When someone in this house gets sick, I don't go to the store. I go to the shelf.

We've been growing and wildcrafting herbs here in Opp since 2011, so the shelf is pretty well stocked. But honestly, even before we had a farm, I was doing the same thing my grandmother did. You reach for what you know. You make a cup of something. You pay attention.

When a chest thing starts — that first scratchy cough, the tightness, the feeling that something's settling in — my first move is mullein tea. We grow and wildcraft mullein right here on our land. I steep a good spoonful of the dried leaf, cover the cup, let it sit fifteen minutes or so. Drink it warm. We usually do two or three cups a day when someone's under the weather.

If it goes deeper than that, I'll switch to our Bronchial Support Tea. It's a blend we put together ourselves — mullein plus six other herbs we've chosen specifically for the chest and airways. It's a little more to throw at it when mullein alone isn't quite enough.

That's mostly it for a chest cold in this house. Tea in the cup, rest, and time.

The question I get asked most is how I know when to stop making tea and call the doctor. For me the signal is phlegm color. Clear or white, we stay the course with the herbs. Yellow or green, that's a different conversation and it's time to call. That's the line my grandmother used and it's held up. It's not complicated, but it's real.

I'm not a doctor and I don't pretend to be. What I am is someone who's watched these plants work for a long time, and someone who knows that herbs have a lane and medicine have a lane and they're not the same lane. The herbs are for the everyday. When things move past that, you pick up the phone.

If you want a broader look at how to think about using herbs — when to use them, what to expect, when to call the doctor — Greg put together a guide on the Learning Center: Using Herbs Confidently.

And if you want to try what we keep on the shelf, our mullein products are a good place to start.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Talk to your doctor before using any herbal supplement, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, managing a health condition, or taking medication.