Tequila? In a health forum?
For the millions of people who have crashed and
burned after enjoying a
little too much tequila, the appearance of a
thread titled "Tequila" in the
General Health Topics forum in the HSI Healthier
Talk community might seem a
little out of place. As so many have learned
the hard way, the first rule of
tequila is: Go easy.
A member named Naturalway starts off the thread:
"I was encouraged enough by
Dr. Douglass' newsletter on benefits of hard
liquor to post about tequila.
Recently I had a drink with tequila in it and
noticed some healing benefits.
The Mexicans say that it is therapeutic and drink
it for that reason. It
comes from the agave plant so it makes sense
to me that it is."
Naturalway is referring to a recent issue of Daily
Dose, the e-letter
written by William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.
In that issue, Dr. Douglass
called alcohol "liquid medicine," of which he's
sung the praises many times,
"Whether it's beer, wine, or 100-proof liquor...you're
getting some
powerhouse health benefits every time you imbibe
- as long as you don't
overdo it, naturally."
Dr. Douglass cites research presented at the Association
of Clinical
Biochemists conference that revealed, "single-malt
Scotches are actually
richer in a powerful, cancer-fighting antioxidant
called ellagic acid than
red wine. Does this mean you should go on a whiskey
bender? Of course not.
What it does mean is that if you've been convinced
that red wine is the only
type of alcohol that's good for you, you can
switch it up with a glass of
scotch or a full-bodied beer (the darker varieties
are also rich in
cancer-fighters) and stay just as healthy."
Neither the biochemists conference nor Dr. Douglass
specifically mention
tequila, so a member named JMWHITT posts an abstract
from a recent issue of
the International Journal of Food Microbiology.
Researchers in Mexico tested
the toxin-inhibiting effects of two species of
agave, the "blue cactus"
plant from which tequila is distilled. The results:
The agave extracts
significantly reduced the growth and production
of two highly toxic
compounds produced by fungi.
On a more personal note, here's a posting by a
member named Leppert:
"Naturalway, I'll confess my secret, now that
booze is acceptable. After my
fall 16 1/2 years ago I took all the pain and
other meds the DRs gave me the
first few years to no avail. My body does not
like drugs! So I have had many
years with chronic pain and couldn't even take
NSAIDS! Just by chance we
discovered that a frozen margarita helped my
pain. My hubby and I played
around with various alcohol types and brands
but only the good quality
Tequilas seemed to help.
"I limited myself to only three drinks a week...no
matter how bad the pain.
My hubby still keeps frozen Margaritas in the
freezer for me...although
nowadays I have the Curcurmin & DLPA that
works incredibly well. Yes, I
agree that there is something about the Tequila
that is healing. Probably
because it comes from the agave, a close relation
to aloe vera."
A member named Howard agrees with Leppert about
the quality of tequila:
"Cheap brands of Tequila have very little agave
in them. Mostly fillers
because real blue agave is in short supply. There
is only a small area in
Mexico where these plants thrive. Kinda' like
true Champagne or Bourbon
whiskey. The Mexicans I know say that they keep
the good stuff for
themselves and export the rest.
"If you are going to use Tequila (or any other
hard liquor) for medicinal
purposes, buy the top shelf brand. True blue
agave Tequila costs
$35-$50.00/bottle where I live. The difference
in taste is remarkable
compared to the cheap stuff. Until I was introduced
to the good stuff during
a business trip to Mexico many years ago, I couldn't
stomach the stuff. The
top shelf is worth the investment for Tequila."
A friend of mine who's something of a tequila
connoisseur recommends a fine
(and expensive) tequila called Chinaco
Anejo. I doubt if he's ever put it to use
for medicinal purposes, but he insists that the
typical tequila found in most liquor
stores is junk. He enjoys his Chinaco
in very small servings, like a rare cognac.
Which brings us back to Dr. Douglass' note: "Don't
overdo it."