with a stick and whenever she found an herb she at once spoke to it in a feeble, quavering voice:

     “O mullein, mullein, tall and proud! You turn to the sun to steal its gold; you smooth and ease all coughs and hoarseness!...Into the basket!”
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Mullein growing in my garden             Soft, fuzzy leaves of mullein            The yellow flowers

     The tall, stately mullein, known in Polish as Dziewanna pospolita (Verbascum thapsusL.), was never planted in Polish gardens as it could be found growing freely in fields and meadows. The plant spreads through the tiny brown seeds when the dried flower head is moved by wind or a large animal. It typically grows on poor, clay soils so much so that there was a Polish saying: Gdzie rośnie dziewanna, bez posagu panna” "Where mullein grows, the maiden has no dowry" meaning that if a young woman brought a field full of mullein to the marriage, it didn't bode well for the quality of the land and the ability to raise crops. It was, however, useful in other ways. The 18th  century Polish botanist  Krzystof Kluk  wrote: "both the leaves and the flower can be taken internally and externally…the flower relieves shortness of breath and chest heaviness.”  The  velvety, and quite large mullein leaves were boiled, strained and taken as a tea to treat coughs.

     The old dame in the fairy tale continues:

     "She gathered flowers, driving away the bees that buzzed around her, and continued her search, but soon she stopped again:
 
     “O thyme, sweet-smelling thyme!” she said,.. your breath brings solace in sickness, ease to aching bones!...Into the basket!”

Purple flower of creeping thyme    White flower of cultivated thyme    Thymus  vulgaris                 (Thymus serphyllum)                         in spring (Thymus vulgaris)                    after flowering
Wikipedia.pl photo

     There were two popular forms of thyme in Poland. The thyme mentioned in the fairy tale that was growing in the wild was most likely creeping thyme (Thymus serphyllum, called macierzanka piaskowa in Polish) and could be found throughout all the lowlands of Poland. It was used extensively in folk medicine to strengthen the nervous system baths for convalescents and sick children, and “to ease aching bones” in the elderly. 

     The other form of thyme (Thymus vulgaris, in Polish called macierzanka or tymianek) did not appear in the wild in Poland. It was cultivated as a medicinal plant in 16th century Benedictine and Cistercian monastery gardens.  It was used in a mixture with rosemary to heal eczema and calm a cough. When bathed in it, it treated rheumatism and skin ailments and when added to teas, treated gastrointestinal ailments. And in “the days of old, when knights were bold, “ thyme was an amulet offered to knights in tournaments as a magical form of protection and also used to wash their wounds when hurt in battle.  Lastly, in traditional old Polish cuisine, thyme was an essential ingredient in marinades for game, mushroom soups, and meat broths. 

     I planted thyme in my herb garden to use in soups and stews but the mullein came to the flower garden on it's own. I find it such a joy when I can connect my present day garden with the folkways of my ancestors.

Except for the photo of creeping thyme, all others are mine from my garden

Thank you for reading!

If you would like to read more about the plants, herbs and gardens that were once important to the people of Poland try: Polish Herbs, Flowers and Folk Medicine published by Hippocrene Books(2020)
A special promotion of 40% off on all my books is available through Indiepubs.com with the promo code HIPPOCRENE40. indiepubs.com/search?type=product&q=sophie+hodorowicz+knab

                 
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