Plant Medicine Summary: Garlic

We love garlic! Did you know you can put crushed up garlic in gel capsules as soon as you get sick to give your immune system a boost?? Well, find out more about the magical plant medicine of garlic...

Brief History:

Garlic has been known has one of the oldest known horticultural crops in the Old World. Egyptian and Indian cultures referred to garlic 5000 years ago. There is clear historical evidence for its use by the Babylonians 4500 years ago. The Chinese 2000 years ago. Garlic was given to the laborers and slaves who were building the great pyramids in order to increase their stamina and strength as well as to protect them from disease. The bible mentions garlic (Numbers 11:5). French priests of the Middle Ages used garlic to protect themselves against bubonic plague.

During World War I, European soldiers prevented infection by putting garlic directly on their wounds. Garlic's popularity began to wane in the beginning of the 20th century, and by WW II it was found garlic in restaurants and gourmet shops.  Today, after close to 6000 years of folklore, scientific research shows that garlic is an amazing resource of phytochemicals (botanicals) whose wide range of actions can benefit health. Studies show that garlic protects against infection and inflammation, lowers the risk of heart disease, and has anti-cancer and anti-aging effects. To sum up garlic was prized for its antimicrobial effects long before microbes were even discovered.
Read the full article here: http://www.herballegacy.com/Motteshard_History.html 
 
How Do I Use Garlic? (Similar to onion)
Helps aid congestion, earaches, compresses for skin problems such as acne and arthritis. Helps heal pulled or torn muscles. Aids in lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. It is a natural blood thinner. It is a great antiviral and so it helps with bronchitis, allergies and asthma. Improves digestion of meat and other heavy foods. It is said that it helps with cancer.

Cooking

• Add it to everything during the winter to help support your immune system. However much you normally use, double it. (2 cloves a day are considered a medicinal dose. http://www.herballegacy.com/Motteshard_History.html)
• To maximize its benefits, chop and let sit for 15 mins at room temperature before cooking with it. This allows the natural juices to be released before cooking. 
• You can crush or mince garlic and put it in melted butter and warm it and use it as a nice bread spread.
• To make it more palatable, mash the garlic cloves with a spoonful of honey.

Poultice

• Chop into fine pieces, mix with honey and use on burns.

Broth

• Garlic based broth is as effective or more than chicken soup.

Spray Insectide

• For an Insecticide, blend 5 garlic cloves in blender 2 cups water. Strain and put in sprayer bottle for insecticide. The smell goes away after and few minutes and you are left bug free –repeat as needed.
• Crushed and put on the ground around plants will deter slugs.

Other

• We also put it in our fire cider. A great preventative and when you get sick concoction – recipe at the end of this section.
• A webinar by David Christopher said to use it as an antibiotic you would need to ingest about 17 small cloves a day for 10 days.
• Can crush up garlic and put it in capsules. Take two morning, noon and night when you feel like you are getting sick. This will give your immune system a HUGE boost!

 
Our Experience with it

• We have used it for earaches – it is soothing. However it can bother tender skin, so onions are usually better for children.
• It is a great booster for your immune system when there are bugs going around, if you prefer to take it by capsules, get the odorless capsules or you will smell like Italian food!
• (Paula) "I have made a poultice with diced garlic by combining it with honey. I then use it to put on the bottom of my feet with socks on while sleeping when I am sick."
• During the winter we put it in all of our food that w emake that it can go in, such as main dishes, soups, meats, casseroles, etc.
• As a poultice for burns.

Few Properties of Garlic

• Anti-bacterial – Helps eliminate bacteria
• Anti-fungal – Inhibit fungus
• Anti-parasite - Supports body in getting rid of parasites
• Antirheumatic – Aids treatment of rheumatism issues
• Antispasmodic – Calms Muscles
• Diaphoretic – Induces Perspiration
• Emmenagogue – Stimulates menstrual flow
• Expectorant – Expels Mucous
• Galactagogue – Stimulate lactation
• Vulnary - Useful in healing wounds

This list is from http://www.anniesremedy.com/

Part of Plant Used:

• Bulb

Caution –

• In some people it can cause tummy troubles or heartburn, if this happens, use less!
• If on blood thinners, use in moderation.

 
NMM Products With Garlic

Fire Cider Tonic - A tonic for the whole body to get rid of toxins. Use one teaspoon of this daily to aid your body in removal of toxins