Garlic – Nature’s Antibiotic

By Lena Sheehan, ND, NS, CHt

Garlic—you’ve watched the movies over the years, so I’m sure you know what made it famous. That’s right—keeping those vampires away! And with Halloween right around the corner, what luck that it is in abundance at this time of year! But did you know Garlic has other valuable uses?

For centuries garlic has been used to fight infection, stimulate the immune system, reduce high blood pressure and cleanse the system of harmful substances. Garlic’s therapeutic properties are generally attributed to its many sulfur compounds and to a particular substance called Allicin.

Allicin is created in garlic when an enzyme and amino acid combine. It is effective against bacteria which cause strep throat, staph infections, typhoid, dysentery, hypertension, high cholesterol, vaginitis, diabetes—just to mention only a few on the long list of common maladies that garlic can help. Allicin has also been shown to interfere with reproduction and growth of fungus, thus making it a wonderful anti-fungal agent.

Refrigerating garlic is not recommended. The best place to store it is in a cool, dry area where air can circulate freely. An open mesh basket or bag is a good storage container. But don’t discard it if spores develop. It is still useful even though it may be somewhat milder in flavor.

You may be thinking, why does something so good have to smell so bad? I understand and here’s the kicker. The component responsible for the bad odor is in fact that all wonderful healing component called Allicin! It is dormant until it is bruised, cut or crushed, which explains why fresh garlic has no odor. Did you know the odor of garlic is part of daily life for many people around the world? This is not the case in our country, so it’s understandable if you may be concerned that garlic will make you a social outcast. Here are a few suggestions to help buffer the aroma of garlic.

1. The odor normally comes from eating raw garlic, so switch to cooked garlic which has almost the same power of healing as raw garlic, but leaves you without such bad breath.

2. Rinse your mouth out with lemon juice mixed in a glass of water.

3. Chew citrus peel—especially orange—after eating garlic to sweeten your breath.

4. Eat grated sweet carrots with your raw garlic to help reduce the odor.

5. Chew on anise seed, fennel seed or dill seed.

6. Chase away garlic odor with a sliver of cinnamon or a whole clove.

7. Munch on a roasted coffee bean.

8. Eat a freshly washed apple. If you don’t care for the taste of garlic but want to reap its health benefits, there’s an easy solution. You can find “odorless” garlic pills in any health food store and many grocery stores.

Lena Sheehan is a Naturopathic, certified nutrition specialist, a certified hypnotherapist, a Reiki Master, Karuna Ki Master, legally ordained spiritual and Evangelistic Minister. www.Lenainc.com  or 702-889-3133.

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