Anti Viral Elixirs and Tinctures made from Kalonji or Nigella Sativa (containing thymoquinone)

 

What if there were a seed that contained compounds that slow down and thwart COVID. People might wonder the best way to take it, right?  

Sure, you could eat seeds, directly.  And I even found recipes for foods-- mostly Turkish and Pakistani, using Kalonji.  Cauliflower in butter with Kalonji seeds was tasted nice enough.

But what about beverages?

Historically, people made elixirs (sweetened beverages with healing properties) and tinctures (unsweetened high ethanol based healing beverages) with herbs, seeds, berries (Gin) and other various compounds that fight maladies and boost health; so I set out to make one using Organic Kalonji or Nigella Sativa based on some recent medical research and findings in India for its use to fight COVID.  Why Nigella Sativa?  Extraordinary findings are why. 

The Times India reports of Australian research:  

"There is growing evidence from modelling studies that thymoquinone, an active ingredient of Nigella Sativa, more commonly known as the Fennel Flower, can stick to the COVID- 19 virus spike protein and stop the virus from causing a lung infection.

The Australian study is published in the journal Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology.

To make a tincture in this case, 1. you just start with something 80 proof or higher-- 40% ethanol.  Vodka has the least added flavoring vs. Gin or Whiskey.  

2. Add 1/2 purified water.  

3. Grind up your seeds, spices and herbs-- Kalonji alone is a bit odd to the taste-- like ashes, so a spice like cinnamon and or nutmeg can save the day, altering the flavor profile to something more "delicious" and "amazing".  

4. Add your seeds and spices to a bottle of vodka that's on its way out, and let stand for 4 weeks... or 4 hours. Ethanol will preserve the ingredients for months if not years, so you don't need to worry about refrigeration to avoid spoil.  You can strain or not strain-- the seeds in this are edible fiber.  You can sweeten a tincture too, but I saved that for a proper elixir version. 

For an Elixir, I infused some old brandy I made from homemade wine, vermouth I had laying around and Elderberry juice powder. Brandy is sweetened wine, with vodka mixed to bring the ethanol content up to the 20% range, vs. wine at 12%.  It's a sweeter mix to be sure, but no worse a vehicle to transport the black seeds chemistry to the body.  Elderberry juice is a food with very high levels of Quercetin, which is a zinc "ionophore" (a chemical that allows zinc to kill viruses) much more readily.  

Capers are even higher in quercetin, so, I'm think very dirty Martinis using the black seed tincture and giant capers. Dill and Arugula ("rocket") are also high in quercetin, and can taste great mixed as juice in the tincture of vodka.  

Links about Nigella Sativa and COVID19:

https://onedaymd.aestheticsadvisor.com/2021/08/black-seed-and-covid-19-australian.html

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/diet/kalonji-for-the-treatment-of-covid-19-infection-all-about-it/articleshow/85303820.cms

Quercetin with Zinc (elements contained in Nigella Sativa too):

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04468139

https://www.superfoodly.com/quercetin-foods/