HERBS: GARLIC
Allium sativum
Action: Diaphoretic, expectorant, antiseptic, antibacterial, antiviral, hypotensive, anthelmintic, carminative, stomachic, cholagogue, antispasmodic, tonic.
Systems Affected: Lungs, heart, circulation, stomach, liver, gall-bladder, intestines, general effects on the whole body.
Preparation and Dosage (thrice daily): Fresh or dried bulb, dose 2-5 grams (see below for methods of preparation).
Garlic Oil capsules, dose 0.03-0.12 ml.
Garlic is widely cultivated as one of the most common kitchen herbs and is used daily as a flavoring in most parts of the world. There are several varieties of the plant including small cloves and giant forms, and the flavor ranges from sweet to nutty, mild to strong.
Native to Asia, Garlic has been cultivated for centuries in the East and was widely employed medicinally by the Egyptians and Romans. The gypsies worshipped it for its medicinal powers and today it is highly espoused as a healing plant in practically every culture. Its common name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon gar, meaning a lance, after the shape of the stem, and leac, a pot-herb.
Garlic is one of the few herbs found useful in nearly all disorders of the human body. It is of particular benefit in the treatment of lung ailments, for high blood pressure, against parasites and infections, for digestive problems and nervous disorders. It is further useful when the body is in normal health, as an antiseptic, general tonic and preventive medicine against ill health and infection.
Garlic contains an essential oil rich in sulphur compounds, vitamins A, Bl, B2 and C, plus several antibacterial substances. Heat destroys the active properties and Garlic, when used for medicinal purposes, should not be boiled or cooked. Various methods of preparation are used to retain its medicinal properties:
Fresh juice: Take a quarter of a teaspoon of the juice expressed from peeled cloves, thinned with water, 2 or 3 times a day.
Cold extract: Let several peeled and chopped cloves stand in half a cup of water for 6-10 hours. Take 2 or 3 times per day.
Cloves: For coughs, take grated Garlic mixed with honey.
Tincture: Let 100 grams of peeled and cut cloves soak in 500 ml of brandy in a sealed bottle for fourteen days. Keep warm (around 20-25°C) and shake a few times each day. Strain the liquid and bottle; the tincture, sealed and stored in a cool place, will keep several years or more. The standard dose is 2-4 ml (a half to one teaspoonful), which is taken 2 or 3 times per day.
Oil of Garlic: Place 100 grams of peeled and chopped cloves in a wide-mouthed jar with enough olive oil (or any vegetable-based cooking oil) to cover. Seal the jar and place it in a warm place for a week to a fortnight, shaking it several times a day. Press and strain through muslin or cotton cloth and store sealed in a cool place. The standard dose is 2-4 ml (a half to one teaspoonful). For colds, flu, fever and infectious diseases, take one teaspoon of the oil every two hours or so. Use the oil as a rub externally. For earaches, insert a few drops in the ear with a wad of cotton wool.
Garlic is used for all lung ailments, and especially for chronic bronchitis, respiratory catarrh, whooping cough, recurrent colds and flu. It combines well with Coltsfoot in bronchitis and asthma, and is specifically indicated in chronic bronchitis.
Garlic’s beneficial effect on blood circulation and the action of the heart has been confirmed by modern research. Taken for an extended period of time on a daily basis, it is employed in the treatment of high blood pressure and arteriosclerosis (for which purposes it is often combined with Hawthorn and Cayenne).
It is useful for expelling intestinal worms (particularly pinworms), and is highly effective as an antiseptic dressing for infected cuts, wounds and skin ailments. Combined with sphagnum moss and used as a wound dressing, it saved the lives of thousands of soldiers during World War I.
Garlic’s antibacterial and antiviral activity provides protection against the common cold, amoeboid dysentery, typhoid and other infectious diseases, and it has been used as a specific treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis.
It stimulates activity of the digestive organs and is thus useful for problems associated with poor digestion. It has a tonic effect on the liver and gall-bladder and increases the flow of bile.
Garlic is also used to treat cramps and spasms, heart weakness and nervous disorders. Externally it is useful for relieving earache, sore throat and minor aches and sprains.
To cleanse Garlic from the breath, chew Parsley, Mint, Basil or Thyme.
Cautionary Notes: Garlic may be slightly irritant to the skin of some people. Only small doses, diluted, should be administered to children.
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