Garlic has been used medicinally, and as a culinary ingredient, for over 5000 years. Modern medicine is beginning to confirm what ancient wisdom — and your grandmother — always knew: garlic is a powerful way to get and stay healthy.
This article will go into detail about just a few of the ways garlic can help prevent and alleviate many common and chronic illnesses.
It also has several recipes you can use right away to start taking advantage of the power of garlic to boost your health.
Immune System Power
Garlic is well known for its antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties. This makes it a powerful ingredient in any natural health remedy recipe. Whether you’re recovering from the cold or flu, or strengthening your immune system due to a chronic illness, adding garlic to your system is sure to help.
For regular immune system boosts, consider these recipes as part of your regular diet:
- Pasta with garlic, onions, and tomatoes: Lightly saute the garlic and onions together, and combine with fresh tomatoes and olive oil. Serve over your favorite pasta.
- Apple, garlic, and kale juice: An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but this potent juice will help keep colds and flus away as well. It’s a great addition to your regular juicing.
Sometimes, however, you need something stronger. Perhaps your kids, significant other, or co-workers are coughing and sneezing all around you. Or maybe you already feel the beginnings of an infection or cold coming on.
These situations call for our “Kick a Bug” Juice. You may break a sweat with this remedy, and that’s a good thing!
Ingredients
- 1 quart water
- 1/2 cup honey, raw if possible
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 full head of garlic, peeled
- 1/3 cup sliced fresh ginger
- 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
Directions
Put the water in a large pot with garlic cloves, ginger, and cayenne pepper. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer until garlic is translucent and very soft, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and add vinegar and honey. Stir well.
Take a tablespoon of liquid and one garlic clove every half an hour or more frequently until health is returned. You may also pour a cup and sip as desired.
Heart Disease & Hypertension
Allicin, a substance found in garlic (as well as onions), is a natural treatment for both heart disease and high blood pressure. A regular diet rich in garlic not only helps prevent and treat cardiovascular disease, it can even reverse the buildup of plaque in the arteries.
Garlic has also been shown to significantly reduce blood pressure for patients with hypertension, even when compared with the prescription drug atenelol.
Ear Aches
When combined with olive oil, garlic can help reduce and relieve ear aches.
Simply saute the garlic in olive oil for about 20 minutes, strain, and let cool until just warm. Apply a few drops directly into the ear canal.
BONUS: Bug Repellent
If you’ve got a garden of any size, you’re dealing with pests. And since you don’t want to spray your beautiful, organic veggies with pesticides, you might be at an impasse with the bugs.
Here’s a natural bug repellent that will help keep the bugs off your plants without introducing nasty chemicals.
Recipe via Oldworldgardenfarms.com.
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- dish soap
- 1 gallon water
Combine the garlic, olive oil, and water. Let the mixture sit and steep for at least 24 hours (48 hours is better). Strain out the garlic and add a couple of drops of natural biodegradable dish soap to the gallon.
It is best to spray the garlic mixture in the evening and not during the hot sun – as the olive oil content can tend to burn the leaves if hit by the sun when first applied.
These are just a few of the many ways that garlic is an essential component of any natural health program. Adding more garlic to a diet rich in fruits and vegetable is your best defense against common infections, and it also promotes a healthy body ecosystem for long-term wellness.
If you are looking forward to the many benefits of garlic, you’ll love these 5 mind-blowing, protein-rich fruits and vegetables!
