Cas Schwabe-Lutton of Akamai Juice Company. Daniel Lane photo
On October 26, The Garden Cafe in Kilauea will start selling Akamai Juice Company Wellness Shots and Hot Shots. When Dan and I covered Akamai Juice, and owner Cas Schwabe Lutton, for the January 18, 2012 issue of MidWeek Kauai, we got to try these shots.
The Hot Shot is hot! It’s a fiery blend made with local, organic Hawaiian chili peppers. We call them nioi or nioi pepa here, but they are in the bird pepper family. There is also local, organic ginger; local, organic turmeric; organic garlic, and local, organic lime.
Chef Rodman Machado of The Garden Cafe. Daniel Lane photo
In March 2012, Cas and I cooked for Jack Johnson and crew at the Kokua Benefit Concert, and Cas brought her Hot Shots. They are so addicting, everyone came back for more. Jack Johnson’s wife was particularly enamored with the Hot Shots, and came back three times. She had a migraine, and said the Hots Shots made it go away.
If you don’t like spicy food, the Wellness Shot has the same ingredients except the chili peppers. “There’s nothing like this on island!” Says Cas “Chef Rodman and I talked about $3 for a 2-ounce shot, or two shots for $5. YEAH!!!”
Liquid Medicine
Cas complied a list of health benefits for the ingredients in her shots. Here they are:
Garlic
Packed with vitamins and nutrients, such as protein, vitamins A, B, B2, C, calcium zinc and potassium. It also has more germanium (anticancer agent), than any other herb. Garlic helps strengthen and detoxify your body’s defenses against allergies. It helps loosen plaque from artery walls, as well as helps regulate high blood pressure levels and lower LDL (lousy/bad) cholesterol. The allysulfides in garlic decrease tumor growth and increase cancer cell death. Garlic is the best choice for killing and getting rid of parasites, such as pin worms, from the human body. Garlic is toxic to cats and dogs!
Take Akamai Juice home, bring your own jar and get a discount. Only available at the Saturday Hanalei farmers market. Daniel Lane photo
Ginger
Ginger contains high levels of zinc; an essential mineral needed to repair wounds, maintain fertility in adults and growth in children. Dramatically helps with motion sickness, seas sickness, morning sickness, nausea and osteoarthritis (degeneration of joint cartilage and the underlying bone). Ginger reduces risk of heart disease, cancer and tumor growth. It also contains protease, a protein digesting enzyme. Ginger has many antiseptic properties. Great for boosting immune system and killing bacterial and viral infections. Ginger also reduces blood pressure by thinning the blood and inhibiting clotting.
Lime
Lime is a perfect antibiotic and immunity booster. Some additional health benefits of lime include weight loss, skin care, good digestion, relief from constipation, eye care, and treatment of scurvy (deficiency of vitamin C), piles (hemorrhoids that become inflamed), peptic ulcer, respiratory disorders, gout, bleeding & puffy gums and urinary disorders.
Try a sample before you buy at the Saturday Hanalei farmers market. Daniel Lane photo
Turmeric
Turmeric is a powerful herb known for its anticancer and tumor suppressing properties. Also a natural antiseptic and antibacterial agent, useful in disinfecting cuts and burns. When combined with cauliflower, it has been shown to prevent prostate cancer and stop the growth of existing prostate cancer. Turmeric boosts the effects of the chemotherapy drug called paclitaxel, and reduces its side effects. It also reduces the risk of childhood leukemia, and it’s a natural liver detoxifier. It is a potent natural anti-inflammatory that works as well as many anti-inflammatory drugs but without the side effects. Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, it is a natural treatment for arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Turmeric should not be used by people with gallstones or bile obstruction. Though turmeric is often used by pregnant women, it is important to consult with a doctor before doing so as turmeric can be a uterine stimulant.
Hawaiian Chili Pepper
Lots of power and vitamin C in this little pepper. The nioi chili pepper helps fight migraine and sinus headaches. It also prevents sinusitis, relieves congestion, fights cancer, helps lower high blood pressure, fights inflammation, helps soothe intestinal disease and burns fat. Nioi pepper contains capsaicin, which may help to protect the heart by reducing cholesterol, triglycerides and platelet aggregation. It also helps the body dissolve fibrin, which is necessary for blood clots to form. All chili peppers have these health benefits.
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