Kill Your Cold

Whenever I find a great product, I am excited to share it with my readers. Today’s superhero product is a fierce and fiery cocktail that can knock out an oncoming cold with a powerful A-list of ingredients.

So, what’s in the brew?

The ingredients are simple and always fresh: onion, garlic, horseradish root, ginger root, turmeric root, habanero peppers, fresh oregano, orange, and lemon. These potent foods are fermented in a combination of unfiltered, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar and unfiltered, unpasteurized kombucha vinegar. The result is a powerful kick to help strengthen your immune system and fight illness. Find out more about these healing foods.

How about just taking Advil (Ibuprofen) and Tylenol (Acetaminophen)?

You sure can, but these (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory) drugs have significant, detrimental, well-documented short-term and long-term side effects. Side effects range from upset stomach to kidney and liver damage. Every body is different, so reactions will range from mild to extreme. I recently broke out in a rash. Last week I visited a dermatologist and she diagnosed psoriasis. Surprisingly, she asked me if I’d been taking Advil. Against my better judgment I’d been taking a lot of it for a spate of recent headaches, and she believed that to be the culprit.

The beauty about True Tonic is that it treats the infection, not just the symptoms; also it is all food-based, and these foods have been used as medicines—mostly in other cultures—for thousands of years. It’s exciting to find all these ingredients carefully and strategically combined in one place.

Who made it and why? Is it local?

While working as an elementary school teacher,Founder Deven Penn was constantly getting sick from viruses and bacteria that kids brought into the classroom. One day, a fellow teacher shared a recipe of powerful herbs and vinegar to battle common ailments. Deven was amazed with the results, and after a little tweaking, he began to brew True Tonic out of his home kitchen in Austin. Friends and family kept asking for more and Deven realized it was time to create a company and started selling it.

In Deven’s words: We want to give people an alternative to antibiotics and other potentially harmful medicines. The reason we want to share this with you is because it has worked so well for us.

Is it yummy or disgusting?

It turns out that everyone’s palate is different. I thought it was tolerable, my 10-year nearly gagged (below), and some of Deven’s fans enjoy the taste.

Many people, including myself, absolutely love the flavor of the tonic and find culinary uses like salad dressings, soups, stir fries, and marinades. Some people don’t love the idea of drinking “salad dressing” but like the benefits and drink it anyway. If you fall into this category (and many kids will), dilute it with a little bit of fruit or vegetable juice or mix it into chicken broth. The less sugar, the better.

What are people saying about it?  Testimonial

Is it organic?

Deven tries to get everything organic as possible. Since he’s working with seasonal and somewhat exotic roots and herbs it is sometimes hard to get everything organic. In the last few batches, it’s all been organic except the horseradish root. So it’s not certified, but the passion and mission is there to make it as pure as possible.

What’s the dose?

It depends on whether you’re using it as a daily wellness tonic, a first-sign-of-sickness buster, or a healing remedy once you’re sick. Do you need to strengthen your immune system or are you fighting a cold? Deven says: Some people take a teaspoon, others, a tablespoon, and some, a full shot glass or even more. Some people like it in the morning on an empty stomach, and others take it in the evening after a meal. You need to experiment to see what works best for you. When I take this tonic for daily health maintenance I do a little shot in the morning. If I’m actually fighting something I take it three times a day—morning, noon, and night. To fight off illness it’s best to drink it straight. For detoxification, you can mix it with water and drink it throughout the day.

What’s the shelf life? Can I travel with it?

Lab testing shows that it stays good for about six months in the pantry, like a condiment. Once you put it in the refrigerator it doesn’t go bad.

Where can I get it?

True Tonic can be found at various locations in Austin. You can also order it online.