I have been looking into alternative medicine & have found a great homemade tonic for flu & viruses. It does not have to be refrigerated,& the shelf life is indefinite.According to the source,it is a modern day plague tonic, which has also been used to treat chronic diseases.I don't know about that, but I can say I started mixing it up a few months ago & everyone in my family has used it with excellent results.It is very powerful!!! In our case,when used at first signs of illness,& taken twice a day it worked almost immediately.Of course when you take that first dose you think it's going to kill you!!! You'll see what I mean when you see the ingredients. It only burns a couple of minutes.Mix the following in a quart Jar.(preferably a brown jar)I covered mine with foil to keep out the light & I have mixed up enough to last my family a couple years. 1/2 cp fresh chopped garlic cloves 1/2 cp fresh chopped white onions (as hot as you can get) 1/2 cp fresh grated ginger root 1/2 cp fresh grated horseradish root 1/2 cp fresh chopped cayenne peppers (habeneros if available) Fill to the top of jar with raw,unfiltered,unbleached,non-distilled apple cider vinegar. (from health food store.I use Braggs) Close & shake vigorusly.Begin this formula on the New moon & strain & bottle on full moon.Approx.14 days.Leave it on the kitchen counter & shake at least once every day.(discard garlic etc)...Be sure to use all fresh vegatables & herbs.The dosage is 1/2 to 1 ounce two or more times daily,gargle & swallow. the garlic is anti-bacterial,anti-fungal,anti-viral,anti-parasitical white onions have the same properties as garlic

-- Kara (JCclass69@aol.com), January 28, 1999

Answers

Its hard to catch a flu or virus after drinking that concoction. Virus's and colds don't usually manifest themselves into a dead body. Besides your breath would be enough to keep the sick people away so no contagion problem either. :)

-- Greg (skipy@ix.netcom.com), January 28, 1999.

And after taking thie "remedy" you only have to suffer with the cold for two weeks

-- (sdfgsf@sdfhgstr.com), January 28, 1999.

Begin this formula on the New moon & strain & bottle on full moon...

I'm afraid, Kara, you've just told us all we need to know about your reality testing.

Sorry to be so blunt, but visitors need to know that we're not New Age kooks following the latest fad.

-- Ned (entaylor@cloudnet.com), January 28, 1999.

Uh Ned,

As much as I enjoyed reading your warm, fuzzy comments, did it ever occur to you that the instructions are just another way of saying "two weeks"? This forum has a lot of good comments, but some people's posts give new meaning to the word "snide". A little patience (and kindness) couldn't hurt.

Kara,

Thanks for the info. You never know when it might come in handy. All I have to do is work up the courage to try it. :)

-- Scarlett (ohara@tara.net), January 28, 1999.

I wasn't trying to be 'snide'. I was trying to be 'blunt'. Sorry if my prose isn't equal to the task.

More bluntness. Folk medicine, astrology, etc. have existed since the dawn of time. Remedies like this one were there aplenty in 1348 when a quarter of Europe died of the plague. If they made a difference, nobody has noticed. Mortality rates plunged with the introduction of sanitation, immunization, antisepsis, and antibiotics. People just do not realize what a singular thing it is, historically, that most people can expect to see all their children live to reach adulthood. Science has given us that. People who can say thinks like 'begin this formula on the new moon...' betray their ignorance of all that science has brought us.

And before someone starts about the evils of modern medicine... if my child had meningitis, I'd give my eyes for penicillin to cure him, if I had to. And I hope Kara would too.

-- Ned (entaylor@cloudnet.com), January 28, 1999.

Actually, I use a more modern version of the same thing......cayenne, garlic, and the other "hots" are strongly recommended by herbalists for colds and viral infections, as are astraglagus (as a daily tonic) and echinecea (as part of the cold fighter, not on a daily basis).

All of the above serve to enhance the immune system, allowing the body to fight off the cold. They also are available in capsules......don't have to taste the stuff!!!!! Add some vitamin C in large quantity, and some zinc, and it works wonders.

Taken at the first symptom they do reduce both the severity and the duration of colds.

And, for our modern medicine scoffer, many of these herbal remedies that we only hear about in this country have been adopted into the medical system in Europe. It seems their pharmaceutical companies can make enough money without making fun of 'alternative medicine.' Agreed, we know a lot more about sanitation and cleanliness now, and there have been some great advances due to science and modern medicine. But, this doesn't mean that the old ways don't also work. The fact that they did something before all these advances indicate that there's something to them. It's real easy to scoff at things of which you're ignorant.

-- De (dealton@concentric.net), January 29, 1999.