Mullein, Smoke, and Harm Reduction with Lian Bruno + Lung Lube: an After-Smoke Syrup

Isn’t smoking bad for you? Yes…but the conversation around smokable herbs may be more nuanced than you think.

In this episode, I’m joined by herbalist and founder of Puff Herbals, Lian Bruno, for a grounded, thoughtful conversation about smokable herbs—especially mullein (Verbascum spp.). While many herbalists shy away from this topic, Lian approaches it through a lens of harm reduction, compassion, and what she calls “holistic hedonism.”

LIan explores why mullein has long been used in smoking blends, how formulation dramatically changes the smoking experience, and why all-or-nothing thinking can make conversations about smoking harder, not safer. This episode isn’t a blanket endorsement of smoking, nor is it a how-to guide. Instead, it’s an invitation into nuance: understanding energetics, honoring ritual, and supporting people exactly where they are.

During our conversation, Lian shares her recipe for Lung Lube, a syrup that offers both immediate relief and long-term support for lungs irritated by smoke or sickness. You can download your beautifully-illustrated recipe card here.

By the end of this episode, you’ll know:

► Four reasons mullein is considered a classic smokable herb

► Why mullein should rarely be smoked alone (and what to pair it with)

► How smokable herbs can serve as a bridge for reducing nicotine or cannabis use

► How to formulate a smoking blend with intention, matching plant energetics to your desired effect

► Eighteen examples of smokable herbs—and the reasons you might include them in a smoking blend

► and so much more…

For those of you who don’t know her, Lian Bruno is a clinically-trained herbalist, holistic health educator, writer, and founder of Puff Herbals — a brand redefining smoking rituals with tobacco-free, cannabis-free herbal alternatives. With a background in ethnobotany, she blends science, storytelling, and subculture into smoking blends designed for modern rituals.

Rooted in harm reduction and what she calls holistic hedonism, Puff Herbals makes herbalism approachable for anyone looking to light up — from the sober-curious and wellness-obsessed to skeptics and smokers looking to quit or cut back.

Whether or not you ever work with smokable herbs, I hope this conversation encourages curiosity over judgment and reminds you that herbalism is ultimately about relationship — with plants, with our bodies, and with one another.

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Get full show notes, transcript, and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com

Would you prefer watching this episode? If so, click here for the video.

You can find Lian at PuffHerbals.com.

For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!

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On the podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine, and through nature connection. Each week, I focus on a single seasonal plant and share trusted herbal knowledge so that you can get the best results when using herbs for your health.

Learn more about Herbs with Rosalee at herbswithrosalee.com.

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Rosalee is an herbalist and author of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods & Remedies That Heal and co-author of the bestselling book Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine. She's a registered herbalist with the American Herbalists Guild and teaches many popular online courses. Read about how Rosalee went from having a terminal illness to being a bestselling author in her full story here.