Holy Cow!  Master Tonic is HOT, HOT, HOT!  I have found that the only way I can drink it is to coat my mouth and throat with milk first, do my shot of it, and immediately follow it with more milk.  I can tell the difference in my health when I drink it regularly, but that's the hardest part - drinking it!!  I guess ya eventually get used to it??

This is the most amazing stuff! The pulp has become my go-to seasoning for everything. We even made a rub for our Thanksgiving turkey with it. It's great on chicken too. I put it in every soup, stew, and bbq sauce. I make salad dressing with it. It's also delicous when frying potatoes. I've been taking the tonic daily and so far have not had even a sniffle this winter -- I work in a Dr.'s office and I'm exposed to sick people everyday. The tonic is a little hard for me to get down, so I take small amounts, hold my breath and chase it with water. It's a great digestive aid taken just before or during a meal.

Is there any detriment to taking Master Tonic daily?  I've read others who have cautioned against taking too much garlic as it could disrupt the balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut, and since MT is like a suped up version of garlic remedy, it would seem logical that it could also have this effect?  (Although I certainly would not think it would be anywhere near the degree of what antibiotics do.)  Just wondering...

When I was seeing a Naturopathic Dr, he advised me to eat 2 whole (chewed-up), raw garlic cloves daily.  I would think this is not more than the equivalent in Master Tonic.   This may have had the effect of killing my gut bacteria, I dunno.  The focus in me being there was to fix digestion, so he was also focused on culturing my gut, with miso, yogurt and such.   I would think that even the 'harshness' of the horseradish, peppers, etc in Master Tonic may have similar effect on gut microbials ?  Do gut bacteria get burned by habanero infusion, LOL ?  Dunno.

However, after reading your comment, I found this article :  

http://med.stanford.edu/ism/2010/june/sonnenburg.html

The part of the article that most applies to your comment, it says that researchers introduced 2 human gut microbes to mice who were otherwise raised in a sterile environment.  When fed inulin, the b.b. proliferated.  :

The complex carbohydrate the Stanford researchers added to the mice’s diet was inulin, which is found in certain bulbous plants — onions, garlic, Jerusalem artichokes — and has gained wide use as a prebiotic supplement (for instance, in yogurt or in powdered form) by people who believe it encourages the proliferation of healthful “good” bacteria. We humans can’t digest inulin on our own, but some bacteria are equipped with genes that encode enzymes capable of sawing through the chemical links joining this substance’s constituent sugar molecules.

Also, from this article : http://www.candidacured.com/candidadiet/2-Garlic.html

It has been proven in the laboratory to kill every bacteria known, and at the same time, unlike antibiotics, it does not harm your important friendly intestinal flora bacteria.

Dont know how true these are, but thought I'd share them in the discussion.

Marlene,

If you let the Master Tonic settle, just take a teaspoon off the top (don't shake first) and give it straight. Chase with water and honey. Or add to soup, rice, broth, etc.

I just add it to food I'm cooking, as ds won't take it straight. But, ideally 1-4x per day for a few days, as needed. I take a dose at the first sign of a sniffle or scratchy throat, and follow a few hours later with some kefir.

I do not take it every day. But, I do add some to food once or twice a week, most weeks.

Pat

Some comments on the above posts--

Thanks, this is even easier to make without peeling the veggies.  BTW if anyone struggles with garlic peeling though, there is a kitchen tool which is a silicone tube that you slide the garlic into and roll it under your palm on the counter.  It grabs hold of the skin and removes it entirely and quickly.  They are about $5 and worth the money!! 

Kids--My one year old and I both love this with coconut milk in scrambled eggs.  I also add it to chilli, soups, etc and use it as the vineagr in salad dressings.  Then hubby and my 4 year old like it too.  Cooking--I try to add it to the end of cooking to maintain the raw benefit of the ACV.  But if it works out only to add it in the beginning it's still good.  

Vinegar--I use Omega brand ACV which is stored in opaque plastic bottles--this reduces the damage caused by oxidation to ACV compared to a brand like Baggs ehich id in clear glass.   But then you have the plastic vs. glass thing to worry about! 

Dosage--I use this in cooking, have never taken it on its own.  It is totally delicious!  I go a bit heavier on the onion and garlic as compared to doing equal parts of everything, b/c our family enjoys those tastes more.  I think it's just a great thing however and whenever you use it!

Other Herbs--Susun Weed, a herbalist, encourages the creation of herbal vinegars as a calcium supplement and culinary aid.  Parsley is on her list of herbs with a high calcium content.  Her vinegars soak for 6 weeks; I imagine this could go that long too for maximum goodness..  I just decant my batch whenever my last batch is used up.

Sarah, personally, I wouldn't. I think part of the properties are the raw aspect and the enzymes.

Pat

I'm sure some ferment benefits are lost with cooking but not the herbal constituents.

Pat

It turned out that I made it in 2 pint jars...maybe I'll do one in the juicer and one not.  Do you think if it's so strong it will still take 1-2oz per serving?  I've never made it before.   How long will the pulp last for seasoning and how do you store that?  Thanks for your help!

I made my first batch in the food processor. My friend hand-chopped hers. Mine might cure you by just opening the jar. LOL

But it is HARD to swallow. Her kids will take hers. It was hard to strain out the pureed bits at 2 weeks. But, if you let the jar settle, you can just take the liquid off the top. It is slightly less horrible. ;-)

I too use the strained bits in cooking.

Pat

Made it...now I have some questions...

What sort of body response do you have after a dose?  We've had a lot of strong winds the last few days blowing pollen and dust.  On the mornings that I've felt stopped up I've taken a dose...good thing I guess is that afterward I have drainage.?.?

I barely covered the pulp with more ACV and keep it in the fridge.  I've used it in salsa and other dishes.  I also put a large spoon of pulp into some home made stock.  I try to drink at least 2 cups of bone broth a day and it gives it a little zing!

I was wondering about putting a spoon of the pulp into some beets that I plan to lacto ferment.  Will there be too much acid to allow for fermentation?

Sorry too many questions!

I dont know anything about the drainage, I dont have allergies. 

I store my pulp in the fridge, in a jar with lid.  I dont add any vinegar to cover , it seems to store fine. 

I dont suppose a spoonful of pulp in what I assume to be a gallon of beets would be too acid for fermentation.  I dont necesarily think it would be too acid even for a qt of beets.  Maybe just make sure you squeeze out excess vinegar if you are worried about it.    Vinegar itself is a fermented product and if it's raw is continuously fermenting, in it's acidity.

Garlic turns blue/green when bruised. It is fine. It is not mold. Garlic just does this.

Pat

hey pat, would this be considered a ferment?

could you add water and salt instead of apple cidar vinegar to make it fermented vegetables