Ingredients
The Devil’s Smoothie
Method:
At the first hint of symptoms (pre-sickness ache and weary feeling, all-over sore feeling, tickle at the back of the throat, pressure in sinuses, etc.) or at the onset of an illness for someone with whom you live or work closely, prepare and drink a Devil’s Smoothie.
Also of importance is avoiding processed sugars and dairy and getting plenty of sleep.
This concoction works based on a few principles:
1. Acidic foods such as citrus and cranberry are a boost to the immune system (also note that tomatoes work well for this).
2. Natural immuno-boosters such as vitamin C and ginger help avoid.
3. Natural antibiotics such as garlic, cranberry and Echinacea.
If I take the Devil’s Smoothie at the very first hint of getting sick, I do not come down with an illness at all. If for whatever reason I cannot take it right off, but do take it within a day of the first signs, my symptoms are greatly reduced and I am not sick for as long a period.
Needed:
A blender or a juicer.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups “Lemon Ginger Echinacea” juice by R.W. Knudsen *
1/2 cup unsweetened 100% cranberry juice
2 fresh lemons
Aproximately a tablespoon-sized chunk of fresh ginger root
2-4 fresh garlic cloves, depending on size.
3 or so squirts of Echinacea extract (check indications on bottle)
* If you cannot find this specific juice, use plain lemon juice as a replacement, with extra ginger and extra Echinacea. Try to find a lemon juice that is not sweetened with sugar, but instead sweetened mildly with other juices or honey. Or, get pure unsweetened lemon juice and mildly sweeten it yourself with honey. (Sugar hurts immune-system efficiency, especially processed sugar.)
Instructions
Peel ginger root and cut into small chunks.
2. Cut lemons into quarters to squeeze by had (or halves, if you have a juice press).
3. Peel garlic cloves, cut into halves (or thirds if larger).
4. Squeeze lemons into blender.
5. Add all other ingredients to blender.
6. Blend until fully mixed.
. Mixture should be pink in color and have froth on top. Strain into glass.
9. Drink! Expect a tingling sensation throughout your mouth and throat. The Devil’s Smoothie has a lot of bite, what with its potent ingredients. Be aware: For some people, raw garlic can be quite potent and can cause a moment of dizziness when it first hits the stomach. When you first try the Devil’s Smoothie, it would be wise to be sitting down.
Note: For those particularly daring, the pulp and chunks that are normally strained out can either be left in the drink, or eaten later for additional backup. (Morgan and I have in the past used the pulp in a ginger garlic citrus sauce for a stir fry, and it tasted great).
