The lemon-garlic cure is a home remedy from folk medicine. The cure acts like a fountain of youth, they say. It frees the body from calcium deposits, i.e. carries out a kind of internal decalcification, which can have an extremely positive effect on the cardiovascular system, but also on the joints and the brain. The three-week cure can be repeated several times. It requires just a few ingredients and is quick to make.
The Lemon Garlic Cure
The lemon-garlic cure is considered a traditional rejuvenating agent from folk medicine, which, according to experience reports, has long since proven itself for many ailments and also as a preventive measure. So whether you want to get your heart and arteries, your joints or your mental performance in shape, or simply want to improve your general well-being, try the lemon garlic cure!
You can make the cure yourself from a few ingredients and then take the resulting drink 1 time a day. You can find the exact instructions below.
The history of the lemon and garlic cure
Unfortunately, it is not known who developed the lemon-garlic cure and how it came about. Perhaps it comes from the Mediterranean region, where garlic in particular has been an integral part of the kitchen for a very long time, but is also considered an important tonic. Finally, the Egyptian slaves are said to have been given garlic to be able to do the hard work of building the pyramids.
Since the lemon is native to Asia and only reached southern Europe 700 to 1000 years ago, the cure could just as well have originated in China, India or another Far Eastern country.
But it is also possible that it is a very young cure that came about because it was thought that the lemon could certainly descale the arteries just as well as the coffee machine. And since garlic is considered a proven remedy for arteriosclerosis, the two have been combined.
But even if the actual origin of the lemon-garlic cure should remain in the dark, lemon and garlic are in any case two top-class natural remedies whose preventive and therapeutic properties are quickly noticeable when consumed regularly. Various studies have long since indicated that the lemon-garlic cure can even be absolutely recommended from a scientific point of view.
This is how the lemon garlic cure works
Since the effect of the lemon-garlic cure is popularly compared to decalcification, one usually imagines that the liquid gets into the arteries, cleans properly there and dissolves the calcium deposits. Of course, this is not quite the case, but both lemon and garlic have been shown to have mechanisms of action that counteract “calcification” of the arteries and thus arteriosclerosis.
This is how the lemon works in the lemon-garlic cure
The health properties of the lemon alone are impressive, as you can find out in detail in the previous link. It is not only the vitamin C that makes the lemon a healing food, but also the secondary plant substances (e.g. the two flavonoids naringenin and hesperitin). These are found in particular in the peel of the fruit – and it is precisely this that is completely used in the lemon-garlic cure. The peel of the lemon is also said to contain significantly more health-promoting substances compared to the grapefruit and tangerine peel ( 12 ).
In their entirety, the substances mentioned have a strong antioxidant effect, so that they can protect the organism from damage caused by oxidative stress. Oxidative stress, on the other hand, is one of the main causes of most chronic diseases and is also at the beginning of hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis), so that this mechanism of action alone could be involved in the decalcification of the blood vessels or prevent or at least inhibit it from the outset.
Since the flavonoids in the lemon peel also keep the blood sugar level in check, which would otherwise (if it is too high) damage the blood vessels, the lemon-garlic cure also counteracts calcification of the blood vessels in this way. In fact, chronically elevated blood sugar levels are now considered one of the most important risk factors for the development of arteriosclerosis in diabetics ( 10 ) ( 11 ).
Furthermore, the citrus flavonoids have a blood-thinning effect; they promote blood circulation and relax the blood vessels. These three mechanisms of action also help in the prevention or treatment of calcified arteries (13).
A “small” additional effect of the lemon-garlic cure is its anti-cancer potential. Studies have shown that people who frequently eat citrus fruits have a lower risk of cancer. You can read more about this in the lemon article linked above.
This is how garlic works in the lemon-garlic cure
In contrast to lemon, garlic is already very well known for its positive effect on cardiovascular health. When it comes to blood pressure, for example, people who eat plenty of garlic tend to have healthier blood pressure than people who eat the spicy tuber less often ( 9 ).
But there are also studies on the effect of garlic on calcification of the blood vessels. Garlic is not only said to reduce the risk of arteriosclerosis, but even to cause a slight regression in the case of existing arteriosclerosis. This was at least the case with participants in a study conducted by the Charité hospital in Berlin in 1999, when they had taken high-dose garlic powder for four years ( 1 ).
Five years later, Berlin researchers also published two laboratory studies showing that garlic extract was able to prevent calcium binding to blood vessels, a mechanism involved in the formation of atherosclerosis ( 3 ) ( 4 ).
In 2006, scientists from the United States showed that the administration of garlic in conjunction with statin therapy had significant advantages and supported the inhibition of atherosclerotic processes in the blood vessels ( 5 ).
A more recent 2016 review looked at the effects of garlic on various parameters such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, inflammation levels, and coronary calcium (degree of calcification of the coronary arteries) (2). The garlic was able to lower blood pressure (by up to 16 mm Hg) and cholesterol levels (by up to 29.8 mg/dl). However, the best effects were seen when aged garlic extract was used.
This special extract (Aged Garlic Extract, AGE) could also have a positive effect on the calcification of the coronary arteries, so that such a preparation could be taken permanently, e.g. after the lemon-garlic cure. This is because even different, i.e. limescale-free deposits can be reduced with Aged Garlic, as a study by Californian researchers showed ( 6 ):
55 patients with metabolic syndrome (average age 58 years) took 2,400 mg of AGE or a placebo preparation daily. After about a year, the deposits of her coronary arteries were examined. It was shown that the AGE was able to reduce the so-called Low Attenuation Plaques (LAP) in particular. LAPs are lipid-rich but low-calcium deposits that correlate even more closely with the risk of heart attack than calcification. Therefore, the more LAPs, the higher the risk of heart attack.
In 2016, a randomized controlled trial was published in which the combination of lemon juice and garlic was even specifically examined, but not in relation to calcification, but in patients who had too high blood lipid levels ( 7 ). However, since high blood lipid levels are considered a risk factor for arteriosclerosis, we would nevertheless like to present the study: The participants were divided into four groups:
- Group 1 received 20 g of garlic and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice daily.
- Group 2 received 20 g of garlic daily.
- Group 3 received 1 tablespoon of lemon juice daily.
- Group 4 received neither.
After 8 weeks, the blood of the test subjects was analyzed. Surprisingly, a significant reduction in total cholesterol levels, LDL cholesterol and fibrinogen was found in group 1 compared to all other groups. A decreasing fibrinogen level indicates a “thinner” blood.
Blood pressure and even body weight also dropped more significantly in group 1 than in groups 3 and 4. So it seems to make perfect sense not to take garlic and lemon juice individually, but to take them together – for example in the form of the lemon-garlic cure.
Superfoods support the effect of the lemon-garlic cure
The result of the lemon-garlic cure is further enhanced by the combination with certain healing superfoods (ginger, turmeric and black pepper):
How ginger stops deposits in the blood vessels
Ginger has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-cancer and analgesic effects, among other things. In a review from 2018, there is also a summary of the mechanisms of action through which ginger and its main active ingredient, 6-gingerol, can specifically counteract arteriosclerosis.
For example, ginger’s antioxidant properties prevent lipid peroxidation, i.e. the damage of the body’s own lipids by free radicals, a process that contributes to the formation of deposits on the blood vessel walls. In addition, ginger has a blood-thinning and cholesterol-lowering effect, also two properties that have an inhibiting effect on arteriosclerosis ( 15 ).
How turmeric inhibits arteriosclerosis
Turmeric also has an anti-inflammatory ( 17 ) and antioxidant effect and is therefore anti-arteriosclerotic due to these two properties alone. In addition, curcumin – an important active ingredient complex in turmeric – prevents the accumulation of cholesterol in the cells of the blood vessel walls.
To this end, it promotes cholesterol efflux, i.e. the flow of cholesterol out of the blood vessel wall, so that it can no longer contribute to deposits there. The term efflux comes from the Latin word effluere, which means to flow out or run out.
The following applies: The stronger the cholesterol efflux, the lower the risk of heart attack. Turmeric is therefore just right in a cure for “decalcification”!
How black pepper counteracts calcification
Black pepper enhances the effect of turmeric, but also counteracts calcification in the body – as follows:
According to animal studies, black pepper first improves blood lipid levels, including cholesterol levels, also inhibits blood clotting (i.e. thins the blood) and – just like turmeric – promotes cholesterol efflux.
In addition, piperine – the active ingredient in black pepper – reduces the spread of certain cells in the blood vessel wall (the smooth vascular muscle cells) that are involved in the formation of atherosclerotic deposits.
So there is no longer any doubt that the recipe of the lemon-garlic cure is actually a very intelligent mixture and can be used very well to improve health. Now, let’s move on to the practical part:
The instructions for the lemon and garlic cure
The production of the lemon garlic elixir is extremely simple. They require only a few ingredients, and the preparation is also quick.
The ingredients for 20 days (for 2 people)
- 1 liter of water
- 4 organic lemons (with peel)
- 1 organic lime (or 1 organic lemon instead; also with zest)
- 30 cloves garlic
- 3 cm piece of organic ginger with peel
- 1-2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
The preparation of the lemon-garlic cure
Clean the lemons well under warm water, cut into quarters and put them in a blender with the peel. Peel the garlic cloves and put them in the blender together with the ginger. Add a little water and mix everything briefly and vigorously.
Put the resulting paste in a saucepan, mix with 1 liter of water, heat on the stove and bring to the boil very briefly. Then remove from the heat immediately.
Place a fine sieve over a bowl, carefully pour in the liquid and run it vigorously through the sieve with a spoon until no more liquid escapes. Set the sieve aside.
Add turmeric and pepper to the juice, stir intensively and fill the juice into glass bottles with the help of a funnel. Once the juice has cooled, seal the bottles and store them in the refrigerator.
Put the lemon-garlic mixture in a sealable jar and store in the refrigerator as well. It is very suitable as a seasoning for salad dressings, marinades or vegetable preparations, for example. The remaining mass can also be used externally as an envelope, for example for joint problems.
The application of the lemon-garlic cure
The specific application or intake of the cure is as follows:
Shake the bottle vigorously before opening.
Put 25 ml of it in a schnapps glass every day after a main meal (morning or noon or evening) and drink it. (If you drink the juice in the evening and find that you suddenly sleep worse, you should consume it after breakfast or lunch instead.)
If the drink is too strong for you, you can also divide the 25 ml into 3 smaller portions, i.e. take only about 8 ml 3 times a day (1 tbsp).
Drink the juice daily for a period of 3 weeks (the above amount is sufficient for 20 days if you take 25 ml daily).
Traditionally, the cure is repeated a total of 3 to 4 times. After each 3-week cycle, a 1-week break is taken, so that the cure lasts for 4 months if repeated 4 times.
The lemon-garlic cure is therefore only carried out once a year.
The shelf life of the lemon garlic drink
Please always make the drink fresh for three weeks, i.e. not for a longer period of time. The elixir of life can be stored in the refrigerator for three weeks without any problems. If you want to do the cure alone, simply use half of the above ingredients.
Doesn’t the cure lose its effect when it is boiled?
Many readers regularly ask us why the ingredients have to be boiled. They fear that the active ingredients could be lost as a result – especially those of the lemon, whereby the vitamin C is repeatedly pointed out.
However, the lemons are used here with the peel, so it’s not mainly about the vitamin C, but about the active ingredients in the entire fruit. We always think it’s a bit of a shame when food is reduced to a single vital substance. Because lemon juice also consists of much more than just vitamin C.
In addition, we have explained here that even during cooking, only 50 percent of the vitamin C contained is lost. With this recipe, however, the mixture is only boiled briefly, so that even lower losses can be expected. Nevertheless, there is also a cure made from raw garlic (but without lemon), which we present below.
If you want, you can of course also try the lemon-garlic cure without boiling – as also practiced by a reader we quote below. However, you should then make the drink fresh more often, as the short boiling extends the shelf life.
The user’s garlic smell is also limited in the heated version, which would not be the case when eaten raw. In the following link, we explain how you can get rid of the garlic smell.
Reader’s testimonial – 15.10.2020
A reader wrote to us about his experiences with the lemon-garlic cure. He does not boil the ingredients and has changed the recipe slightly. Below is his e-mail:
“My recipe: dice 2 washed organic lemons, plus garlic cloves 8% of the lemon weight – everything in the blender. Add enough water to form a very liquid porridge, put it in a jam jar in the refrigerator, drink 2 tablespoons in a glass of water every morning, 365 days a year. Result at 85 years – without any medication Osteoarthritis eliminated – high blood pressure eliminated – generally in the best health again – 8 hours of work a day as long as it is fun.”
The garlic cure from raw garlic
If you want to do a cure with raw garlic, the Tibetan garlic cure is also a good option. This is a cure that is carried out with a garlic tincture. The tincture is made from garlic and high-proof alcohol. You can find out how to do this in the link above. We wish you a lot of fun preparing the cures and good luck!
