Garlic as a Medicinal Herb

During WW I and WW II garlic as a medicinal herb was used by the Russian army almost categorically to treat infections because they could not afford prescription antibiotics. This is why garlic became known as Russian penicillin.

Garlic, (Allium sativum) is a must have medicinal herb in your garden and it can be used anytime an antibiotic is called for. In fact, it is nature’s antibiotic without the gut flora ruining affects. Unlike prescription antibiotics, garlic is a renewable resource that is easily grown in most climes. Garlic can also treat viral infections unlike prescription antibiotics.

Our Homespun Garlic Story

Right when I began testing the waters of herbal medicine my daughter Grace contracted a nasty ear infection. So, we carted Grace to the local M.D. and asked his opinion. N.B., even if you avoid traditional medicine and M.D.’s like the plague, you might want to consider using them for diagnosing.

On this particular visit the doctor confirmed the presence of an inner ear infection in Grace and summarily prescribed an antibiotic. Having gained a measure of confidence with herbs I chimed in, “Doc, what do you think of warm garlic oil to treat ear infections?”

Happily, to my surprise this doctor did not begin the “that’s hogwash, witchcraft”, mantra but simply stated, “I don’t know much about garlic but I can tell you that warm oil placed in the ear will bring relief to Grace.” Doc went on to further deliver the solicited info. “ If you do nothing at all, most ear infections will clear up in a week on their own, and if you take the antibiotics and they don’t work, Grace might wind up with a double ear infection. “

I thought, “Wonderful, you mean you were going to administer an unneeded prescription antibiotic that can cause harm? Didn’t you sign the Hippocratic Oath? “Well, I was raised too polite to speak my critical thoughts out loud, instead rephrasing them, “Why then would you prescribe antibiotics?”

Again, a straightforward answer was to come forth from this doctor…. most unusual by my experiences. “I prescribe prescription antibiotics as a habit because Americans want quick fixes. They expect antibiotic scripts and actually get upset if they do not get one.”

That was all I needed to hear, thanking the Doctor for his time before going home and whipping up a batch of garlic oil for Grace. That night Grace went to bed with a cotton ball laden with garlic oil stuffed into the offending ear.

The next morning Grace had made a recovery from the splitting earache which caused her to ask for the doctor’s visit. Now teenagers and beyond, my kids regularly ask Dad for natural remedies.

While I’m on an anti – “Allopathic” (treating symptoms rather than causes) rant I’ll foment a little longer with some supporting statistics.

• 70% of prescription drugs in the U.S. are plant based then converted into synthetic form. https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/09/01/medicinal-plants.aspx
• 80% of world still runs on plant based folk medicine. https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/09/01/medicinal-plants.aspx
• Iatrogenic Death: (doctor or medically caused death) is the third leading cause of death in the U.S.) https://hub.jhu.edu/2016/05/03/medical-errors-third-leading-cause-of-death/
• 50% of all Emergency Room visits are from prescription meds taken as prescribed. https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/drug-related-hospital-emergency-room-visits

Making Garlic Oil

image source: commons wikimedia

You can easily make garlic oil by sautéing it with olive oil in a pan. Or, you can buy it real cheap. I now just buy it from Christopher’s Herbs.

Garlic Oil Application

Put two or three drops of warm garlic oil into the ear. Gently place the piece of cotton over the opening of the ear just enough to stop the oil from seeping out. The person being treated should remain in the same position for 10 to 15 minutes.

How to make your own garlic oil.

Supplies:

• 1 clove of peeled garlic
• Olive oil – 2 to 4 tablespoons
• Small pan
• Glass jar with lid or dropper
• Cotton ball
• Strainer

Making ear drops:

• Peel garlic clove.
• Crush or chop garlic clove to release its allicin sulphur.
• Put garlic into oil and place into unheated pot.
• Warm the mixture over low heat—not hot.
• Move oil around the pan until you can smell the garlic.
• Remove pan from heat and let cool down.
• Strain garlic into jar.

Even more than using garlic oil, our family uses fresh garlic in minced form we call garlic pills, whenever we feel even the slightest winter sniffle occur.

We simply chop or mince garlic into small square like pieces. If you’re like me, you do not cherish chewing raw garlic and will appreciate our method.

1. Chop garlic into small, square like pieces
2. Place the garlic “pills” into a teaspoon
3. Swallow with ample water.

Only trick is, you have to wait at least 5 minutes to swallow freshly cut garlic allowing the active ingredient, sulphur to activate.

Garlic Benefits

Garlic is an antimicrobial – antiviral – antifungal – antibacterial and antiseptic offering remedy to colds and infections. It has also been used as a cancer preventative, to control high blood pressure, and prevent heart disease to name a few of its usages.

The active ingredient in garlic is Sulphur derived from a compound called allicin. Because garlic is a food, it is recognized and accepted by your body’s immune system.

The University Of Maryland Medical Center recommends 2 to 4 cloves of garlic or 600 to 1,200 mg of aged garlic extract daily if used for antibiotic purposes.

Type: Hard Neck garlic is the most adaptive garlic for northern climes, and Soft Neck for southern. I’m able to source local organic hard neck garlic for my zone 4 Adirondack NY farm. Two online sources are

1. Johnny’s Seed Co
2. High Mowing Organic Seeds

Growing Garlic

Planting Garlic

You can plant garlic in the fall like a Tulip Bulb. It needs cold stratification to set well. Don’t worry if the garlic clove begins sending up shoots before the snow comes as garlic has nature’s antifreeze within it and will survive just fine.

To plant, separate the garlic bulb into its cloves, usually four or five. Each garlic clove will produce a garlic bulb with its own four to five cloves. Spacing is four to six inches apart and three to four inches deep.

Soil should ideally be rich in organic matter or compost, but garlic may fare well if soil is less than perfect. The new garlic planting will benefit from some sort of mulching.

Sun Requirements

Garlic wants full sun, (6 plus hrs. a day) but will deal with less begrudgingly, producing smaller bulbs.

Watering

Winter snow will give garlic a good spring start, and spring rains will too, but you might need to water a little if conditions are not just right. During bulbing – May- June (up north) , water garlic deeply every ten days, to a depth of two feet, if it has not rained. Back off on watering for two to three weeks before harvest. You’ll see the bottom leaves begin to wither, indicating that the bulb is almost ready to harvest. Too much water then may make the garlic bulb fall apart.

Fertilizing

Garlic is a heavy feeder. Soil amended with organic compost or aged chicken manure is sufficient, but if you observe the leaves turning yellow it’s time to fertilize. When needed I’ll use a bagged dry chicken manure fertilizer? To fertilize with a bagged organic fertilizer use one to two pounds per one hundred square feet as a side dress or broadcast application. Work the fertilizer into soil about one inch. You must not fertilize past mid-May for it will interfere with bulbing.

Harvesting

We harvest garlic twice. First as garlic scapes (Hard Neck varieties only) and next as bulb. The seed shoot that is produced about a month before the garlic bulb is harvested is called a garlic scape. Garlic scapes are every bit as potent as the bulb and can be used in the same way.

Additionally the seed shoot is tender and scallion like when picked on time and can be chopped and used in salads and other recipes. The actual garlic seed, located at the tip of the seed shoot are mini garlic bulbs that are as potent as the bulb. Harvest garlic by gently digging each garlic bulb from ground with garden trowel, or if your soil allows, you may dimply pull up garlic by its stalks. You be the judge.

Drying Garlic

Remove most of the dirt from bulbs but do not use water. Hang garlic upside down in a shady spot with good air flow. If you don’t have a place to hang the garlic no worries, just make sure it’s in a well-ventilated shady place. A wood table is fine. Drying may take two weeks or more.

Garlic Storage

You can store garlic in a cool place without light once it is dry make sure to cut off the stalks. Hard neck garlic can store for six to eight months, soft neck longer.

There’s nothing like home grown garlic, both for culinary and for medicinal usages!

Disclaimer: Above information is for educational purposes. Herbalists in the United States are not permitted to diagnose, treat or cure. See your health professional for such.