Anatomy Of A Family Elixir; Medicine Or Placebo?

Around the age of four or five, I had my first taste of bourbon. I clearly remember where I was standing in my room when I took this initial “drink” and my startled reaction to the taste. I wasn’t engaging in a very early act of rebellion, but taking a remedy, the recipe of which has been passed down in my family for at least a few generations. Along with the bourbon, honey and fresh-squeezed lemon juice complete the elixir.

I’m not an expert on folk remedies, nor am I a doctor, and I am certainly not recommending that anyone take what I will describe in this writing for any ailment; proceed at your own risk and preferably with the advice of a physician.

For many years I have been curious if there is any medical basis regarding the efficacy of my family’s elixir.

Various studies have shown that moderate alcohol consumption may be beneficial to human health, with a strong emphasis on the “moderate” part. There’s a recent study that says that regular, moderate alcohol consumption may even help improve bone density. I don’t think my elders fed me that first drink to start me on a path to “regular, moderate alcohol consumption,” but rather included the alcohol simply to help me sleep. I would guess bourbon was used because that’s what was on hand when the recipe originated, and only later became a required element over other types of liquor.

While brand is probably even less important than type of alcohol, Old Crow bourbon has always been used in our family elixir. Old Crow was the first “sour mash” bourbon and carries the name of the Scottish chemist, James C. Crow, who invented the sour mash process. All bourbon is now made this way. Old Crow was a favorite of the 18th US President Ulysses S. Grant, as well as Mark Twain, Hunter S. Thompson and Principal McVicker of Beavis and Butt-head fame.

I am including this information because I think it is interesting and because I am convinced that belief in the elements of a “cure” is as important as the elements themselves. The importance of using Old Crow may have not been obvious to me, but it would have been expressed during the delivery of the “medicine” to me by my parents and grandparents.

Honey has been used as an antibiotic since ancient Egyptian times, according to one of the oldest known writings of medical literature, the Edwin Smith Papyrus. It is also well known that honey does not spoil and needs no refrigeration. Recent studies at the University of Bonn show that honey is actually better than antibiotics at healing some wounds. Here is an additional, extremely informative paper discussing the work at the University of Bonn and other work regarding the use of honey as an antibiotic.

Does the honey in my family’s medicinal tonic play any role in “curing” a cold or relieving one of my past, severe cases of bronchitis, or does the honey just make the Old Crow bourbon palatable? I can’t answer that question with any precision, but it is enlightening that honey does, in fact, have profound medical benefits.

The fresh lemon juice may also serve as another flavor “helper” to ease the delivery of the sleep-inducing bourbon, but the nutritional benefits of lemons are widely accepted, especially as a source of vitamin C. Lemon juice is also antibacterial due to its very low pH levels. And, lemons have many claimed benefits, most of which may fall into the same dubious category as my family’s elixir.

Shortly after drinking my first shot of warm Old Crow, honey and fresh-squeezed lemon juice, I remember getting into bed, sweating profusely and having a few hours of deep, satisfying sleep. Upon awakening, I truly felt “cured.”

While there may be some medical explanation for my recovery attributable to the special tonic, it is also possible I would have experienced the same effects had I just taken a nap. At a minimum, the bourbon certainly made sleep much easier. Perhaps the psychological aspect of being given a weird tasting mix of exotic ingredients by a highly trusted Grandmother saying, “This will fix you,” was the strongest medicine of all.

Here is the basic recipe, best administered by a trusting, loving caregiver: