Garlic! Make your own medicine with Dr. Thea Rabb!
Check out this video to learn about how to make Garlic tincture with Dr. Thea Rabb, licensed Naturopathic Doctor! She takes you through how to make medicine in your own home in this short 10 minute video, and teaches you why it’s important too!
Background Information on Garlic:
Garlic (Allium sativum)
Common Names: Camphor of the Poor, Poor Man’s Treacle, Rust Treacle, Stinking Rose, Russian penicillin
Description/Taxonomy: Garlic is a bulbous perennial herb in the Liliaceae/Allicaceae family, closely related to the onion. It has a tall, erect flowering stem that reaches 2-3 feet in height with pink or purple flowers that bloom in mid to late summer. Its leaves are long, narrow and flat like grass. The bulb (the only part of the plant that’s used) consists of numerous bulbils or cloves, grouped together between membrane-like scales or sheaths and enclosed within a whitish, papery skin that holds them together like a sac (5). Garlic is propagated by separating and planting individual bulbs.
History, Ethnobotany, and Folklore: The name Allium sativum is derived from the Celtic word all, meaning burning or stinging, and the Latin sativum meaning planted or cultivated. The English name is derived from Anglo-Saxon gar-leac, meaning spear plant (in reference to the shape of its leaves). Spiritually, garlic was prized as a protective agent. This is perhaps the origin of our common association with garlic as a deterrent to vampires. It was one of several plants in ancient Greece that was worn to guard against illness and negative energies, including theft and possession by evil spirits. Both sailors and soldiers were known to wear protective cloves, both for spiritual protection and in case of sickness.
Garlic, is one of the most ancient healing plants and has been prized for its culinary, medicinal, and spiritual benefits for millennia. In fact, its history and timeline as a cultivated plant is so vast that it’s hard to pinpoint its era or country of origin. It is thought to be native to China, and has been esteemed in the medical tradition of that country for thousands of years. We do know that it has been cultivated in the Middle East for over 5,000 years, making it one of the earliest known cultivated plants. Ancient Egyptians used it as a form of currency, and hieroglyphics of its medicinal benefits have been found transcribed on ancient temple walls and on papyrus dating back to 1500 BC. Arabian herbalists used garlic to respond to abdominal pain, infantile colic, diarrhea, diabetes, eye infections, snakebites, and even tuberculosis (3). African herbalists used garlic to treat respiratory and helminthic infections, as well as garlic oil in drops to respond to childhood ear infections. In North America, Native Americans used garlic for a variety of healing purposes and consumed it on a regular basis. In China and Europe garlic was used against plagues and infectious diseases as well as lung complications. In 1800’s America it was common for physicians to recommended garlic inhalation as a treatment for TB. During World War I, garlic poultices were used to prevent wound infections, and by WWII the plant had a reputation as “Russian penicillin.” Physicians in many Western Countries including American actually relied on garlic specifically as an antihypertensive agent up until the late 1950’s when potent pharmaceuticals became more widely available.
Constituents: Garlic is abundant in active constituents ranging from vitamins and minerals to sulfur rich enzymes. The sulfur-containing compounds are said to be responsible for garlic’s flavor and aroma as well as many of the recorded medicinal benefits it has on the detoxification pathways and other bodily system’s including cardiovascular, immune, digestive, and endocrine. Garlic and onions contain higher concentrations of sulfur compounds than any other Allium species. Garlic is also possibly the best source of the trace element Selenium. Selenium acts as an antioxidant and stimulates the immune response and is also necessary for the production of thyroid hormone
Herbal Actions: Garlic has an incredibly impressive list of benefits.
Antihelmintic: kills intestinal worms.
Anti-asthmatic: eases constricted breathing caused by asthma.
Antilipemic: garlic has been shown to have a positive effect on lowering total cholesterol, decreasing LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, increasing HDL (healthy) cholesterol levels and favorably altering the ratio of LDL to HDL.
Antimicrobial: Garlic offers significant antimicrobial action by killing or inhibiting bacterial growth of many bacterial and fungal strains
Antiseptic: reduces the possibility of infection, sepsis, and/or putrefaction.
Antispasmodic: combats cramping and spasmodic pains, particularly in the digestive tract.
Antiviral: fights viral infections.
Aphrodisiac: garlic has an age-old reputation for stimulating sexual desire.
Carminative: helps to expel gas and reduce bloating.
Diaphoretic: induces sweating.
Emmenagogue: promotes menstruation.
Expectorant: helps to expel mucous from the nasopharynx and lung tissue
Apoptosis: is a physiological process of programmed death of cells that are genetically damaged or no longer necessary. Precancerous and cancerous cells are resistant to signals that induce apoptosis. Garlic-derived organosulfur compounds, including allicin, have been found to induce apoptosis when added to various cancer cell lines grown in culture
Inhibition of angiogenesis: To fuel their rapid growth, invasive tumors must develop new blood vessels by a process known as angiogenesis. Anti-angiogenic properties of several organosulfur compounds of garlic, including alliin, have been observed in in vitro or ex vivo experiments
Anti-inflammatory activity: Garlic-derived organosulfur compounds have been found to inhibit mediators of the inflammatory response.
Preparation tip: Breaking, crushing, and bruising garlic before consuming is necessary to activate allinase, the enzyme that converts alliin to allicin, an anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial compound found in garlic. Allow a few minutes to transpire after crushing for activation process to take effect (ideally 10 minutes or more). Heat can inactivate allinase and since certain forms of allicin-like compounds are present only in the raw state and some therapeutic properties are dependent on the use of raw garlic.
Supplements and Dosage:
Several different types of garlic preparations are available commercially, and each type provides a different profile of organosulfur compounds depending on how it was processed. Not all garlic preparations are standardized, and even standardized brands may vary with respect to the amount and the bioavailability of the organosulfur compounds they provide.
Tincture dosage is 4-5 drops a day. A general anti-fungal dose is three raw cloves per day or 6-9 capsules (9). Consuming a few cloves per day is a common dose for food preparations and/or gentle, tonic use.
As always, please check with your qualified healthcare professional for specific dosage guidelines and recommendations.
Safety, Cautions and Contraindications:
The most commonly reported adverse effects of oral ingestion of garlic and garlic supplements are breath and body odor. Gastrointestinal symptoms have also been reported, including heartburn, abdominal pain, belching, nausea, vomiting, flatulence, constipation, and diarrhea. The most serious adverse effects associated with oral garlic supplementation are related to uncontrolled bleeding. Several cases of serious postoperative or spontaneous bleeding associated with garlic supplementation have been reported in the medical literature. Garlic may also trigger allergic responses in some individuals, including asthma in people with occupational exposure to garlic powder or dust. Exposure of the skin to garlic has been reported to cause contact dermatitis in some individuals. More serious skin lesions, including blisters and burns, have also been reported with topical exposure to garlic for six or more hours.
The safety characteristics of the various garlic preparations likely depend on their specific chemical composition. Aged garlic extract — the only water-based garlic supplement — showed a safe profile in toxicity studies and exhibited no undesirable side effects when combined with anticoagulants (warfarin), antiplatelet (aspirin), cholesterol-lowering (statins) drugs, or anticancer drugs (doxorubicin, 5-fluorouracil, methotrexate) in clinical settings. Safety and toxicity data are lacking for lipophilic (hydrophobic) garlic preparations, but some of their constituents have been shown to interfere with drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters.
Home remedies: Garlic Syrup, Garlic Poultice, Garlic Oil, Garlic Tea,
Garlic Nasal Irrigation
Garlic syrup: is a great way to reap the benefits of garlic and is fantastic to take in cases of asthma, coughs, chronic bronchitis, and other various conditions of the lungs.
Preparation: Pour a quart of boiling water over a pound of fresh cut cloves, and allow to stand in a covered vessel for twelve hours. Reheat, adding honey until a syrupy consistency is achieved.
Optional: Caraway and bruised fennel can be heated for a short time in vinegar and added to the garlic syrup, to cover some of the pungent smell and add some extra expectorant benefit.
Garlic Poultice: The antibiotic and antiviral sulfur compounds of the garlic, when applied directly over the lungs, in the form of a poultice, will ease inflammation, loosen and break up hardened mucus, and help expectoration.
Materials:
Fresh garlic, 2 or 3 cloves
Knife, fork or garlic press
Cheesecloth, large washcloth, or other thin fabric
Bowl
Warm water (not boiling)
Optional: bandage (to keep poultice in place at awkward angles)
Olive oil or non-petroleum jelly
Method: Crush the garlic to release all of it’s juice. You can do this with the back of a fork, a garlic press, or cut with a knife.
Lay out the cheesecloth and double it over. For children triple fold cloth to be sure no raw garlic is coming into contact with their sensitive skin.
Place crushed garlic into the middle of the cheesecloth.
Fold up the cheesecloth like a burrito, folding two opposite sides over the garlic and then the two other sides over the top of that.
Place poultice in a bowl of warm water and leave for a few seconds.
Squeeze out the excess water and lay poultice on desired spot; generally on the chest or bottom of feet. It is a good practice to apply some olive oil or another well-tolerated oil to the skin before applying a garlic poultice (helps protect the skin form irritation).
Vinegar Of the Four Thieves Recipe (recipe variations exist)
The Story of the Four Thieves
The most famous and interesting story of healing coming out of the great Black Death plague was the story of the four thieves and their amazing concoction that came to be known as The Vinegar of the Four Thieves.
History records that the four thieves were arrested for stealing from the homes of the many dead victims of the bubonic plague.
One of the thieves was said to be an herbalist, whose herbal wine vinegar purportedly kept the four thieves alive all during the Black Death. These men also kept a vinegar soaked rag over their faces during the plague. [Vinegar is used now as a germ killing bleach alternative. Remember to avoid touching our face during flu season as that is an entry point for viruses and bacteria]. As their resistance to the disease became obvious, others started using their vinegar tincture—reportedly with great success.
Ingredients For Concentrate:
16 ounces raw, unfiltered, organic, Apple Cider Vinegar
2 TBSP Thyme (dried)
2 TBSP Rosemary (dried)
2 TBSP Sage (dried)
2 TBSP Lavender (dried)
2 TBSP Peppermint (dried)
4-8 cloves of minced garlic (optional)
Directions:
Place sage, lavender, rosemary, thyme, and garlic in a pint jar. Set aside.
Gently, over low heat, warm apple cider vinegar to temperature of warm bath water, about 100 to 104° F. Don’t boil!
Pour warm cider vinegar into the jar with the herbs. Fill to the top.
Wipe any liquid off the rim and top with a tight-fitting plastic lid. Alternatively, place a piece of parchment paper under a metal canning lid and ring to keep the vinegar from touching the metal. Parchment paper with a rubber band to hold it tightly in place also works.
Label and date.
Store jar in a cool, dark place to extract for four weeks. Shake the jar every couple of days to assist in the extraction.
Strain vinegar through fine mesh strainer, pressing down on the herbs to release as much vinegar as possible.
Pour strained vinegar into glass storage jar or bottles. Remember to label and date!
Store in cool, dark place until ready to use in vinaigrette.
Dosage:
1 TBSP a day in a glass of water for adults
1TSP a day in a glass of water for children.
Can add to salads, meats or veggies
Garlic Tincture:
What Is Garlic Tincture? A tincture is a potent infusion of garlic in a solution of grain alcohol, vinegar or distilled water. The bulbs of the plant are used in this method of preparation. Garlic is macerated in one of said liquids, strained through cheesecloth into a glass jar and stored in a cool-dark location.
Why Garlic Tincture? There are a number of reasons why you may wish to choose garlic tincture over other delivery forms including fresh, capsules or tablets. The liquid used for the tincture (vodka for example) will extract the alcohol soluble components that are found within the garlic. While fresh garlic can spoil quite quickly, tinctures can be kept for up to a year when stored in glass jars in cool, dark settings. Tinctures are also believed to be more bioavailable to and more efficiently used withn the body than the dried forms of the herb found in pills and capsules.
Garlic Tincture Recipe:
Chop one cup of garlic and add to a clean glass jar.
Add 2 cups vodka (or other liquid of choice) and screw the lid on.
Write the contents and date on the jar.
Shake the jar every day or so for 3 weeks.
Once 3 weeks are over, strain out the chopped garlic and
Store the tincture in dark, labeled dropper bottles in a cool, dark area.
Dosage Recommendations: The recommended dosage of garlic tincture for adults is four to five drops of once a day. Tincture can be taken in a glass of water. A few drops of tincture can also be used topically for treatment of fungal and bacterial infections. Discontinue use if side effects occur.
Garlic Oil:
Massaging garlic oil onto your feet can be a powerful way to break through congestion in the lungs and sinuses. As the garlic constituents are absorbed through the skin they travel through the bloodstream to the lungs where the active principle is excreted. By doing this garlic brings it’s stimulating expectorant and anti-microbial properties where it is needed.
For something to be able to be absorbed through the skin it must follow what is referred to as the “500 Dalton Rule”, which means that any molecule with a molecular weight of up to 500 Daltons is readily absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream. The molecular weight of allicin (an active constituent of garlic) is 162.26 g/mol, which is equivalent to 162.26 daltons; therefore, it is easily absorbed into your bloodstream and throughout the body!
Caution: Do NOT ingest the garlic oil by mouth. There is a risk of botulism when combining fresh garlic and olive oil.
Method:
Peel and finely mince the garlic. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Place the garlic in a small jar. Barely cover garlic with olive oil.
Let this infuse for a minimum of 30 minutes, up to 12 hours. Strain really well.
To use: Just before bedtime, rub the oil onto the feet. Immediately cover feet with an old pair of socks, and then another pair of wool socks. Wear this throughout the might. Repeat as necessary, making a fresh batch of oil for each application.
Garlic Tea: Another simple and easy way to ingest garlic’s medicinal benefits
Crush 4 cloves of garlic-let stand at least 10 minutes
Add cloves to pot with roughly 32 ounces of water and bring to a boil. Can add 1 in nub of grated ginger (if desired) for increased taste and immune benefits
Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes
Strain, add honey, lemon juice, and a pinch of cayenne (if tolerable) for flavor enhancement
Sinus Rinse:
Benefits of a nasal irrigation are: removing mucous, dirt, pollen, and other allergens from nasal passages. Increases the flow of mucous, allowing sinus passages to clear. Pulls out fluid, shrinking swollen mucous membranes. Improves breathing, as swelling resolves. Prevents sinus infection. The addition of garlic to the nasal rinse provides a direct route for the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties of garlic to the tissue.
Ingredients:
16 ounces of water
1 teaspoon of salt
1 clove of garlic
Preparation:
Take one clove of garlic, peal, crush, chop, and put aside for at least15 minutes (15 minutes are needed for garlic to release its active compounds). In the meantime put water in a pan, add one teaspoon of salt. Bring water to boil. Take the chopped garlic and put it into a strainer, pour the boiling water over the strainer with garlic. Put the fluid into the Nety pot and wait for it to become luke-warm. Once cooled, use the Nety pot to flush your nose over the sink (the water enters one nostril and exits the other nostril). Do once per day. Make sure you do not use hot water, and no pieces of garlic are in the rinse.
