Tonics and Antidotes: The keys to health and survival in the modern world

A lot of people ask what the difference between a tonic and an antidote is. Here’s a simple answer.

A tonic is something that you take to keep you from having a flare-up. An antidote is what you take when you are already having one.
They are often the same thing, but are used in very different quantities or potencies. Here’s a real personal story to illustrate…

I was traveling through Europe drinking coffee and waiting to change planes in the very early morning hours. Too late did I realized that the municipal water there was disinfected with chloramine, a chemical made from ammonia and chlorine. I am quite reactive to chloramine and sustained exposure could very well hospitalize or even kill me. Those two cups of coffee couple with the many other environmental stresses of traveling quickly began to take me down. Sounds became annoyingly loud and garbled. Lights were too bright and every scent was painful. I was in the middle of a world class flare-up without any of my usual botanical remedies in sight.

Every store and restaurant in the airport was closed except for the pizza shack. I ordered two slices with no cheese, nothing but sauce. They allowed me to cover the slices with a thick layer of crushed oregano which I choked down with a can of root beer. It worked! That massive dose of oregano gave me enough of a boost to make it onto the plane where I gratefully slept it off. Hallelujah!

This is what I mean by “Being a MacGyver”; developing the knack of anti-doting yourself with the materials available around you. Herbs and spices are potent anti-oxidants and tonics for health. And with a strong enough dose you can antidote yourself back from a flare-up.

As the master of your own health and destiny you owe it to yourself to discover the plants that boost you up energetically, clear that foggy brain and make you healthy, strong and resilient. Use them whenever you feel yourself flagging (as a tonic) and as an antidote when you are sinking fast. Remember to rotate those tonics every six weeks or so to combat tolerance to them.

Wishing you All the Best!

Larry Plesent