Garlic is used in almost all cultures and cuisines. It has always been used not only as a seasoning ingredient but also medicinally. It is particularly well known that garlic keeps the blood, heart, and blood vessels healthy. What is far less well known is that the bulb acts as a natural antibiotic to help with urinary tract infections and can also be used to treat colds.
Garlic: In use for thousands of years
Garlic (Allium sativum), is a very old medicinal plant and a spice that has been used for thousands of years. Wherever the bulb is grown and used medicinally, its main uses are almost always the same: digestive disorders, respiratory diseases, infections of all kinds, worm infestations, general weakness, and even snake bites (1).
In the Middle Ages, garlic was also used to treat the plague and other infectious diseases, and later also to treat scurvy and rheumatism . According to medieval monastic medicine, the bulb was also said to stimulate sexual desire, which gave it an immoral image at the time and was why it was not used in monastic kitchens.
Recipes with garlic
Most people use garlic to add the finishing touch to a sauce, soup, or stew, but it can also be prepared like a vegetable. Our 40-Clove Tempeh with Garlic Sauce is a dish for real garlic lovers.
In comparison, the two cloves used in the garlic soup and in our savory pastries are almost a small amount. A garlic sauce with fresh herbs also tastes excellent!
What active ingredients are included?
Although the positive effects of the bulb on health are certainly due to the overall combination of all ingredients, the sulphur compound allicin in particular is considered to be the substance to which garlic owes not only its smell, but also its main effect.
Allicin is initially present in the bulb in its precursor form, “alliin”. Only when the cells are damaged by peeling, cutting or chopping is an enzyme called alliinase released, which, under the influence of air, immediately reacts with the alliin present in the garlic clove. Allicin is formed from this reaction.
Allicin is the sulfur-containing amino acid that gives garlic its characteristic pungent smell and taste. It was first isolated from garlic oil in 1858 by the German chemist Heinrich Wieland.
How does garlic work?
Many of the aromatic tuber’s medicinal properties have now been scientifically proven. The first scientific evidence of its strong antibacterial effect dates back to 1858, by Louis Pasteur himself – the world-famous microbiologist who made a name for himself in the field of vaccination research.
Among other things, it has a preventative and supportive effect on ( 4 ):
- Cardiovascular diseases by lowering cholesterol and blood fat levels, blood pressure and thinning the blood
- Diabetes by lowering blood sugar
- Gingivitis, due to its anti-inflammatory effect
- Cancer by counteracting the spread of tumors
For the cardiovascular system
In addition to the allicin mentioned above, garlic also contains saponins – secondary plant substances with a positive effect on the regulation of blood fats ( cholesterol ). They therefore contribute to improved blood flow and increased vascular elasticity. Allicin is also a sulfur compound in garlic. It thins the blood naturally by breaking down the clotting agent fibrin.
With the help of all these substances, the tuber can counteract blood clots and prevent thrombosis and strokes – in contrast to blood-thinning medications, it does so in a completely natural way and without side effects.
As a natural antibiotic
The Talmud already says about garlic: “It makes the face radiant, it increases sperm, and it kills small creatures in the intestines.” No wonder garlic is traditionally used for intestinal problems (flatulence, fermentation processes, and cramp-like pain) as well as for colds and flu .
In particular, allicin and the sulfur compounds resulting from it have shown germicidal properties in cell studies, as they are able to act against all kinds of pathogenic microorganisms and parasites (bacteria – e.g. also borrelia, viruses, fungi, amoebas, and worms) ( 5 ).
Garlic can therefore be described as a natural antibiotic, which, unlike chemical antibiotics, promotes the maintenance of healthy intestinal flora. Since the intestinal flora makes up the largest part of the human immune system, garlic also helps to strengthen the immune system.
An intact intestinal environment also enables better absorption and utilization of nutrients, which means that more “useful” nutrients reach the cells, which ultimately benefits the entire organism.
You can easily prepare a natural antibiotic without side effects at home using natural ingredients. Under the previous link, we present you with a recipe and explain how to use the natural antibiotic.
Against cystitis
A study of human urine showed that aqueous garlic extracts were able to kill bacteria that had already developed resistance to antibiotics . However, since these bacteria can cause cystitis – which affects millions of people every year – it is extremely important to find alternatives ( 6 ).
Garlic could provide the basis for such an alternative, and it can, of course, be taken by anyone who suffers from urinary tract infections and wants to speed up the healing process (in addition to D-mannose ).
In cancer prevention and cancer therapy
For example, cell studies have shown that allicin destroys tumor cells by initiating their suicide program. It thus counteracts the spread of tumors ( 7 ). It has also been proven that regular consumption of garlic reduces the risk of stomach and esophageal cancer, lung cancer, and breast cancer ( 8 ).
With regard to lung cancer, for example, at least two Chinese studies are causing concern. The scientists announced that garlic and green tea seemed to compensate to some extent for the negative effects of the typical lung cancer risk factors (smoking, consumption of fried food, etc.) in an epidemiological study ( 9 ) ( 10 ).
To protect the liver
Garlic also counteracts wear and tear on the liver by strengthening its cell walls and supporting the organ in its detoxification function. The bulb can be used, for example, in cases of heavy metal poisoning (mercury, cadmium) or to mitigate the negative effects of alcohol consumption ( 11 ). You can find more information on liver cleansing here.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
Traditional Chinese Medicine confirms – like many other naturopathic healing methods – the effects of garlic mentioned. TCM classifies the different foods roughly according to their taste and temperature behavior:
Garlic is associated with the taste of “spicy”. The spicy taste relieves stagnation of blood and Qi (energy), drives away external pathogenic (disease-causing) factors, opens the pores and induces sweating.
The temperature behavior of the tuber is warm to hot, which means it is able to drive away any cold that has penetrated and warm up the “middle.” At the same time, foods with warm or hot temperatures allow blood and Qi (energy) to circulate better.
This makes it even easier to understand why garlic, with its combination of “warm/hot and spicy”, is so well suited to treating colds and improving the vascular situation.
It is also understandable that the tuber is not necessarily suitable for everyone and in every situation due to this combination of “spiciness and heat”. It is therefore only recommended for colds, flu infections, etc. that are not accompanied by fever.
Apart from acute fever, Chinese medicine knows of other disharmony patterns that are already caused by too much heat in the body (e.g., “damp heat in the bile”). In these cases, regular consumption of the spicy tuber would tend to worsen the symptoms.
In the medicine cabinet
Of course, the use of garlic with all its healing properties is particularly suitable for the home medicine cabinet:
When affected by a flue
There are recipes in circulation for colds that will cause a strong garlic breath, so it is best to use them only when you are at home.
Put the whole clove in your mouth
At the first signs of a cold, hold a peeled clove in your mouth until it no longer tastes good; then spit it out and repeat the procedure two more times. The antibacterial agents pass into the saliva and can be absorbed there.
Take garlic juice several times a day
Mix a squeezed clove with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of honey, and take this juice up to five times a day. Or: finely chop 2 cloves and boil them with 4 tablespoons of honey in 250 ml of water. The juice must then be left to steep for 3 hours, and it should then be taken daily with 3 teaspoons.
Sour garlic paste
Peel 3 cloves, press them and mix them with 15 ml of rice vinegar. Take it all at once. Then you should lie down in bed to sweat.
For bacterial diarrhea
Peel 1 garlic bulb and cut into cloves, boil together with 3 slices of fresh ginger in ½ l water. Strain the liquid and drink warm in small sips.
For corns or warts
Before going to bed, place a slice of a cloves on the corn and fix it with a plaster. Leave it on overnight. The next morning, take a hot foot bath and continue the treatment until the corn falls off.
For sciatica and lumbago
Garlic has a healing effect not only on corns and warts, but also on other problems. Possible areas of application include ear infections, rheumatism, sciatica and lumbago, headaches, skin lichen, and insect bites.
To do this, make a paste of pressed garlic and olive oil and rub it into the painful areas before going to bed. Then wrap a cloth over it and leave the fragrant compress on overnight.
However, when used externally, you should remember that prolonged contact with garlic can lead to skin reactions such as redness, burning and even blistering. Therefore, use it sparingly and carefully – just as you would for internal use.
The lemon-garlic cure
The lemon-garlic cure is considered a rejuvenating cure from folk medicine (see previous link for detailed information) and can have a positive effect on the joints, the heart, and performance, for example. This is how it is prepared:
- 30 peeled garlic cloves and 5 unpeeled, hot-washed, and cut organic lemons are chopped well in a blender, adding a little water if necessary.
- Carefully heat this porridge with water (no more than 1 litre of water should be used in total) to 60-70° C.
- After cooling, pour into a screw-top jar while still warm and store in the refrigerator.
Drink a shot glass of this every day. Start with the treatment for two or three weeks, then take a break for eight days and then repeat the treatment for another two to three weeks. This process can be repeated once or twice a year.
In contrast to the treatment mentioned above, the Ayurvedic garlic treatment from Tibet is carried out with an alcoholic garlic tincture made from 350 g organic peeled garlic and 200 ml alcohol (e.g.vodka). Just put in the blender – put in a cool place for 10 days, strain and use 20 drops of the tincture 3x per day. Note that the color can change to green which is normal. Its areas of application are just as varied as those of the garlic-lemon treatment.
Is black garlic better than white garlic?
Black garlic is created when white garlic is fermented for a few weeks . This changes the color, consistency, and taste. The ingredients also change so that certain antioxidant substances increase in quantity. Black garlic therefore has a higher antioxidant potential and, therefore, a better healing effect.
It protects liver health, blood vessels and can be used to prevent arteriosclerosis and diabetes. Just like with white garlic, you can also use the black variety as a food in the kitchen or take it in the form of an extract in capsules.
Does garlic have side effects?
There are generally no side effects to be feared when consuming the bulb as normal, but stomach and intestinal upsets are possible when consuming very large quantities.
“The dose makes the poison” applies here as it does for every plant, every spice and every other food. If you absolutely don’t like garlic, you should keep your hands off it – perhaps this aversion is not without reason.
People who are already taking anticoagulant medication should be careful when consuming large amounts of garlic, such as those used in the lemon-garlic cure, as the garlic could also have a blood-thinning effect and thus increase the effect and side effects of the medication.
Black garlic does not cause bad breath, and even during a lemon-garlic treatment, only mild bad breath occurs, as the lemon largely neutralizes the typical smell and the mixture is also boiled briefly.
Is it better to eat fresh food or take capsules?
The strong taste of the tuber is what makes some people shy away from eating it. The question arises whether it really has to be the fresh tuber or whether you could also take capsules or tablets that have a similar effect but don’t leave behind a bad aftertaste.
Opinions differ here. Some say that the effect of garlic tablets is comparable to that of the fresh bulb. On the other hand, there are voices who say that freshly crushed cloves are the best source of active ingredients and are therefore always preferable to dietary supplements.
The authors of a 2018 study took a closer look at the bioavailability of garlic and garlic preparations. For the comparison, the researchers assumed 100 percent bioavailability of allicin in the raw bulb (which is, of course, not true in reality). The following bioavailability values should therefore only be considered in comparison with the raw bulb ( 13 ):
- Gastro-resistant garlic tablets: 36 to 104%
- Gastro-resistant tablets, but in combination with a protein-rich meal consisting of a tuna sandwich and 200 ml of whole milk: only 22 to 57%, as the stomach now empties more slowly
- Non-enteric tablets: 80 to 111%
- Capsules with powder: 26 to 109%
- Cooked garlic: 16% (temperature and duration had only a minor influence)
- Roasted garlic: 30% (temperature and duration had only a minor influence)
- Cloves pickled in vinegar: 19%
It is surprising that the preparations sometimes performed better than the raw tuber. However, the bioavailability within the categories varied greatly depending on the manufacturer, which is why it cannot be said that preparations are fundamentally better than the raw tuber.
If fresh garlic is not an option every day for environmental reasons, it is best to choose preparations made from dry powder that still contain all of the original ingredients and not just individual active ingredients that have been isolated from the garlic. However, you can probably only guarantee the highest possible amount of effective allicin if you eat it fresh – assuming the bulb has been stored properly.
Fresh garlic is best eaten raw or as raw as possible. When cooking, it should only be added to the food towards the end to get the most out of its health benefits. Oil increases the effectiveness of the garlic.
How do you store the tuber correctly?
The bulbs should be kept in a cool, dry place in the kitchen. In summer, they are best kept in a cool pantry or (dry) cellar. In the fridge, however, the bulbs can become bitter.
The shelf life of home-grown garlic is approximately 6 to 8 months. The ideal storage temperature is 4 degrees Celsius, and the humidity should not exceed 70 percent. Because once the roots sprout, the bulbs spoil quickly.
Once a tuber has been opened, it should be used up within 10 days so that the individual cloves do not dry out. Generally speaking, the fresher and juicier, the better. Another good way to store the cloves is to soak them in oil.
How is garlic grown?
If you have a garden or balcony, you should grow Allium sativum yourself and can thus supply yourself with the medicinal and spice plant almost all year round:
1. Where does garlic need to be located?
The location is the most important factor when growing them, as the plants are true sun worshippers and need a lot of warmth.
2. Which soil is suitable?
The soil must be warm, loose and permeable. If it is wet and heavy, there is a risk of rot. Since the plant has shallow roots, soils that are low in humus and sandy are not ideal due to the risk of drying out.
3. When will planting take place?
Garlic can be planted in both spring and autumn. Autumn offers the advantage that the yield is higher. The bulbs are larger when harvested. The disadvantage is that the annoying garlic fly then has more time to cause damage. We recommend the hardy spring garlic.
4. How is it planted?
There are two options when it comes to planting: you can either plant the cloves or the small bulbils that grow in the summer from the withered garlic flowers. Bulbils can be planted in the autumn at a distance of around 10 to 15 cm from each other and about 4 cm deep in the soil.
In the first year, the bulbils produce what are known as roundlets. When the plants retract their leaves in the summer, take the roundlets out of the ground and store them in a dry, shady place until autumn. Only then should they be planted. The bulbils are therefore only formed in the second year. This immediately shows the disadvantage: you have to wait two years after planting until you can harvest the first bulbils. The advantage, however, is that garlic grown from bulbils is more robust and forms larger bulbils.
When you plant the cloves, the same distance and planting depth applies as for the bulbils. It is important to place the cloves slightly diagonally in the planting holes to prevent root rot.
5. Which fertilizer is needed?
The plants need very little fertilizer. If you add 2 to 3 liters of compost per m² to the soil before planting, the nutrient requirements are met. For winter garlic, it is recommended to chop it once in early spring and twice during the growth phase. This means less water evaporates into the air. The plants also like soil mulched with straw.
6. How much water does it need?
The plants require moderate amounts of water. The leaves should not get wet when watering.
7. Can garlic be grown in a pot?
As long as the location is warm and sunny and the soil is loose and permeable, the plants will thrive in pots. The pot should have a diameter of about 30 cm and be 20 cm high.
8. What enemies are there?
Apart from the garlic fly mentioned above, Allium sativum is quite resistant to diseases and predators. The damage is caused by larvae that usually hatch in Spring. The infestation can be recognized by the fact that the plants stunt their growth, the leaves turn yellow and look wrinkled and the stems become softer. This makes the plants susceptible to fungi that cause garlic rot.
In organic gardening, wood ash helps, which is scattered around the plants from before the fly appears (1 kg of wood ash per 10 m²). The flies are also disturbed by regularly hoeing the soil. Insect nets can also be stretched over the plants on arched rods.
9. Good partners – bad partners
The combination with strawberries is ideal, as garlic is a natural remedy against grey mould (Botrytis). The fruits are also said to taste more aromatic if the herb grows nearby. Other good partners are raspberries, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes , lilies, fruit trees, roses, and beetroot.
Allium sativum does not get along at all with bulbous plants such as onions, chives, and leeks. This combination also encourages infestation by the leek leaf miner. Peas, runner beans, and brassicas are also not well suited to mixed cultivation.
10. Is it winter hardy?
In our region, garlic is generally hardy. In particularly harsh areas, light winter protection during the frost period is advisable. The bed is simply covered with brushwood or straw.
11. When and how is the harvest carried out?
The harvest time varies and depends on the time of planting. As a rule, the green leaves and stems gradually begin to turn yellow from the mid summer. When two thirds are yellow, the tubers can be taken out of the ground.
The plants are carefully dug up with a digging fork, as the tubers must not be damaged. It is crucial that the tubers are not yet open when harvested, otherwise they will fall apart. If the cloves are exposed, they will not keep for long.
12. What should be considered when drying?
After the plants have been pulled out of the ground, they are best hung in a dry, airy and shady place, like an unheated attic. The yellowed foliage can be used to make decorative braids and hang the garlic on them.
How to make garlic oil?
To make the oil, peel the cloves of two tubers, place them in a screw-top jar and fill with good olive oil so that the cloves are well covered.
If you like, you can add a few peppercorns or small chili peppers. The oil is left to stand for three to four days, after which the flavored oil can be used for salads and dishes. The homemade garlic oil will keep for several months as long as the cloves are covered with the oil.
Where does garlic come from?
It is assumed that the original garlic was already cultivated in Central Asia about 5,000 years ago and from there it finally came to Europe via the Middle East.
Egypt, for example, was considered the land of garlic in ancient times. There, the bulb was considered a sacred plant and given to the pharaohs as a burial offering on their final journey. The workers building the pyramids were also given raw onions and raw garlic to maintain their health and strength.
In China, the bulb has also been used since 2,000 BC. The Chinese script represents the word for garlic, suan , with a single character – an indication of its frequent use since the beginning of language development.
When Roman doctors came to a new country, the first thing they planted was garlic. In addition to its many other uses, the bulb also served Roman soldiers on their long marches as a remedy for athlete’s foot .
Is garlic really a miracle cure?
The list of all the positive effects of garlic on health sounds impressive, doesn’t it? However, consumption alone certainly cannot prevent ALL diseases, let alone reverse existing pathological processes.
If your other diet or lifestyle leaves a lot to be desired, even a “super bulb” like this is powerless. But the synergistic effects resulting from the combination of a healthy lifestyle and regular consumption of garlic should not be underestimated.
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