Like you, I’m always trying to learn new things.  And yesterday I picked up a couple of tips to help avoid the negative effects of illness during this time of the year when they’re all around us and my Ironman training volume likely has my defenses down a bit.  The two items I’ll be adding to my morning smoothie concoction are Aloe Vera Juice and Oil of Oregano, which are both known to enhance immunity in the body.  The aloe is a slam dunk – not “tasty” but almost stands on it’s own.  But the oil of oregano?  Oh my word!  It’s awful (and awfully strong!).  When I first dropped a few droplets into my mouth after leaving the store, it took over my mouth (in a bad way).  I grabbed raisins from the seat next to me, pulled out a few pieces of gum – anything to reduce the overwhelming oregano taste.  I later tried adding it to some green tea (bad idea).  Finally this morning I found that 4 drops mixed in with my smoothie was tolerable, so that’ll be the route of choice.  Amazingly, it was still noticeable, in spite of the fact that my smoothie is 1.5 Liters and the oregano was just 4 drops.  Interesting… but worth it if it does boost that immunity!