Garlic

Eric Bakker N.D.May 6, 2022

Garlic contains antioxidants that help the body fight oxidative damage. Garlic has been demonstrated to enhance antioxidant enzymes and lower oxidative stress in those with high blood pressure.

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Eric Bakker Naturopath » Recipes » Garlic

Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, and chives. With a history of human use of over 7,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent seasoning in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Garlic was well known to ancient Egyptians, and has been used for both culinary and medicinal purposes for many thousands of years.

 Garlic is one food that has powerful anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties and several scientific studies have found it to be as effective as the popular anti-fungal pharmaceutical drugs Ketoconazole and Nystatin in destroying candida albicans. Garlic in my opinion is the number 1 food that counters many gut problems (bugs) and should be consumed daily. One important difference between taking drugs like antibiotics and anti-fungals, and taking garlic, is that bacteria and fungi are not likely to develop a resistance to garlic. This is great news for you, and one the drug companies are not likely to tell you.

Garlic is one of my favourite and most effective anti-yeast and anti-SIBO measures, and although I use this herb as part of my supplementation regime, I ‘d like to explain it under the special foods section because it is really a food you will want to consume most days.

Garlic suppresses, inhibits, and destroys most every single form of detrimental fungi, bacteria, protozoan and viruses. I have for many years had a large bowl of garlic cloves on my kitchen bench and use fresh cloves in most of my cooking along with plenty of fresh herbs such as oregano, sage, basil, thyme, and parsley.

They introduced these herbs into cooking many thousands of years ago to inhibit bacteria and eliminate parasites, not actually to flavor foods like most people believe. Do you eat garlic? It can help your digestive, circulatory, and immune system in so many ways.

The best way to eat fresh garlic is to have a bowl handy with many cloves. Take a small clove of garlic and carefully crush it to remove the skin, then get a small knife and score the garlic down one side. We do this to allow the digestive juices in your stomach and small bowel to have access to the inside of the clove; otherwise, you would pass the small clove straight through the digestive system.

The outer layer of the garlic clove is high in silica; your stomach’s digestive juices may find it hard to penetrate through this layer. Scratch the outer layer and your digestive system will have no problem. Whilst you can supplement with capsules of aged or odourless garlic, fresh is again the best. You can use garlic in salads, egg dishes, etc. Can’t tolerate garlic? Then get the odourless capsules. If you buy fresh garlic, please make sure you avoid any garlic grown in China (high in heavy metals). Buy locally grown or grow it yourself. And, the best time to plant garlic is on the shortest day of the year, in winter. The best time to harvest garlic is on the longest day, in summer.

How Do You Get Rid Of The Smell Of Garlic?

The best way to eliminate the pungent garlic smell from your breath after you have eaten is to chew on a sprig of fresh parsley soon after. Parsley neutralises the smell of garlic. You can also try chewing on a sprig of fresh mint, and I have found that this works just as well if not better than parsley.

How Does Garlic Work?

Russian scientists long ago discovered that when they introduced a garlic extract into a colony of dysbiotic (bad) bacteria and yeasts that the bacteria and yeasts ceased to function literally within minutes. They used fresh garlic extract in these experiments. There has been much study completed on the health aspects of garlic, and they have even written much in mainstream medical journals about the virtues of garlic.

Garlic is a most effective agent against fungi and yeast as well, and should be high on your list of foods that inhibit and kill yeast in your body. They confirmed garlic in reports back in the 1980’s being more active against human ringworm (a fungal infection) than conventional pharmaceutical drugs.

Research at the University of Indiana in 1979 revealed that the therapeutic value of garlic against candida fungal infections is great, and that an extract of garlic bulbs can inhibit many aspects of fungi. The unfortunate thing about garlic unfortunately is that not everybody is keen on consuming it, with many finding its odour and taste unpleasant. Trust me, the more you consume garlic, the more you get used to it and can tolerate it.

Part of your gut cleansing program is the inclusion of fresh and supplemental forms of garlic. Eat as much fresh garlic as you want, and anywhere from one to a half a dozen cloves of fresh garlic is an excellent way to get what you need. I’ve found that people generally work out how much they like pretty quickly, some like more, some less. Slice it finely over cooked vegetables, crush garlic and finely chop it before adding to a fresh salad or add several cloves to a roast meal.

Therapeutic Uses Of Garlic

It is important for you to realise that you will get the best benefit from garlic by taking it in fresh and supplementary form. That way you will take it in as both a food and a more concentrated form as a dietary supplement. There are many therapeutic uses for garlic for different health problems.

  • Skin (including ringworm, jock itch and athlete’s foot). Ringworm and jock itch respond to treatment with garlic juice that is applied directly to the skin. You don’t need a high concentration so mix with a little water and try first – it may initially feel unpleasant. Garlic juice will be required with a higher concentration (straight and undiluted) to be effective against athlete’s foot. You will find that fresh garlic is as effective (or even superior) against athlete’s foot as is the medicine Lamasil. Just crush a clove and apply the juice neat to the affected area once per day. It will amaze you, the result! I have seen countless cases improve this way.
  • Fungal overgrowth of the digestive system. A study (1999 Arora) revealed that garlic was more effective against candida Albicans than the antifungal drug Nystatin. Carefully peel 1 clove of garlic and then make a neat slice down the side of the clove with a small paring knife. This will allow the digestive juices to open up and digest the clove. Otherwise you may well pass the clove through undigested due to the silica present in the outer layer of the clove, which is quite resistant to digestion. Raw garlic is superior to cooked garlic, which destroys the allicin content.
  • Vaginal yeast infections. Naturopathic doctor Tori Hudson (USA) who specializes in women’s complaints recommends using garlic tampons. Be careful not to cut the clove but thread a string carefully through the end of a peeled clove. Insert and leave for 8 hours.
  • Earaches and itchy ears. Place a drop of onion or garlic juice into the ear. Works wonders for earache too, especially in young children prone to earaches.

Take Garlic Before Full Moon

Here is a more unusual but effective health tip that works. People for generations have planted and harvested crops according to the moon cycle, and smart hunters and fishermen know that they will increase their catch significantly when they look at the moon cycle. Try to target yeast, bacterial and parasite eradication with garlic especially in the two days leading up to full moon. The best times to take garlic for two days before full moon, on full moon and a day or two after are at dawn and dusk. Take one clove on rising or at dawn, and one clove on dusk.

In addition, have some grated beetroot and carrot and also pumpkin seeds and treat especially three days leading up to and including full moon, but have this with meals and away from the garlic. Don’t laugh, bacteria, fungi and parasites have shown to have an increase in activity with the waxing moon. You will get better results treating in the week leading up to the full moon as opposed to the week after full moon.

 

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