Garlic: A Superfood for Health and the Immune System

Garlic has a long history in folklore as a protector from disease and evil spirits (such as vampires). For these reasons, garlic is not only consumed as a healthy food and medicine but it is also worn to fight various ills. Many native cultures throughout the Caribbean use garlic in religious rituals and divinations. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, used garlic in infectious diseases and particularly prescribed it for intestinal disorders.

12th century German mystic Hildegarde von Bingen recommended simmering garlic in water for twenty minutes and drinking the "tea" for bronchial problems like asthma. This treatment is still in use in many cultures. Three cloves of garlic in boiling water is also recommended as a topical cure for athlete's foot. Additionally, garlic was used extensively in the battlefields during World War I (1914-1918) to treat and dress wounds and infections. Being a natural antibiotic and widely available, it was the most effective antiseptic available at the time.

HEALING POWERS OF GARLIC:
Garlic has been used in herbal medicine to treat asthma, deafness, leprosy, bronchial, congestion, hardening of arteries, fevers, worms and liver and gall bladder trouble. Herbal books list it being useful in Leucoderma, leprosy, piles, worms, catarrhal disorders and cough. Additionally, it is reported that garlic is good for the heart, stimulates appetite, and is an energy tonic.

Garlic's unpleasant odor is due to its sulphur content. This mineral is contained to a greater degree in its volatile oil, which has remarkable medicinal virtues.

Juice of garlic has a most beneficial effect on the entire system as it helps dissolve an accumulation of mucus in the sinus cavities, bronchial tubes and the lungs. It also helps expel poison from body through pores of the skin.

garlic - fresh pressed - I recently started with yogurt 1-3x per day for valley fever. Dr. Weil of Arizona suggests garlic as it is strongly anti fungal.

What I have found additionally is that it is cure for high blood pressure. Art's recommendation - carditone - took me down from 160 - 180 systolic to 130 - 140 range, but the garlic has brought my level down to 100 - 115 systolic. Of course the 100mg nattokinase I started a month back undoubtedly has contributed as well.

I know that when I eat lots of raw garlic, I will bleed more than usual. If I'm getting bloodwork done, I avoid it for a week prior. If I don't, the simple gauze pad on the site doesn't stop it from bleeding and I need to apply pressure for quite some time or it'll bleed right through the dressing. So, for me, it thins my blood. Who knows what that does to my blood pressure.

I have found when we do most things in extreme, we may end up with a healing crisis. All the uncomfortableness in the body is in the lymphatic system and toxins not having a way out of the body so all kinds of things can happen until it does. If your kidneys are not filtering, then all the waste in the lymph is being held somewhere. That can be dangerous when all of a sudden a big load gets dealt with and then it can't go anywhere, make sense?

Slowly build up to more and more but listening to the body is important and using kinesiology on yourself is helpful too.

Natural remedies for Alzheimer and dementia: I think garlic is curative and so garlic pills can help improve our mental and physical health. Thank you for all the information it is very helpful.

Hi. I felt I was coming down with the flu, so ate lots of garlic. Next day, I had a horrible nose bleed. Since then, I've had bruising. Apparently, the garlic thinned my blood too much. So, if I want to take garlic for the flu or whatever, what should I take with it so I won't bleed? I've always been a free flowing person, so when I donate blood they have to do extra wraps. Low BP, too. Suggestions?

There was a post for getting rid of the smell of garlic on your breath, MILK, yes milk. A big tall glass will get rid of the smell. :) Hope this helps.

i had a wart and applied garlic with a bandage for 7 days and it is now gone, also got rid of a mole using garlic. I also find garlic improves my eyesight and can drive at night without any difficulty. Sure does cure an earache. I shall try garlic in socks at night. I read they must be white cotton socks. Your site is very informative. Thank you

Just did a quick squizz to see what this brilliant earthclinic.com says about bloating. Been funny in the belly for the last few weeks. Bit of a mystery because my diet is usually exemplary since the whole allergy breakthrough c. Five years ago. Stopped the MMS for the same length of time I've been bloating now I think of it, but I tried the (organic) garlic about four/five mins ago and can already feel a lessening of the awful pressure. I've been craving apples, dandelion root tea and fresh fruit- pineapple, kiwifruit, passionfruit- so I guess enzymes have their place in here too. Come to think of it I've been rather free with the salt on the meat lately... Hitting the hay now, nighty-night and best health to you.

a great way to ingest garlic for multiple ailments is using it in a broth. It can be any kind of broth (no solids) so as to give your digestive system a break. Personally, I love the taste of roasted garlic. So I either sautee/bake fresh garlic and add it to the broth,then finely chop fresh garlic and add it as well (after heating-stir in and let sit a couple of minutes). The amount depends on ones tolerance for garlic. But that way I get the best of both worlds. The flavor of the roasted garlic and the allicin (the enzyme in garlic that fights disease) as well. cooking garlic kills most of the allicin so this is a good way to get it raw in a larger quantity. God Bless!

Garlic, garlic, garlic!!!
It's cheap.
It's convenient.
It works!

I've had a fungal/bacterial infection on both of my index fingers for 5 years and I tried all the remedies suggested but nothing worked so I gave up. Shortly afterwards I started cooking with garlic a lot and noticed the fungus on my left hand was clearing up fairly quickly. I did some research and found out garlic has powerful anti-fungal and antibacterial properties. I stared using it on my right hand and it worked! All you have to do is split a clove in half and rub the juices in and around where the fungus is for a few minutes (3-5). Do this every other day before you go to bed. Don't rub the juices in vigorously for more than 20 minutes or make a paste out of crushed garlic and wrap it around yor finger because it will burn, literally. A little goes a long way. You should start seeing results within 4 weeks if the fungus isn't too bad, 8 weeks for extreme cases. Toenails can take up to 3 months because they grow much slower than fingernails.

I discovered that garlic cures acute bronchitis by accident...

I've been diagnosed with acute bronchitis and been sick for a month and two weeks and nothing seems to be working. It appeared as if I kept on getting relapses...

Growing up, I've always been told by mom that garlic is good for the health and what not. I've also been hearing it from others, tv, etc. But I've always thought it was just for minor things like a sniffle or so...

One day I decided to go "gung-ho" and chop fresh garlic into my salad. Maybe it was my primitival instict kicking in, but I thought that maybe strong dose of fresh garlic may do something. On the same day, I decided to include fresh garlic into everything - including my dinner pizza. The next day I started to feel better. I still wasn't sure if that was just a calming state before another relapse so I didn't jump into conclusion. Second day passed, Third day passed, and now I'm on my fifth day of feeling back to normal.

I then "googled" garlic and cures to read about garlic and its healing properties. That's when I found this site and discussion!

Thank you.

Here is something soothing that really helps colds,
bronchitis, etc:

Bring 2 c. chicken broth + 2 c. water to boiling
Add 1 small onion, chopped

When done, remove from heat, add 3 cloves crushed
garlic, cover; let
sit for about 10 minutes.
Add sea salt to taste.

Hello, I use your site all of the time and want to thank you for such useful information!

Recently, my feet started swelling along with blood pressure spiking to very high levels. I do not have high blood pressure so I could not understand what was going on. By day three I figured out I had a tooth infection that was probably starting to seep into my blood causing the swelling, blood pressure spikes, tingling in head, legs, and feet. After speaking with a dentist who felt they were unrelated and would not give me any advice on whether I should go to the ER, I decided to use garlic infused with yogurt (yogurt helps it go down easier). I took about 1 T. of crushed garlic and 1 T. of yogurt. Within 5 minutes the swelling in my feet went away and I felt my blood pressure had gone down. I took my blood pressure and it had dropped over 50 points! Obviously, the blood pressure spikes were brought on by the tooth infection, unbeknownst to the young Dentist!!!

I cook with garlic all of the time, but RAW GARLIC is terrific for blood pressure and infections!!!

Thanks!

Here's an old Serbian tradition for the New Year and a great way to take garlic - dip a peeled garlic clove into a dish of honey and scoop as much honey as you can with the clove- pop in your mouth and chew. If you need a little more honey - sip on an extra teaspoon or so. It's actually quite tasty, and even as kids, my brother and I never minded this mixture at all. Also, for some reason, the garlic odor seems to be a little more "contained" in the honey and seems to fade away sooner. Try it! You'll be pleasantly surprised.

I have COPD and chronic Bronchitis. I have recently been searching for a way to eliminate constant congestion and and continuous nasty cough. I found this site and now visit the health food store almost weekly. I love it and tell everyone I see. Anyway, back to the congestion, I took 2 cloves of garlic and smashed it and downed it chased by water late in the evening. Amazingly I feel 90% better after 1 night. I will do this again today and see if it continues to get better. I slept very good and did not wake up coughing all night. I also noticed in the morning that I am coughing up all kinds of junk. That is definitely an improvement. I will continue this for a few days and post another comment as I progress. I am very interested in the MSN method also. Could someone please post more specific instructions. Where do you buy MSN? Is it liquid, capsule, powder, etc? How much do you use and do you mix with water? Thanks.

What do you mean it doesn't wear off for a while... ? Weeks, months?

I take 2 cloves of raw garlic a day and have not been sick in over a year. I hate the taste of garlic, so I put a little bit of pudding or apple sauce on a spoon then I put 1 clove of finely minced raw garlic on top and then cover that with more pudding or applesauce, then just swallow it down. Do this twice a day. This is the easiest way to ever take raw garlic. Remember to get the full benefits of garlic it must be raw.