Everyone has heard of the master cleanse right? I tried that diet / cleanse, among most others. I lasted almost 5 days before I was so hungry I was dreaming of lettuce to eat, desperate as I was. Well. I have to admit that the tonic you make on the Master Cleanse is pretty darn tasty and possibly has some nutritional value, but not nearly enough. That’s where my Spicy Metabolic Vanilla C Tonic comes into play. It’s my spin of the Master Cleanse tonic that is to be enjoyed whenever and where ever BUT not as a replacement for food! Note: I am not suggesting that you drink this as part of that cleanse, or any cleanse, that involves removing food because I am not a fan of cleanses – food is a good thing. I’m simply sharing a delicious and nutritious tonic that you can drink anytime.
Let me share a few of the possible nutritional benefits starting with the spicy cayenne in this tonic. My drink has evolved to contain both organic cayenne powder and the Dr. Christopher’s Hot Cayenne tincture. I first learned about Dr. Christopher’s Hot Cayenne tincture when I was doing research to create my Home Pharmacy (I’ll share that awesome post soon). This is in my medicine cabinet and my kitchen, which is why I bought two bottles. Some folks say that cayenne (and hot peppers) have been used medicinally for thousands of years with claims of it helping digestion, weight loss, cardiovascular health, and more… though I’d venture to say the hard science isn’t exactly ripe with tons of information. Still, I’m intrigued enough to have it on hand for all of the reputed health benefits it might offer me, including giving me a bit of an energy boost. Warning: this is spicy stuff so start with a small amount and build up as you desire, both for cayenne powder and Dr. Christopher’s Hot Cayenne Tincture.
Let’s get into something that has plenty of science to back it up: Vitamin C. If you research health benefits of vitamin C you’ll see everything from immune health to skin heath (anti aging especially) to cardiovascular health to fighting cancer and more. The list continues to grow as to its health properties. Spicy Metabolic Vanilla C Tonic has plenty of vitamin C and although it’s not in the form of liposomal vitamin C, it’s still beneficial. Some research says that if you want optimal absorption of high amounts of vitamin C, it needs to be in a liposomal form which I buy and tastes awful (for my Home Pharmacy Cabinet because of its packaging and shelf life), and I even make it at home myself which is cheaper but has limited shelf life (blog post about DIY Liposomal Vitamin C coming soon too). But, for this recipe I want the vitamin C found naturally in the citrus, as well as the boost of vitamin c from the food-based powder.
Spicy Metabolic Vanilla C Tonic
Yield 1 pint (1 serving)
- Juice of 1 organic lemon, lime, or grapefruit
- 3 to 4 drops vanilla (love this stuff)
- 1/4 to 1 teaspoon organic ground cayenne pepper and/or 2 to 10 drops Dr. Christopher’s cayenne tincture (build tolerance as you can)
- 4 drops vanilla creme stevia or 1 teaspoon raw manuka honey* (to taste)
- 1 tablespoon food based Vitamin C powder, optional
- Filtered water
Put all the ingredients in a bottle and shake shake shake!
*Manuka Honey is reputed for healing internally as well as externally. Yes, all quality raw honey has some wonderful healing powers, but Manuka Honey is showing to be in a class by itself. I keep a jar in both my medicine cabinet and my kitchen. It appears that for “true” manuka honey you want the label to have the “UMF” letters listed before the actual UMF number, as this shows the Manuka Honey is certified by the New Zealand Unique Manuka Factor Honey Association. The number itself gives a scale as to the potency of the honey’s Unique Manuka Factor. If a label reads 15+ or 16 or 20, but it doesn’t read “UMF 15+” or “UMF 16” then it might not be as potent. I’ve tried a few different brands of Manuka Honey where some were labeled with simply the number and the other was labeled “UMF 15” and there is a difference in strength of flavor so I prefer to purchase the one labeled with the actual letters “UMF.” Again, I’d say all raw honey is great, but if you want potent medicinal honey then get a Manuka Honey with the letters “UMF” and the number. Manuka Honey does indeed have a bit of a medicinal taste that I enjoy but it is a bit different. Still, I recommend getting some for the healing topical properties if for that alone.
