Do you have a blender? A grocery store nearby? If you do, you can make a tonic for the immune system very, very easily. This is an old recipe, and I’ve seen it called many things. I’ve always called it Immune Tonic. That seems to describe it perfectly. Immune Tonic and SpoonIt destroys bacteria, viruses, and fungi on contact. Colds and flu and, of course, COVID-19, are caused by viruses, not bacteria, though bacteria can cause secondary infections. Fungi cause fungus infections, such as fingernail and toenail fungus, athlete’s foot, and candida.

Step-by-Step:
Step one: Go to the store and buy some organic, raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar, an onion (white if possible, otherwise yellow), a head of garlic with fat cloves, a piece of horseradish, a piece of ginger root, and some cayenne peppers (habernero, serrano or some other hot variety- hottest you can find). For quantity, just remember you are going to need about the same volume of each one. Try for organic, if possible.

Step two: At home, wash the vegetables.  Peel all but the peppers and ginger.  Chop all but the peppers roughly, just enough to be able to tell when you have approximately the same amount of each. Remove the stems of the peppers, but leave them whole, since the juices can be irritating to skin and eyes. If you get any juice on your hands, wash with soap. Plain water will not remove the irritating substance. However, if you get some in your eyes (maybe by touching them with your hands) don’t panic. It will sting, but won’t damage your eyes. In fact, you may find you can see better afterward, since cayenne will increase circulation.

Step three: Pour some vinegar into a blender and add equal quantities of each of the five vegetables. Be sure you have just enough vinegar in the blender to make the blending easy. (You want to end up with a large proportion of vegetables to liquid).

Step four: Pour the whole thing into one or more jars with lids (mason jars with plastic lids are great). Leave enough space in the jars so you can shake the contents. If the lid is metal, place a plastic baggie or piece of plastic over the top of the jar before putting on the lid. Otherwise, the vinegar may corrode the metal of the lid.

Step five: Screw on the lid and try shaking the jar. It should shake in a liquid way. It should not say, “Thump, thump,” which it will do if it’s too dry. It should say, “Slosh, slosh.” Add more vinegar if it is thumping.  If necessary, use more jars.

Step six: Place the jars in a cupboard, so they can stay in the dark most of the time. You can tape paper over the glass if you can’t put the jars in a cupboard. Or drape the jars with a dishcloth – any means to keep the mixture out of the light.

Step seven: Every day, preferably several times a day, shake the bottles. Add more vinegar if needed to keep them sloshing.

Step eight: After 10 days to 2 weeks, the tonic will be ready to use. However, if someone is sick, go ahead and use it immediately. It just gets better and better while it soaks.

Options:
1. You can strain it. Use a strainer lined with a undyed or white cloth; then squeeze the cloth-wrapped vegetables to get the maximum liquid out of them. In that case, you can still eat the vegetable mash as well – for example, as a condiment for meat, or mixed into soup or stew.
2. You can eat it, as is – a combination of mashed vegetables and liquid.
3. You can put the strained liquid into any convenient bottle and use it by the teaspoon or tablespoon, mixing it with water, juice, or tea. If you are feeling under-par, take as much as you can, as quickly as you can. Do not wait until you feel worse! Add it to water, juice or tea. Optionally, add some echinacea, elderberry syrup or any other herb you have found efficacious.
4. You can put the strained liquid into dropper bottles.
5. You can add healthy sweetener, such as maple syrup or honey or elderberry syrup, and keep it in the refrigerator.
6. You can start the tincture at a new moon and squeeze it out at a full moon.
7. You can use the liquid as a salad dressing. (Add oil to the salad first, if you like, or shake the tincture up in a jar with some oil and some herbs.)

How it works:
Ginger: among many other actions, ginger increases circulation to the extremities. It also is an anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, expectorant, decongestant, and a digestive aid,
Cayenne: increases circulation everywhere, is a digestive aid, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial
Horseradish: increases circulation to the head and increases sweating. It is also an antiseptic, digestive aid, and is nutritious.
Garlic: strong anti-virus, anti-bacteria and anti-fungal, anti-parasite. Also, expectorant and increases sweating.
Onion: similar to garlic, though less potent