The Benefits of Garlic & Garlic Remedies

For any of the Garlic remedies listed on this page, you can use fresh organic Garlic or a quality supplement.

Aged Garlic supplements are popular because they have the benefits of Garlic without the strong smell and taste. Either method will give you the Garlic benefits you need but fresh raw Garlic is the strongest.

My Own Experience…

My own experience with Garlic is minimal. I use it in my cooking sometimes and love the taste of it enough that I could eat it raw all by itself!

But as far as remedies go, I haven’t used it specifically for that purpose. When I do, I’ll update this page and tell you all about it.

If you have any experience with the benefits of Garlic on your health, we’d love to hear about it!

Dosage:

There is a standard dosage for Garlic that works for all remedies listed below (unless otherwise stated).

• Fresh Raw Garlic: 1 medium to large clove per day as a maintenance dose and general blood cleanser – uncooked and diced into small pieces. You can also simply chew the clove directly if you’d like. For a more intense cleansing, you can take 3 to 4 cloves per day.

• Garlic Supplement: For those of you who don’t care for the taste or smell of Garlic, supplementation is ideal. You can still get the benefits of Garlic in a pill form, but please look closely at the label. A good supplement should have no fillers or additives in them and be sure that the garlic they’ve used is organic. A daily dose of 600-900 mg per day is recommended, which equals about 1 clove of fresh raw Garlic.

Conditions This Remedy Treats:

(Clicking on the name of underlined conditions below will take you to the page that discusses the causes and other remedies for that particular condition.)

Acne

There is some debate about whether the benefits of Garlic cure Acne. Here’s what it does do. Garlic will definitely clean out your blood system, so if your Acne is caused by a general overload of toxins in the body, then eating garlic will surely help clear up your skin.

Applying the juice from crushed Garlic directly to your Acne blemishes has been known to help them disappear more quickly because Garlic has antibiotic properties. Do this at night and wash your face in the morning.

Be aware that Garlic can burn the skin, so test a little first and see if it burns. Do this by applying a very small amount of fresh garlic juice to the inside of your arm of behind your ear. If the spot starts to have a burning sensation within a few minutes, then wash it off and do not use it topically.

Allergies

Garlic is an excellent remedy for seasonal allergies because it attaches itself to the toxins that are causing the overactive immune response of your body and then flushes them out.

Blood Pressure (High)

Whether you have high or low blood pressure, the regular consumption of Garlic has been know to equalize it.

Cancer

The benefits of Garlic’s use for Cancer are being studied. It is known that the compounds in Garlic, specifically germanium, actually block cancer causing cells from forming.

Studies have shown that Garlic slows down the growth of cancerous tumors and can even reduce tumor size by half. Garlic has more germanium in it than any other herb.

Candida

Garlic is an anti-fungal, anti-yeast, anti-bacterial and anti-parasitic. A daily dose of Garlic will kill Candida in your system.

Cholesterol

Garlic has been shown in studies to reduce the amount of LDL (“bad”) Cholesterol and Triglycerides in the blood and helps prevent LDL from turning into plaque on your arterial walls. Garlic also raises the levels of HDL (“good”) Cholesterol.

Colds & Flu

The benefits of Garlic for a cold are well known. It has an overall beneficial effect on your immune system but works best to prevent colds rather than “cure” them.

Garlic simply gives your own body’s immune system the fuel it needs to fight off the virus naturally. Taking large doses of Garlic at the first signs of a cold will allow your cold to disappear more quickly than without Garlic.

Diabetes

The benefit of Garlic on blood sugar levels is that it lowers average levels for those who are Insulin resistant. According to Garlic – Nature’s Perfect Prescription, “The mechanism by which [garlic] affects blood sugar appears to be either its ability to stimulate the pancreas to increase insulin production, make protein-bound insulin physiologically available, or positively affect blocked cell membrane insulin-receptors, or some combination of the above.”

Heart Disease

Studies have shown that Garlic decreases total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL (bad) cholesterol while raising the levels of HDL (good) cholesterol in the blood. Garlic also inhibits the formation of plaque in the blood as well as its ability to stick to the arterial walls.

Parasites

Garlic is well known for its anti-parasitic properties. If you suffer from parasites, a daily dose of Garlic will kill them off.

General Properties:

The benefits of Garlic as a healing agent have been well known for centuries. Garlic produces a sulfur compound called Allicin when you bruise it, chop it, chew it or crush it.

Allicin is a very potent antibiotic, and it has been said that 1 milligram of Allicin is more potent than 15 standard units of penicillin.

Garlic is rich in other necessary nutrients such as Manganese, Vitamins B6 and C, and is a good source of protein and thiamin (vitamin B1) as well as the minerals phosphorus, selenium, calcium, potassium, iron and copper.

Possible Side Effects:

The only side effects of Garlic is that it can cause “garlic breath” when eaten. If you regularly consume Garlic, your skin may start smelling like Garlic as well (through natural perspiration).

If too much Garlic is eaten, you can have an uncomfortable burning sensation in your stomach and Garlic juice can burn your skin depending on your particular sensitivity.

This may seem an obvious statement but please do not take Garlic if your allergic to it, as the risks will negate any benefits that have been listed here.

Drug Interactions:

• Chlorzoxazone: Common names for this drug are: Paraflex, Parafon, Forte DSC, and Strifon. It is commonly used for acute painful muscle conditions. Garlic will decrease the effectiveness and bioavailability of this drug.

• Ticlopidine: Common names for this drug are: Apo-Ticlopidine, Betimol, Nu-Ticlopidine, and Ticlid. It is used to prevent stroke by inhibiting the formation of platelets in the blood. Garlic will have an adverse reaction if taken with this medication.

• Warfarin (and all blood thinners): Common names for this drug are: Coumadin, Marevan, and Warfilone. It is an anticoagulant, which means it helps stop your blood from clotting up. Another word for it would be blood thinner. Garlic will have an adverse reaction if taken with this medication because Garlic is also a blood thinner.

Did You Know…?

• Elephant Garlic or Russian Garlic are actually a variant of the Leek and are not considered “true” garlic although they all come from the same family of onion.

• Garlic is part of the Onion family.

• Garlic and Onions are toxic to dogs and cats.

• To take away “garlic breath”, simply drink lemon juice or eat a few slices of lemon.

• The recorded use of Garlic as food and for medicinal uses dates back 6000 years.

• During the plague in Europe, Garlic was eaten daily by those wanting to protect themselves from catching the deadly illness.

Garlic in Topical Beauty Treatments

Garlic's antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties make it a practical ingredient in DIY skin and scalp treatments. For acne, a tiny dab of diluted fresh garlic juice on an active blemish may help reduce redness overnight, but it should always be patch-tested first because concentrated allicin can irritate sensitive skin. Some people also blend crushed garlic into a warm oil mask for the scalp, believing it supports a healthier environment for hair growth, though the smell can linger unless rinsed thoroughly with a mild shampoo.

Why Preparation Matters

The compound allicin, responsible for many of garlic's benefits, only forms when garlic cells are damaged. Chopping, crushing, or chewing raw garlic and letting it sit for about 10 minutes before eating allows the enzyme alliinase to convert alliin into allicin more completely. Cooking whole cloves too quickly can destroy this enzyme, so adding crushed garlic near the end of cooking-or eating it raw-delivers a stronger dose of active compounds.

Aged, Fermented, or Raw: Choosing Your Form

Raw garlic delivers the highest concentration of allicin and is the most potent choice for general wellness. Aged garlic extract, however, has had time to develop additional sulfur compounds like S-allyl cysteine while losing much of its odor, making it easier to take consistently. Fermented black garlic offers a milder, sweeter flavor and retains antioxidant activity, which can be a good option for people who find raw garlic too harsh on the stomach.