"We still don't know what was used for wiping in those days,"...
Well, it's a cinch they didn't have an old Sear's Catalog handy, either. Maybe they had Muslim attendants?
Common mullein grow around there?
Common mullein is a monocarpic perennial (i.e., takes two or more years to flower and die). Brought over from Europe by settlers, it was used as a medicinal herb, as a remedy for coughs and diarrhea and a respiratory stimulant for the lungs when smoked. A methanol extract from common mullein has been used as an insecticide for mosquito larvae.
It is also "the hiker's friend in need".