The recent and sudden dip in temps where I live have had me wanting to reach for warm beverages that are beneficial in sickness and in health. I thought it would be fun to share a spicy seasonal drink with you that will not only warm you up but might contain some added health benefits. Our Pomegranate Toddy is sure to help take the chill off of your bones and since there is a correlation between cancer and alcohol consumption, we will NOT be adding a splash of it to our Toddy. Also, drinking alcohol may not be a good idea for those of you who are wrestling with long-covid because it depletes co-factors like NAD that help make your mitochondria happy (alcohol impairs energy homeostasis), but I’m not a doctor, so this is not medical advice. You may recall that the benefits of NAD were shared in a previous newsletter.
About 2 weeks before my flight, I received a “post-viral” IV package that included things like NAD and Glutathione.
Be sure to check out the links for the educational/informational benefits of our Pomegranate Toddy that will be shared after the recipe.
Pomegranate Toddy Recipe
3-4 Cups of Water
1 TBL of Mulling Spice (dried orange peel, allspice, cloves, and cinnamon)
3 Star Anise (be sure to check out the star anise link to learn more about it and Tamiflu)
1 teaspoon of Pomegranate Peel Powder (purchase powder or dry the peel in a 170-degree convection oven and then use a grinder to pulverize into powder)
Gently simmer above ingredients for 15 minutes in a small, covered pot.
Strain liquid (you can use a coffee filter if you want the gritty pomegranate powder removed).
Stir in - Fresh Lemon Juice (1/2 of a fresh squeezed lemon per total batch).
This recipe makes enough to have 3-4 individual cups per day that can be enjoyed after meals as this may also be a good digestive aide. Simply reheat each cup.
To each cup of hot beverage, you can add a sweetener of your choice, to your taste-
A spoonful of Raw honey (is anticancer) or maple syrup or backstrap molasses.
A splash of fresh squeezed orange juice, cranberry juice, or pomegranate juice.
or any other natural sweetener of your choice.
Optional stir ins-
Dash of Cayenne pepper
Dash of Turmeric (Azure has organic Turmeric in bulk)
Dash of Ginger
Cheers!
If your local big Grocer has already replaced the pomegranates with chocolate hearts, you can still find pomegranates and other organic goodies at Azure Standard. If you are buying your pomegranates from Azure for the first time, entering my code-
StephanieSchaible2
at the link here-
will help me get some Azure credits. Thanks in Advance!
How to find an Azure drop near you- Find a Drop - Azure Standard
If you are interested in our other recipes, they can be found at this link-
Recipes | Leaving Death in the Dust | Stephanie Schaible, MT (ASCP) | Substack
AND here are the educational (cancer/covid) Pomegranate Toddy links:
Pomegranate extract could inhibit the virus that causes COVID-19
UCLA Health has been studying pomegranates for almost 20 years, Dr. Heber said. Research has shown pomegranates to have other advantages, such as:
Anti-cancer phytonutrients (similar to those of broccoli)
Health benefits of pomegranates extend throughout the body | UCLA Health
The chemical composition of star anise is diverse, and the most important and widely studied components are SAO and shikimic acid. SAO is volatile oil that is extracted from star anise fruit. It has a unique anise flavor and is widely used in the food and pharmaceutical industries because of its antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. In addition to SAO, the other important compound in star anise, shikimic acid, is the main component of Tamiflu, which was developed by the Swiss Roche Group. Tamiflu is the only specific drug recommended by the International Health Organization to be used to treat the highly pathogenic avian influenza of the H5N1 subtype. Currently, the main industrial use of shikimic acid is for the synthesis of Tamiflu, and this has attracted widespread attention towards organic acids. Before 2000, shikimic acid was generally used as a chemical raw material to be converted into other chemicals and chemical reagents.A Comprehensive Review of the Pharmacology, Chemistry, Traditional Uses and Quality Control of Star Anise (Illicium verum Hook. F.): An Aromatic Medicinal Plant - PMC
Scroll down to chart in Table 1 to learn more about the herbs/spices used in our Toddy. Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Antiviral Properties of Herbal Materials - PMC
The health benefits of cayenne pepper include improvements in regard to digestion, immunity, heart diseases, dyspepsia, inflammation, headache, throat congestion, and blood circulation. Cayenne pepper improves the effectiveness of other herbs.(PDF) Blood Circulation Stimulation Properties of Cayenne Pepper:A Review
Honey and cancer: A mechanistic review - PubMed
NAD+ in COVID-19 and viral infections - PMC
In People with Cancer, Heavy Drinking is Common - NCI
A friendly reminder from our last newsletter to those who are sick and among us,
In a go big or go home world, it ok to be little….
Sickness and St. Therese have helped teach me that in a go big or go home world full of thornless roses, CEOs, and over whelming Ikea choices; it’s ok to be a simple little spring flower (or in my case, autumnal flower) who is simply thankful; thankful for little things like a little zinnia sprouting and blooming (without fragrance) in late November. I am also thankful for the company of chickens and the chicken whisperer, aka my husband, who brought the chickens home with him last year. It seems as if sickness is teaching me much about what it means to be little, little like a child who is dependent upon the care of a loving father and mother, or like a little child in the care of her heavenly Father. The struggle to become more and more dependent on God is very real, especially for those of us Americans who were brought up to become successful at being independent. As I wrestled with all of the sick little thoughts running through my head this past week, I saw God’s sense of humor in the marital changing of my last name to Schaible, which according to an authentic German woman who sat next to me during Bible study once upon a time, means something like “little” or as confirmed by Grandma Search Engine- the name Schaible means something like a whisp of straw or a small basket. This led to more thoughts about fading flowers (especially roses) and withering whisps of grass, bruised (but not broken) reeds, not hiding light under baskets, being turned into a little child, and Alan Jackson’s Little Bitty song about life being short and how finding yourself in a little town can teach you how to be little and to enjoy the little things that are all around you.
Best Wishes,
My name is Stephanie, I can do hard things, and Leaving Death in the Dust was created in sickness and with hope for healthy healing. ******Remember to pray first.
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*Leaving Death in the Dust is a newsletter and is not a replacement for professional, regulated, medical, healthcare. This is informational and educational. Some of us in this community may have worked in the healthcare system, but we are not your medical provider and whatever you find here is not the establishment of a professional medical relationship or medical advice. **That is an MT behind my name not an MD.