Hi Folks, so because people are getting sick left and right these days I feel compelled to post this recipe. This is the latest, improved version of what I called Vulcan’s Hammer in my last newsletter (which is basically a kind of Fire Cider). As always, check the disclaimer at the top of this page: this is not intended as medical advice, and please check with your licensed health care professional before using this or any similar recipe, especially if you’re pregnant.

A lot of people are reporting getting tremendous benefits from this formula, including quick recovery from colds or flu. When I feel run down or notice the first signs a cold or flu is coming on, a teaspoon or two of this tincture boosts my energy and knocks the symptoms right out. I find that taking a teaspoon a day as a preventive, and another spoon or two before and after I work with patients who are already sick keeps me healthy.

My patients are mentioning similar results. I’ve heard from others who started taking it after they already got sick that a tablespoon every couple of hours helped them recover very quickly, like from a flu in just a day or so. In my humble opinion, this is quite simply one of the most powerful formulas I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with – and it’s easy to make yourself and inexpensive to boot. I’m calling this version Manavastra, which roughly translates to “Manu’s Divine Weapon” 🙂

Here’s the recipe:

Manavastra

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. fresh crushed garlic

2 Tbsp. fresh chopped onion

2 Tbsp. fresh grated or chopped ginger root

2 Tbsp. fresh grated or chopped horseradish root

2 Tbsp. fresh chopped hot peppers, preferably cayenne

2 Tbsp. fresh chopped turmeric root

1 Tbsp. fresh chopped basil

1/2 Tbsp. fresh chopped oregano

1/2 Tbsp. fresh chopped mint leaves

1/4 tsp of black pepper

Zest of about 1/4 of an organic lemon

Unflitered organic Apple cider vinegar, such as Bragg’s.

Instructions

Simply put the solid ingredients into a one cup glass jar (8 fluid ounces in size), fill it completely with the apple cider vinegar, and cover tightly. If you have a different size glass container available, just scale the recipe appropriately – for example, if you’re going to use a quart sized jar, multiply all the quantities by 4.

Place the jar in a cupboard or other cool, dark place (no refrigeration needed) on top of a plate or in a bowl (it may ferment and overflow). Shake it well once a day for at least two weeks (but you can let it soak for two months or longer if you wish). Then strain out the herbs using a cheesecloth or other filter and squeeze tight to get all the liquid out of them that you can. Place the liquid tincture in an airtight jar, label it, and store in a cool dry place.

Option: once you strain it, add 2 Tbsp of local raw honey to the tincture and mix well. Taste and add more if you like. Caution: do not give raw honey to young children.

Edit: I forgot to mention the kind of emotional quality this formula seems to have; after I take it, I feel my upper body relax and experience a sensation of being open, expanded and joyful. I just can’t say enough good things about this formula!

Edit: some people have been asking for an “emergency” formula they can take when they don’t have a tincture already prepared. Here’s what I use: 1 tbsp fresh basil, 2 tsp fresh oregano, 2 tsp fresh mint, 2 cloves crushed garlic (note: it’s very important the cloves be crushed, not simply chopped), the juice of one lime or half a lemon, 2 tsp fresh ginger, one half cup water; I put in a blender and blend thoroughly.  I try to drink this whenever I start to feel an illness coming on, and every time I’ve tried it it’s stopped the bug in its tracks.   Although these are common kitchen herbs, if you research them you’ll see they all have powerful antibiotic and antiviral properties.

Edit: OK for those who wanted to know about the research available about the ingredients, here’s a few references (each ingredient shows evidence of multiple effects, so I’m concentrating mostly on respiratory conditions like colds or flu; this is just a sample of what’s out there and is by no means exhaustive):

Garlic

http://www.clinicalnutritionjournal.com/article/S0261-5614(11)00231-7/abstract#/article/S0261-5614(11)00231-7/abstract

http://alicin.rs/wp-content/uploads/CommonCold.pdf

Onion

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924224407002282 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691503003508 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030881461200653X – http://permaculturenews.org/2013/04/12/layers-of-healing-realizing-the-power-of-the-ordinary-onion/

Ginger

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/article/fresh-ginger-zingiber-officinale-has-anti-viral-activity-against-human http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/honey-and-ginger-beat-antibiotics-inhibiting-superbugs http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/garlic-and-ginger-inhibit-drug-resistant-bacteria

Horseradish

http://www.lef.org/magazine/2009/11/Horseradish-Protection-Against-Cancer-And-More/Page-01 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11237192 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4656704

Cayenne

http://www.vitasearch.com/get-clp-summary/22367 http://www.vitasearch.com/get-clp-summary/35751 http://sarahcannonresearch.com/your-health/index.dot?id=21645&lang=English&db=hlt&ebscoType=static&widgetTitle=Oncology

Turmeric

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20026048. http://academicjournals.org/ajmr/PDF/Pdf2009/May/Ehsanollah%20et%20al.pdf http://jmm.sgmjournals.org/content/59/4/429.long. http://web.nchu.edu.tw/pweb/users/taiwanfir/research/9906.pdf http://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2014/186864/

Basil

http://www.pubfacts.com/detail/16173941/Antiviral-activities-of-extracts-and-selected-pure-constituents-of-Ocimum-basilicum.

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf051922

Oregano

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf049859g http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23484421

Mint

http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/11549238

Edit: I played around a bit with different dosages of raw honey, and found that the best ratio I like is roughly one-fifth to one-quarter honey by volume, e.g., four tablespoons tincture, one tablespoon or a bit more honey.