I love garlic. I remember
driving through California, through vast artichoke fields and smelling the
garlic wafting from the roadside stands where they were roasting the artichoke
in garlic. The smell made my mouth
water, and it makes my mouth water writing this!
Garlic is really, truly a cure-all to me. I eat it every day, no joke. Garlic is one of a few items that I try to
include in my daily diet. This one is
vital to me, and here’s why:
Garlic has been shown to lower blood pressure. Yes, it is
true: studies have shown that eating
garlic can reduce hypertension.
Eating garlic can reduce cholesterol levels: eating ½ to one
clove daily can reduce levels to 9%.
Garlic can protect your heart and kidneys, and the sulfur
containing amino acids can help protect the digestive tract.
Garlic is a natural antibiotic, antiseptic, antifungal and
anthelmintic (meaning it will fight against worms). It can help support you when you have cold
symptoms, sinusitis, vaginitis, bronchitis, tonsillitis, and with many other
conditions.
Garlic is helpful topically in support of insect bites, stings
or even pimples. (Don’t leave it on for
too long, or it can blister the skin, though, it is potent!)
An old cold “remedy” (really a sore throat syrup) has been
to put crushed cloves (about 4) into honey (about 4 tablespoons) and sip on
the mixture every half hour to ease a sore throat.
I always eat a few cloves of garlic when I feel like I may
be getting a cold, fishing them from the bottom of a bottle of roasted pepper
and garlic olive oil (they are more potent raw). I follow this up with my A$$kicker tea, made
with ginger, black peppercorns, and cayenne, among other things…my husband
loves this one.
It is important to note that if you have a sluggish,
diseased, or degenerative liver, bile duct, pancreas or gallbladder you should avoid
garlic in large quantities. Garlic can
increase the risk of bleeding and can interact with blood thinners.
*Always check with your primary
healthcare physician prior to vastly changing your diet, and check with him/her
to be sure that there are no contraindications.
It should also be noted that I am an herbalist, not a nutritionist/dietitian
and cannot make suggestions as to changes in personal diet plans. Please consult your personal
nutritionist/dietitian for further information.
Petersen,
D. (2015). Herb 101: Basics of Herbalism. Portland, Oregon:
American College of Healthcare Sciences.
Garlic has so many uses! Thank you for sharing- I will use these the next time to prevent illness or combat any that comes into our home.
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