Mysterious... Mullein

One plant that is not on the Noxious Weed List (http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/animalsAndPlants/noxious-weeds/laws/list.aspx) but is obviously a weed in our yard is Mullein. It has somehow resisted making it's way on that list, unconscious to the minds of scientists, for it's medicinal value.

On a farm I worked on Guemes Island (2008) I harvested leaves for a toilet paper substitute. I was asked to crop roots for a harvest the following year (I wonder how that turned out). A friend of mine used to make an herbal smoke with Mullein as the base. He would buy it from the store so one day I gave him some harvested from the yard in Mount Vernon (2009). I need to remove this plant so I'm deciding what to do with the leaves or root.

Mullein is prized for battling pulmonary issues like sore throat and dry cough, because it aids expectoration - the release of mucous. The leaves are hairy though, which can be irritatinng, so tea should definitely be strained.

The leaves (what I am working with, rather than flowers) contain saponins and rotenones. Saponins enhance nutrient absorption and aid digestion in plants, though cause a bitter taste. They are toxic to cold blooded organisms. Rotenone is extracted for use as pesticide and is toxic. It has also been linked to Parkinson's Disease.