Affiliates note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. My content may contain affiliate links to products and services. If you click through and make a purchase, I'll receive a small commission. It does not affect the price you pay.
How to Boost Your Immunity – Part 3 – Including Beef Tonics
In today’s vodcast, I’m continuing my series on how to boost your immunity to prevent illness. In Part 3 of my three-part series, I focus on the types of tonics we may want to take in the event we become sick. The tonics we select, including beef tonics, may help shorten the duration of our illness and help us recover quicker.
These conversational vodcasts are available to the Kitchen Pioneers who have joined my YouTube membership community—The Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy.
*Affiliates note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. My content may contain affiliate links to products and services. If you click through and make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission. It does not affect the price you pay.
A Word of Caution about Home Remedies
Approach all home remedies with knowledge and caution. Many home remedies and healing tonics include herbs, and many herbs have potent medicinal properties and have been used as medicine for centuries.
If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication (over the counter or prescription), having allergies, or thinking of using medicinal herbs or home remedies with children, make sure you first talk to your doctor, pediatrician, or other health care professional. You want to ensure that the home remedies you plan to use will not adversely affect you or your children. I can’t stress this enough! Herbs are medicine. Never be casual or negligent in their use.
Ok, let’s start talking about using home remedies and healing tonics to boost immunity.
The Healing Power of Beef Tonics
Have you ever heard of beef extract? Or how about beef tea? If not, you’re not alone. Unfortunately, today’s modern world has almost completely forgotten about these healing beef tonics.
But if you are sick and have very little appetite, a beef extract might be what our grandmothers would have given us. This simple-to-prepare tonic involves slightly cooking an inexpensive piece of beef and then squeezing out the juice (the blood) from the meat in what was known to our ancestors as a beef press.
This beef extract would then be given to the patient in a small amount. The intent was to increase the production of gastric juices that would encourage the patient to eat. The hope was that by eating, the patient could build up their strength and begin their healing journey.
Beef Tea as an Alternative to Beef Extract
Don’t worry if beef extract seems like a bit too much for your patient to handle. You can turn it into a beef tea through the following steps:
- Take a bit of the beef extract.
- Mix it with hot water.
- Serve it to the patient as a tea.
This mild and comforting beverage helps hydrate those feeling ill and lacking appetite. A similar effect to beef extract, beef tea also encourages the production of gastric juices to help increase the patient’s appetite.
Learn More about Healing Tonics
If you find the topic of beef tonics, such as beef extract and beef tea, fascinating, be sure to watch today’s member video. You’ll learn about a whole host of healing tonics to help you and your family fight off illness and hopefully recover quickly from common maladies.
For a collection of helpful books to assist you in discovering and making healing tonics, be sure to check out:
Fanny Farmer Books
If you are fond of perusing used bookstores, especially those that carry antique or vintage books, keep your eyes open for Food and Cookery for the Sick and Convalescent, which includes a description of beef tonics. (You can also download a free electronic version of the book.) This book was published in 1904 and written by Fannie Farmer.
If Fannie Farmer sounds familiar to you, she also wrote the more well-known Boston Cooking School Cookbook. Her Food and Cookery for the Sick and Convalescent book is priceless when it comes to advice to feeding the sick. Often the old ways are the best ways!
Other Kitchen Academy Videos in This Series
If you’ve missed out on any of our previous Kitchen Academy videos – specifically Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, you can catch up with the following videos. I have lots of great information to share to fend off common illnesses that we tend to become susceptible to during the coming cold months.
Stock Your Pantry with Home Remedies
If you have been motivated by this series, I hope you will start to stock your pantry with some of your own homemade remedies. Be sure to watch the videos below, where I share how to make some of the most common yet most helpful of these healing tonics.
If you are new to making home remedies, including tonics, this easy cold and flu preparation is for you! It contains four simple ingredients you whirl up in a blender and then refrigerate.
You can take this remedy by the spoonful when a cold or flu hits or turn it into a tea for something a bit milder. Either way, you will find it comforting when you are under the weather.
Master Herbal Recipes
Watch my Master Herbal Series to learn about standard formulas to help you create the particular home remedy you need using the appropriate herbs and other healing agents for your particular situation.
Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
My comprehensive vodcasts are exclusively available to members of the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy, who we call Kitchen Pioneers. You can learn more about my optional YouTube membership community, including members-only videos and exclusive perks.
If you like learning about traditional foods and healing, such as using beef tonics, please consider joining my Kitchen Academy.
This membership community is optional. I’m still publishing my weekly detailed instructional cooking videos on my public YouTube channel that you can watch for free. (Thanks so much for being a Sweet Friend and subscriber!)
More Kitchen Pioneer Videos
As a Kitchen Pioneer member, your YouTube video comments include a special badge next to your YouTube username. You’re always welcome to post questions and comments on my videos, and I’m happy to reply.
Catch up on some of the videos in our membership community that you may not have seen:
- Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy video playlist (Optional Membership Community)
Here’s a sampling of my member videos:
Trending Posts on Mary’s Nest
Stay in Touch with Mary’s Nest
- Subscribe to My YouTube Channel for Traditional Foods Videos (Free) - When you subscribe, be sure to click on the notification bell that will let you know each time I upload a new video.
- Subscribe to Mary’s Traditional Foods Newsletter (Free) - Get a free 36-page eBook for signing up: How to Stock Your Essential Traditional Foods Four-Corners Pantry.
- Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy (Optional Paid) - For more detailed videos, live streams, and exclusive members-only perks, join my YouTube membership community.
- Preorder The Modern Pioneer Cookbook (Optional Paid) - Get a printed book of Mary's nourishing recipes from a Traditional Foods Kitchen. This cookbook will be published by Penguin Random House with their DK imprint.
I look forward to having you join me in my Texas Hill Country Kitchen!
Shop for items used in this blog post or video
Favorite Kitchen Supplies
- Chef’s Knife
- Bamboo Cutting Board
- Lodge Cast Iron Frying Pan
- Scanpan
- Spatula Spoon
- Whisk
- Large Stock Pot
- Stainless Steel Colander
- Large Measuring Cup
- Stainless Steel Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Baking Sheet
- 2-Cup Glass Storage Jars with Lids
- 10-Piece Glass Bowl Set
- Flour Sack Towels
- Fat Separator
- Favorite Aprons
More Kitchen Supplies with Promo Codes
- Mockmill Grain Grinder and Whole Grains (including Einkorn, Emmer, and Spelt)
Use my Mockmill affiliate link for a special one-time 5% discount on Mockmill Stone Grain Mill products, including the new Flake Lover's Flaker. (The Mockmill discount will appear when you checkout.)
Use promo code MARYSNST for a one-time 15% off Masontops and Breadsmart products on Amazon.com.
Amazon Shop and Shopping Guide
- Visit Mary’s Nest Amazon Shop
- Visit my Shopping Guide page
Get up to 15% off for stocking your Traditional Foods Pantry and equipping your Modern Pioneer Kitchen, including discounts from US Wellness Meats, Mockmill Grain Mill, Masontops, Cultures for Health, Survival Garden Seeds, Redmond Real Salt, Plan to Eat, and More!
Recommended Reading
**Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor, a medical professional, a dietician, or a nutritionist. All content found on the MarysNest.com website, including text, images, videos, eBooks or eGuides, social media, or other formats, were created solely for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or proper nutritional advice. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have watched in a video or read on this website. Use caution when following the recipe in this video. The creator and publisher of this video and website will not be held responsible for any adverse effects that may arise from the use of this recipe and method or any other recipe and method on this website or corresponding video channel.
