Garlic: A Superfood for Health and the Immune System

Youtube/garlic is toxic to the body...............this was news to me. I used to be a big fan.....but not so sure anymore....because it deadens brain cells....some airlines do not allow their pilots to consume garlic 72 hrs.pre flight......decreases reaction time in an emergency by 30%. However it is nature's best incecticide......just spray on crops. Do you have an opinion on this issue.??

I woke up this morning with a head cold, thanks to my nieces. Today is Monday and I have a business trip that starts on Saturday so checked Earthclinic for a home remedy to clear it up before then Had taken ACV but really help. A week before travel, I always start Emergen-C to boost the immune system; taking that helped a bit. However, I cut up 3 cloves of garlic and added them (after sitting for 15 minutes) to my hot tea and started to feel relief almost immediately. I will definitely repeat this until everything is cleared up and make my nieces drink some too.

It wouldn't hurt to try. Fresh is generally strong, but powdered is good, too. Try charcoal powder and clover powder, too. (Clove is good for pain.)

Can you use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic for a tooth abcess?

You shouldn't put the garlic directly on the mole, it causes burns which is why your skin bubbled, & you're also not supposed to put Vaseline on burns.... To prevent your skin from burning, place a piece of gauze over the mole, place the garlic on top of the gauze (you can use a bigger piece since you're putting it over gauze), wrap the gauze over the garlic & secure with tape or a Band-Aid.... That should help prevent the burns....

Garlic for candida in the gut and thrush:

I began getting ill with the flu very very regularly. If my son had a slight sniffle I would catch it and end up bedridden for 10 days. As soon as I recovered from one flu-like illness I would come down with another. This went on for about a year. I also ended up with a recurrent thrush infection. I searched the internet and found that my illnesses were probably due to an overgrowth of candida in my gut and my immune system was compromised. I also read that taking raw crushed garlic would kill the candida but that I would get die off symptoms and it would make me feel really unwell. Well, I followed the instructions, crushed a clove of garlic, left it to sit for 10 minutes and then swallowed it with fruit juice and then ate a light meal. An hour or so later I felt so unwell. I regretted having had the garlic. These symptoms lasted 2 days. After that I felt fine. A few days later my son came home from school with a bit of a sniffle and I feared that I might end up bedridden again. Amazingly I did not catch the sniffle. A week after I had had the first dose of garlic I decided to have another one. I did not feel unwell at all. No die off symptoms therefore no candida in the gut. Now I take a crushed clove of garlic every couple of weeks or so. I also make sure my son has it too. The thrush cleared up too. I also eat live yogurt regularly too. There is no need to go to the doctors for an antifungal when you can get a clove of garlic and it does the job a million times better.

You are brave!

BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS

Yes, garlic burned me too! I put it in the back of my throat, burned like heck!! I fortunately had some water near by. Throat is kind of sore but I can swallow!

For clarification, do you mean one HEAD of garlic with the 20 or so bulbs?

GARLIC FLU SHOT recipe. I live in chicago but I'm from the south and the cold here is BRUTAL on my system. The past few months we've been having an outbreak of flu. Everyone in my family got it (despite having a flu vaccine) and I was scared to death (I did not have the flu vaccine). BUT, thanks to this recipe I found posted on Pinterest, I survived, nursing them all through their virus without getting sick myself. This is an unheard of victory for me.

The recipe is:

• juice of 6 lemons
• 2 tbsps honey (i used raw)
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 1 BULB of garlic (yep, that's the whole thing)
• 3 cups of juice (pineapple, pomegranate or grapefruit)
• 1 tbsp or more of grated ginger
• Drink 4 cups a day.

I am following the regiment for the last one month. Dec/Jan are the coldest months and is more suseptable to catch colds / flu etc. What I did was take two teaspoons of each (approx) and mix it in a jar.

I take half a teaspoon first thing in the morning and last thing in the evening before sleep. I'll probably taking it for along time as its become a habit now. One of the secrets of living longer is that folks takes raw garlic daily. This is the next best thing and I can tolerate the taste - It tastes better than licorice candy (a bit sweet from the honey).

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.

is the garlic remedy good for kids too my seven year old is sick with the cold.

I tried the garlic tea recipe mentioned here and I must say that I got relief from cold and cough. In fact, when ever I go for vegetable shopping I put garlic on top of my shopping list. Thanks a lot.

I get strep every year. heres what works for me. Mix this well:

1 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp cayene pepper
4 crushed or microplaned cloves of garlic.
take 1/2 tsp for every waking hour.

Don't wash down with water, tea, etc. Honey helps to suspend garlic in affected area. Cayene helps to bring blood to area to get immune system going. cured in 2 days- true story

It is better to grate the garlic. If you have a zesting tool, grate the garlic and allow it to sit for 15 minutes so the beneficial allicin can fully form. Then proceed. The finer the chop or grate on garlic, the more beneficial compounds will be released. This is how I make my garlic tea and it works very well.

I have tried too! Was so tired of it & trying over the counter products. Garlic is the remedy..:)

I've never heard of the infused garlic water. Will that also help canker sores?

BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS

Hi, I read all the post about raw garlic and tooth infection and yes even how it really burns, but I did not think of it burning as what I have received. I thought maybe like some really hot --- hot sauce, or hot drink. I would like to let everyone know just how bad raw garlic can REALLY BURN. I was only able to hold it for about 15 minutes and unable to do again. The rest of the day I used Oregano Oil, (50/50 with castor oil) I also swallowed some (fresh not swished) Oregano Oil, I am not sure which remedy helped. This was on a Friday and my mouth was pretty sore from both the tooth (which pain was going down my neck also) and now the raw garlic burn. Saturday I woke to a REALLY, REALLY BAD cheek. It was so sore I could not even hardly chew, even though I was chewing on the other side, the action of movement was still hurting my burned cheek, even drinking from a straw hurt bad. Others have said it feels like they may have drank or eaten something to hot.... Type burn but this is not the case here. I have been holding salt water at the burn spot off and on all during the day, swishing hurts to much. It is really swollen and red. I am guessing the cheek tissue is more sensitive then the gum line because the cheek tissue is what got so badly burned while the gum tissue is just fine. Today is Sunday and my cheek is still sooooooooo sore and angry, the trauma has come more to the surface. Today I am going to add some Oregano Oil to my salt water in hopes this will speed up the healing. I was told by some one (after the fact.... Of course) that they also had gotten a really bad burn from raw garlic and was told to do this instead.... If they choose to use garlic for healing again. It works just as well as raw garlic with less danger of burn. Take a 6 - 8 oz glass of warm water and add to this 2 - 4 cloves of crushed garlic (a garlic mincer works best), let this sit on the counter over night to infuse, (or all day, which ever will be longest). In the morning take a 16 oz glass and add warm water and some infused garlic water (very little as this infused water is very strong) (you can always add more but can not take away) also add (optional) salt. This infused 16 oz. Glass of water will last you all day, swish around the infected area as often you feel the need. If your water gets cold DO NOT boil or microwave it as this will kill the "live" action which is needed for healing, you want to warm it with a water bath. For those who do not cook much here is how to do a water bath. Find another small bowl, cup, etc. That your 16 oz glass can fit inside with room all the way around the glass and up to the top or close to the top. Heat some water to HOT not boiling and pour into this other container, set your 16 oz glass inside this water (with your garlic/salt water in your 16 oz glass) and let it warm up. That is all there is to it. Swish or hold this infusion (only if comfortable) for about 1 minute, your going to be doing this all through the day so no need to hold longer. DO NOT SWALLOW this infusion as you have been swishing an infected area and do not want to swallow any infection. Be sure to drink plenty of clean water, at least 64 oz. If you have just swished wait at least 30 minutes before drinking or eating anything. Hope this helps so others will not get the side effect that I did. This is a great site and I visit often. Good health to all.

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

Garlic treatment is working. Day 1 applied garlic. I cut a small piece of garlic and applied the juicier looking side to the Xanthelasma above my eye, kept it there till the burn subsided. Day 2 I woke up discouraged as it was slightly red and inflamed. At night applied garlic again and tried to remove with tweezers. Skin was too thick still, and accidentally pierced the skin, only a little. However, at the end of night 2/tonight I noticed my xanthelasma above my eyelid is slightly smaller, maybe 20%. I am going to step up the garlic use twice daily, morning and evening.... I shall update tomorrow evening if I can find this site again.

I also believe china is poisioning us, with all of their cheap products. Not the general population, the government. Thats more or less been proven, baby bottles, kids toys.... lots of toxic items! Beware.

Hi Jon, I got this xanthelasma 3 years back on my left eye but I had laser treatment but it came back 6 months later and after 3 years now I got it to my right eye as well... Is garlic treatment really works I have tried it once but its very burning n painful.. Please lemme know if it really works.. Thanks a lot...sandy

How long does it take for garlic to start lowering your blood pressure? Does anyone know of an instant bp reducer(natural, of course).

I'm drinking garlic tea, tonight I have a bit of running nose n a cough, annoying cough. Anyway I made garlic tea with 4 cloves of garlic chopped with boiling water except I dont know if I have to swallow the garlic too. Help.

regarding HP: actually the opposite is true. Oxidized molecules, or ones with oxidative damage, have had an electron taken from them, the things that "steal" the electron (think greedy = bad) are oxidizers and cause oxidative stress and damage, aging, disease etc. This is what causes cells (and tea leaves, etc) to wilt. HP has an extra electron, and gives (think giving = generous, good, etc) its extra electron to those molecules so they are no longer damaging or damaged. Perhaps Ted or someone with healthy experience with HP can advise us of its limits, but we are getting oxidative stress every day, so I believe small amounts daily instead of huge amounts would be better. I am discovering lots of great uses for it on EC.

I began taking a garlic oil supplement or a small clove a day last summer. While I did notice a few side effects, the positives far outweighed the negative. POSITIVES first: improved mouth health - less aching, irritation, sensitivity. Vastly improved resistance to colds and/or sickness - I took garlic every day for at least four months, and noticed an increased immune response in times where I would normally already be sick - colds, coughs, anything. Cardiovascular health - greatly improved erections, ability to sustain longer periods of intense exercise. NEGATIVES - dry hair - for some reason my hair is more straw-like. I'm a guy and generally take good care of my hair, and I noticed this easily. Mood - I tend toward a little more grumpiness for some reason - I don't know why this is the case but it has been. I will try cutting down on my dosage to see if it helps. Headaches - this only happens when I take too much, which is caused by I assume to be too much thinning of the blood. All in all, for the the immune factor itself, I count this as a life-long food!

Thank you so much for this post I never knew about the horseradish. I have used the garlic and honey with great results.

I used this recipe and added a little vege-stock to make it more of a broth than a tea, and also a sprig of fresh rosemary for a little added flavour. Very yummy and suprisingly sweet :)

My wife is a teacher at a preschool and frequently brings strep throat home. I can't afford to miss work for the doctor so I resort to generous helpings of garlic.

So far I have tried eating raw cloves on one occasion and a mixture of garlic, honey, apple cider vinegar, and cayenne pepper on the other. Today I'm going to try garlic tea. The raw cloves are very intense and not recommended for the average bear.

My wife detests the smell and taste of garlic so I find the best way to get her to try it is to mix it into some rice or steamed veggies.

BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS

I have low cholestrol and low blood pressure. I have had some rather unsightly xanthelasma appear close to one eye. The doctor wasn't interested as I am healthy. I tried the garlic cure, cutting a clove in half and holding on the affected area. It made the area swell and the skin became red, and eventually there was some damage to the skin surface though vaseline helped. This was all a bit unpleasant and I was considering audition for a Dr Who monster. However, the swelling has come down and the xanthelasma has more or less completely gone. I'd say go easy on the garlic but it does work for me, very impressed and thanks to whoever put it up first.

I tried taking garlic capsules every day, twice a day, high strength. After three weeks I got a rash, it didn't hurt or sting, you could just see it, brain fog where I could not concentrate or think straight or remember much - very scary. Will continue to take it but much smaller doses. Now trying Apple Cider Vinegar and wild oil of oregano - this is for my sinuses and allergies which spread to ears and cause bad headaches sometimes.

I add parsley (fresh or dried) to all my garlic concoctions and it helps to keep the odor down immensely. It also makes garlic tea taste lovely. If you need a change from the tea, just add some spices or seasoned salts (Natures Seasoning, Spike, bullions, etc. and/ or vegimite/marmite) and turn it into a savory bullion drink.

I also like to buy the garlic stuffed olives (in salt brine); and as the jar lowers, I drop in more fresh cloves and several stalks of parsley. This makes it very handy to eat fresh-garlic on the go, and/or when you are aren't feeling well enough to fetch/peel/prep fresh garlic, or if you bought a large jar of peeled garlic and need to used or preserve it. It's also a good use for excess parsley/stems.

I chop it fine and mix it in salsa, add a little honey and cayenne pepper and eat it with some corn chips. Opens those passages up real nice and tastes yummy too! :)

Use a wide knife. Place your garlic clove(s) down on your cutting board; cut off the rough/blunt end(s) of the clove; turn your knife on its side, and use the blade to press/smash the clove flat; pick up the clove and it will have almost peeled itself!

Am sure garlic is wonderful and have been taking it for a while for sinus but I found that after a bit I ached, was lacking in energy, was totally worn out some days, had headaches, brain fog etc and in some ways felt worse. I then investigated and found that garlic can cause under active thyroid of which these are the symptoms So now taking it again but with an iodine supplement of natural kelp to counter act that. Also trying ACV with mother every day and tinctures of goldenseal, eyebright, mullein and licorice. Yes others might try one thing for a bit and then try something else but I have had this blessed problem for ages and am sick of it, and unable to work while like this.

What about drinking garlic juice? I see some places sell it where you can buy a pint of it? They say it is to help animals but surely it would help humans too?

Please note that garlic can cause brain fog, loss of memory and under active thyroid in some too.

Crushed Garlic on soles of feet as cure for Colds & Flu

Crush 2 lge cloves, spread over soles of feet put your socks on then go to bed for the night, especially good for children.

I am interested in knowing if the castor oil/lecithin capsules have worked on anyone that has xanthlasmas. It seems to be an inexpensive, safe treatment.

I'm taking fresh garlic for ED, so I chop up a whole head fine as possible, put it in a jar add olive oil, and lots of dry parsley, take the amount you want with a little water to swallow, I'm finding that this takes away the garlic smell from my breath, and must add, with my wife's thanks, for not breathing garlic over her.

Actually - all the research I've done says that you wait the 10 minutes after cutting/crushing to allow the allicin to build to maximum potency. Then it should be consumed within an hour of cutting/crushing or it will start to lose its potency.

Why garlic powder, why not fresh garlic? And I don't have a shower curtain around my bath..... Is HP safe to pour in the bath like that? My husband tells me to stay away from it as it is a powerful oxydant that can cause cancer. He is a chemist.....

This is great for any age. I use it on my grandson all the time. ( 1yr ) Run hot as you can stand bath. Pour some garlic powder in the bath. If you have aches pour half bottle of hydrogen peroxide. Close shower curtain and allow yourself to soak at least fifteen minutes until you break sweat. This cures any sickness trying to come on, and breaks fever. You will feel refreshed and stink if you do not rinse off with cold shower after.

http://www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com - learn more about garlic - garlic does reduce artery plaque, can cure MRSA, many, many things - it is a natural antibiotic. It will burn your skin if you are sensitive to garlic. That doesn't mean you are allergic, it simply means put something between your skin and the garlic. Use a mask with a garlic poultice in it to breathe garlic into the lungs. Make a paste of olive oil and garlic, place in poultice (tea bag), place on bottom of feet in the ball behind the toes for garlic to get to the lungs over night. I wrapped a piece of garlic in gauze and put in my ear over night. Earache gone the next morning. Breathing it into the lungs is also good for unclogging sinus. Go to the website I provided above.

You are not allergic to topical garlic. Garlic burns sensitive skin. You have a burn! You are supposed to use gauze between the garlic and your skin. You will have to experiment to see how much gauze you need but the garlic fumes and garlic will seep through the gauze but not enough to burn you unless you do not use enough gauze. I use tea bags to make a poultice of garlic. I put one on each side of my back for a lung infection. It is working but at first I burned my skin. Live and learn.

I have used garlic to cure my son twice now from ideas I got from this site. He had an earache, I did the clove in the ear. He would only keep it in for a little bit at a time, I just kept putting it back in until he fell asleep. The next day his earache and head congestion was gone. For the past 2 days he was complaining of sore throat and swollen glands. I took 5-6 cloves minced in boiling water for a minute. In a large mug, add honey, cayenne, capful of ACV and then arlic water with the cloves. I tasted it and it wasnt bad! One sip gave me some serious garlic breath. In a few hours he felt better. It works!

Garlic. Since my last post I have been crushing the garlic instead of chopping it. I allow it to sit for 10 minutes for the Allicin to work and take it in one teaspoon with water. I do this 2x daily. Heating the garlic removes its potency. Taking crushed or chopped garlic too soon after crushing or chopping prevents the allicin from doing its job. There are many places on EarthClinic to read how to take garlic. There are many websites to read how to take garlic.

I tested positive for HIV a few years back and went into a phase of denial and depression, up until a good friend of mine showed me a documentary "Food Matters" and my life has changed ever since. Still reluctant to take any sort of meds I opted for the all natural approach. I started eating super foods and vegetables, garlic especially, aside from my daily dose of super foods I started the treadmill cardio 30 mins and staying in a dry sauna after for 15 mins x 3, 3 times a week, I felt wonderful! Up until 1 day, I felt something was wrong, I started getting short breath and I started to have anxiety attacks because of this, so I went to my doctor and was diagnosed with Bacterial pneumonia! and was confined in the hospital for 3 days, sad.. Even worse of it all, the they had me taking this HUGE disgusting pills of antibiotics, which I think even made me more sick, resulted to splitting headaches and thrush in my throat... well to cut the long story short, do everything in moderation, with the right food and right exercise- things might actually work.

Another cardiologist found that Co-Q10, magnesium, D-ribose and L-Carnitine work wonders on heart patients of all levels, he even said that some of t hem were on the waiting list for heart transplant and got off of it after taking those supplements together... He calls them the "Awesome Foursome". The cardiologist's name is Stephen Sinatra. You might want to read about it, I found it to be amazing!

Kathryn;

I think raw garlic placed on external skin for long enuf would ulcerate anyones' skin. I would not assume I was allergic to it, for that reason. It also done my skin that way.

However, the word on the street, is that USA stores are now selling chinese grown garlic. This garlic is said to test for prescence of arsenic..... Per this message board

My recent experience with side effects from taking no-brand garlic internally, seems to support this. [ I seemed to get side effects indicating possible poisoning. ] Before the chinese garlic was imported to the USA, I had no problems with taking garlic internally, and got some benefits.

Maybe we are all being poisoned via our food supply now.

I am going to start buying the USA GROWN brand garlic, grown in California. Christophers Ranch brand, to see is side effects go away.

WARNING! I had an upper respiratory bacterial infection (green and yellow mucus secondary to a virus) and read a number of posts here about raw garlic and, not wanting to chew it, I put raw garlic packs under my feet (chopped several large cloves and put them on plastic wrap and wrapped each foot, put socks over) and left the first pack all afternoon. I didn't notice a problem. I decided to do it again and leave them overnight. The next morning I awoke to find that the mucus was clear again, BUT I had very itchy, swollen, bright red feet. The itching nearly drove me crazy and I scratched... Big mistake. By the next day the arches of my feet were covered in large blisters, the itching is even worse, and my feet look and feel almost identical to when I had an emergency room level drug reaction to Keflex last year (before it was over I looked like I had third degree burns in all the intriginous skin areas and it took five months to heal -- the dermatologists at Duke had never seen anything like it... they thought it was a fungal infection and only a skin biopsy confirmed the drug reaction).

I came back here immediately and read more about garlic and saw somewhere a post from a mother who said her daughter's skin blisters when it's exposed to garlic. Since I've eaten raw garlic in green smoothies every day for the last year I didn't think it could be the garlic; perhaps a reaction to the plastic wrap (I'm multiple chemical sensitive and react to all sorts of things). So the night before last I put one slice of garlic on my forearm and covered it in paper tape for sensitive skin. In the morning it seemed fine... At first. By evening a red patch had appeared and I felt a slight itch. By the next day the spot was swollen and red and definitely itching. I've been treating my feet with ACV, magnesium oil, and triamcinolone acetonide (prescription topical steroid I was given for the Keflex reaction), so I put that on the arm spot that day each time I did my feet (every three hours). This morning the arm spot is still red, swollen, and itches and has a small blister.

Never again will I put raw garlic on my skin. When asked if I have allergies I will list a topical allergy to raw garlic.

My QUESTION is: Should I continue to eat raw garlic? I'm not certain yet, but it seems to me that I have a fit of intense itching shortly after drinking even a small glass of green smoothie with raw garlic.

What did you mean by garlic "cube"? Is it a clove of garlic or is it a whole head of garlic. Please post a reply. Thanks."

EC: A whole head of garlic!

09/12/2009: Tim from Portland, Or replies: "Actually its a bulb of garlic."

09/12/2010: Rh from Los Angeles, Ca replies: "Yes, a whole garlic head. I tried it and it works! Boil water with a whole garlic head. Take it at night you will immediately feel the difference the next morning."

02/01/2011: Tony from Antofagasta, Chile replies: "This is a bit confusing as Marcos uses the word cube that has been translated by Tim from Portland as a bulb and Rh from Los Angeles as a whole garlic head. Marcos says that the cube has to be cut into quarters, Does this mean that the whole garlic head has to be cut into four? I have never cut a garlic head into two or four as we usually divide it into cloves. Would Marcos be so kind in clarifying this to us, please?"

02/02/2011: Keri from California, Usa replies: "A bulb of garlic = a whole head of garlic. The individual pieces are the cloves."

02/25/2011: Soulflower from Verbena, Al replies: "2 quarts of water? That's more than a whole days' worth of water for me. In what time frame should it be drunk?

I've been following these instructions:

How to make garlic tea:
1) Peel and roughly chop 3-4 cloves of fresh garlic. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. The wait is to allow allicin to form. Allicin is the powerful anti-bacterial and anti-viral compund in garlic which only forms when garlic has been broken in some way (eg by chewing, chopping).

2) Add the chopped garlic to a mug and fill it with some hot water [I use boiling hot water, as I would with other teas. ]. Sip the garlic tea once it becomes cool enough.

If you have a mild case of the flu or a cold, garlic tea should start working for you fairly quickly. However, if you're down with a particularly bad bout of the flu, you might have to take garlic tea over a period of a few days."

04/22/2011: Grannykeeper from Vancouver, Wa, Usa replies: "An easy way to prepare garlic is to smash the clove with the blade of a vegetable knife a couple of times. Then it is easy to peel. Whack it again and smash it good, then it is very easy to mince, and there is no waiting. If you can capture the juice, that is good, too.

Marco, a well known soux chef in Santa Monica, California, gave us this simple soup recipe for nagging coughs. This is an old Mexican recipe from Marco's mother that aided him and his siblings' flu/cold recovery process.

Recipe:

• Cut a garlic cubed into quarters and add to two 2 quarts of H2O.
• Boil on low flame for at least one hour.
• Strain and sip slowly.

Believe or not, this warm garlic soup has a very pleasant taste!

Click here to see all books on the healing properties of garlic.

The way i'm having garlic juice is: take 2-3 cubes of garlic, cut each cube into two/three pieces, put them in a glass of water (room temp), cover the glass and soak the garlic for the whole night. next morning drink the water in empty stomach. you can use the same group of garlic for 2-3 days. i've been having it for little over a year. i used to have cold at least once every winter, but not anymore.

* Garlic is a gastric stimulant & helps with digestion.
* It acts as an anti flatulent, carminative and diaphoretic.
* It stimulates the kidneys and is diuretic in nature.
* It is a tonic, giving strength & vitality
* It is an expectorant having a special effect on the bronchial and pulmonary secretions.
* It is beneficial for eyes & brain.
* It helps to heal fractured bones (also see comfrey poultices)
* It is a great antiseptic.
* It has allicin, which has the property to destroy germs which are not killed by penicillin. As such, it is a very powerful germicidal.
* It rehabilitates sexual malfunctions.
* It improves functional activity of heavy smokers.
* Half a raw garlic clove a day can increase body activity to dissolve blood clots, thereby preventing heart attacks and strokes.
* A couple of raw garlic cloves daily can bring blood cholesterol levels down in heart patients.

Click here to see all books on the healing properties of garlic.

My house mate told me a trick that works wonders. I mince up four garlic cloves. You can also mash them. I put the minced garlic in a glass of grapefruit juice. Wait about twenty minutes. Then drink it. The grapefruit juice takes away the strong garlic taste. I've used this when getting flu or cold and it works every time. I had a bad cold coming on and had to do it three days in a row. I did this before going to bed. Each day I woke feeling great and the night started feeling sick again. So I would repeat. So simple and so good. I only wish I had known about this years ago.