[Question] Any suggestions to help with chest congestion? My teen felt a cold coming last night (had 2 packages of Emergen-C) and this morning felt congested. Would lemon balm help or mullion be better?

[Mick’s Answer] If you have both, you might consider mixing them. Mullein is great for respiratory stuff, and lemon balm is both antiviral and a mild synergist. You can also cut a yellow onion in half and have him rub it all over his chest, in order to smear the juice on his chest like the Vicks Vapor Rub that our moms and grandmas used on us when we were little and sick. He’ll smell like an onion, but it will help (especially if he does that every couple of hours)… and if you have any thyme, it wouldn’t hurt to throw it in, too.

So I’d boil a quart of water. While it’s boiling, put the herbs in the jar. I’d use 2 teaspoons of thyme, 3 tablespoons of mullein leaf, and… rip open a tea bag and measure how much lemon balm is in it. I’d use 2 – 3 teaspoons of lemon balm. Pour the boiling water into the jar, cover, and let steep for at least 10 minutes before he drinks the first cup. He shouldn’t strain the leaves out of the part that he hasn’t drunk yet, because the longer it steeps, the more medicinal the tea will be. If he drinks a cup every 2 or 3 hours, that would be good.