Disclaimer: This post is not to be taken as a medical advice, I strongly advise you to consult with your doctor before trying any of the ideas exposed here.
When I tell someone that I take a clove of garlic with a glass of water on an empty stomach, every morning, the first thing they ask me is: doesn’t your breath smell all day after that? And the second: why would you that?
Let’s start with the “why” question.
I Used To Get Sick With A Cold 3 to 5 Times A Year
At the time I write this post, the weather is cloudy, cold and very humid.
It’s that “in between” weather, when it’s not really winter, with minus degrees and snow, and it’s not yet spring.
And usually, this is the time when many people get sick with different forms of flu.
I used to get sick 3 to 5 times a year.
Basically, with every season changing, I would get the running nose, the headache, the aching body, the sore throat, sometimes with fever, sometimes without.
It used to keep in bed for at least 2-3 days, and at home for 1 to 2 weeks. The more I tried to continue working and not resting the longer it lingered with me. It was annoying and frustrating.
And it reminded me of my childhood.
When I was a kid a I was getting very often the swollen tonsils and high fever the doctors recommended a lot of antibiotics.
Either pills or shots when the first ones didn’t have any effect anymore. Gush, I can still remember the sharp pain of the penicillin shots in my bum. You know it too if you’ve been there.
Fast forward 25 years, because of different factors like: too much stress at work, too many working hours, not resting enough etc. I found myself repeating the pattern from childhood, getting sick as often as then.
And because I love and trust natural remedies I refused to take any more antibiotics.
Then slowly I cut down on classical over the counter flu remedies, like aspirin or ibuprofen based pills.
I managed to get through the colds, but it took me longer.
I was refusing the quick fixes, and I wanted to give my body the chance to start fighting on its own.
I knew that there were many garlic benefits for immune system but I’ve never used it every day and monitor the results.
Then I read in an article that taking a clove of garlic a day on an empty stomach, cut in half if it’s too big, helps your immune system by healing and equilibrating your intestinal flora.
I Started Taking A Garlic Clove A Day
At first, I had days when I forgot to take it. But then it became a habit: I take it right after I brush my teeth in the morning, with a big glass of warm water.
After a year and a half of taking a garlic clove (almost) every single day I can share with you what happened to me.
My usual “I-got-the-flu” episodes started fading way, in both numbers and intensity.
If I remember correctly I got sick with the cold only twice in 18 months. Which for me, is awesome.
And the best part, I managed to heal myself in 3-4 days, without any pills.
My 4 Steps To Healing A Cold Naturally
What I did when I got a new cold episode and what you could too.
– increase the garlic intake up to a 10-12 garlic cloves a day. Take 3 garlic cloves 3 times a day with water, just like you would take your regular cold pills.
– reduce the amount of solid cooked food that you eat. Whatever you eat, add garlic to it.
– drink loads of tea, warm water with lemon, and fresh juices (Last time I had a mix of beetroot, carrot & orange). It’s important to make them fresh (I have a slow juicer at home) or buy them from an organic & raw food store.
– rest in bed, for as long as you need, especially if you have fever. (If the fever gets above 38-39C you should immediately go see a doctor.)
My most recent cold episode hit me exactly on Christmas Eve. I got fever (I don’t know how high, my thermometer was out of batteries), felt very bad and aching everywhere.
I followed the steps above and I was back on my feet in 3 days.
The fever decreased back to normal after 2 days, I felt better but tired on the 3rd day, and I was completely recovered in the 4th day. And I didn’t take any pills, at all!
For me that was such a big success!
I am not implying that what I did will work for You as well, but it might help.
We are all unique and different individuals, and healing depends on many factors, not only on the remedies we take.
I hope this inspires You to give a chance to the natural remedies and to try the one-garlic-clove-a-day cure.
How About The Smell?
There’s still one question unanswered: does your breath smell like garlic? When I started this one-garlic-clove-a-day thing, I was also a bit hesitant.
So I’ve asked a few close friends to tell me if my breath smells. They said “No”. Well, that was a relief!
Of course, in the days when I feel the cold is trying to get me and I increase the garlic dose then I warn everyone I am under a garlic treatment and I excuse myself in advance for the smell :). I also eat parsley or ground coffee beans to try to get a fresher breath.
I don’t know if it helps but I’d rather be a bit uncomfortable because of my garlic smell than be sick or take antibiotics or any other pills.
That’s my choice and I’m happy with it. How about You?
What’s your experience with garlic? How do you use it for your health? Let me know in the comments bellow.
With all my love,
Raluca
P.S. Here’s an interesting article I found on Mindbodygreen.com about other benefits of garlic .
P.P.S. Disclaimer: This post is not to be taken as a medical advice, I strongly advise you to consult with your doctor before trying any of the ideas exposed here.
May I simply say what a comfort to find somebody who truly knows what they are talking about on the internet. You certainly understand how to bring an issue to light and make it important. A lot more people really need to check this out and understand this side of the story. I was surprised you aren’t more popular since you certainly possess the gift.|
For me 95% of the time if I take a clove or two of raw garlic before bed on the first day I feel the slightest bit sick I’m much better the next day. I have to repeat this for the next couple of nights as well. I chp it up and add it to just a bit of salsa and eat it on a couple of chips. And drink a big glass of water. Don’t know what I’d do without it!
Well… modern science has recently confirmed many of these beneficial health effects. Here are
Top 10 Health Benefites Of Garlic
that are supported by human research studies. See More:
garlic is a great immune booster, but you have to chew it up! without maceration garlic doesn’t release allicin; that’s the immune booster. So instead of just swallowing garlic cloves like pills, you should chew them up (no matter how bad it tastes and how much it burns) for maximum effect. i do it every time i get sick and it works wonders!
🙂
Thanks for the tip, Jordan! 🙂
You DON’T have to chew it, chop/dice it as small as possible or mash it. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Put some on spoon and wash down with water, don’t chew, just swallow with water. Do until all of your clove(s) are gone. Take a fat afterwards, I do cottage cheese, yogurt, mayonaise, etc. to coat your stomach. No need to chew, the sitting for 10 minutes releases the allicin.
I’ve just had a cold for 3 weeks and this note was very inspiring. Will get right to work to see what happens. Thanks!
I have used garlic the couple of bad colds and it really seems to help. My Mom was shocked at how much better I was between friday & monday. Had horrendous congestion and fever one day with that one.
I chop it up and mix into a teaspoon of raw honey . Not bad.. sweet & spicy.
I used to get sick several times a year with the same symptoms as you since I was a child and also took a lot of antibiotics. This stopped when a doctor prescribed me Ismigen (a bacterial lysate).
I take it once a year and for the first time in my life spent more than a year without getting the flu/sore throat, and when I do get sick it’s very mild and goes away in a day or two (before it always lasted a week or more).
I leave this here in case garlic stops working for you or anyone else is also frequently sick since I know how bad it’s getting frequent throat infections.
I started eating 11 grams or 4 ounes of raw garlic each day since December 2018. What I discovered is the overall total beneficial effects of raw garlic. The effects of raw garlic consumption can be achieved whether you press your garlic cloves throuh a garlic press or cut them into to small pieces using a knife, you body will still reap great benefits from lower blood pressure and a host of other life-threatening
issues such as blood sugar (A1C) levels, LDL, bad cholesterol.
There is a great and reasonable possibility that eating raw garlic in higher doses (based on your body weight) could slow down the affects of Alzheimer’s and cancer in your body.
In addition, I was presently suprised to discover that when pressing garlic cloves, you don’t need to remove the cover that surrounds the garlic gloves. Simply insert a clove of garlic, paper included, and skip that step.
Finally, I wanted to share my experience with garlic’s cousins, (ginger root). Along with my morning dose of miracle raw garlic, I press 1-2 grams of ginger root on top of my 11- grams, spoon of garlic, wait 8-10 minutes for the Allicin to activate the anti-inflammatory properties of the garlic, and now I can start my day knowing that I fed my body the 1- 2 punch, garlic and ginger together. Health and happiness for all. What a small price to pay that returns great rewards. Place you bets on life. Go with a sure thing.
Garlic and Ginger.
I don’t usually at garlic even in dishes but when I do, they have to be fried or roasted but it needs to be minced too. I still think I can’t eat a whole clove and raw garlic but I can consider of course. If it’s for my health, I can always compromise. Thanks for this.