Garlic: My Garden Favorite

I absolutely love the smell of wild onions as I walk through town and love planting garlic in my #garden. I even love the smell of garlic on my hands a day or two after cooking a fabulous home cooked meal. It makes me feel like I've cared for them and blessed them. And what a GORGEOUS plant.

One of my favorite recipes to give clients is for #sinusitis or ear infections, any sort of upper respiratory illness which includes equal parts garlic, olive oil, and coconut oil. They mix this up into a #goop and apply it around the ears, not within them, on their sinuses, and on their lymph nodes. This good is so effective that my kids steal it from the fridge. They smell like a fresh garlic clove but it works so they are more than happy to lather up when they are ill.

Onion Family

Garlic is part of the onion family along with shallots, leek, chives, and the Chinese onion. All of them are amazing in the garden, easy to grow, beautiful, and the aromas fill the air all season long. I can mow over mine and they come right back. It will even flourish is Alaska. The Egyptians used garlic for flavoring and healing. Nearly all the world's supply of garlic comes from China.

You know a #botanical is good for you though when it is hardy in the garden. Garlic is resistant to most all pests and diseases. They repel rabbits and moles. I have them planted throughout my yard because they also repel slugs. I use it to treat many infections in my practice clientele. In fact, when I was volunteering at the Good Samaritan clinic, I was recommending garlic and yogurt for so many gynecological concerns that the director pulled me aside to inform me that although they have a very tight budget and are a free clinic, that we can utilize pharmaceuticals as clinicians. She explained they had a pharmacy that had medications which were donated so clients could purchase them at very low cost. I reassured her that even with my wealthiest of clients in my Carmel clinic, I was still recommending for them to utilize yogurts and garlic. My colleagues soon followed my practice suggestions and offered their clients the same.

There is an extensive database on the clinical effects of garlic, from antimicrobial to hypolipidemia, anti-coagluant to anti-hypertensive, anti-cancer to anti-artherosclerosis, even hypoglycemic to anti-rheumatic, and antihepatoxic to antiglycation, and even as an immune modulator. You really just can't go wrong here.

Sulfoxide

There are sulfoxides in garlic which are converted into about seventeen thiosulfinates which are the active ingredients in garlic. In the #detoxification program I've been writing for clients, we talk a lot about which phases of the detoxification processes various phytonutrients or earth medicines can have an an impact. Garlic doesn't play much role in phase one where toxins are bound, but does impact phase two where our toxins are mobilized for excretion. It can enhance #glutathione and quinone reductase, and has some chelation properties.

Research has identified that garlic can eliminate mercury, cadmium, lead, and arsenic. A study in the 1960s, showed that one gram per day to workers who were exposed to lead kept them protected and capable of continued work. Mercury in the brain has been reduced by 40 percent when given to rats. Garlic has been shown to chelate similar to DMSA and is superior to D-penicillamine chealtors when given to rates for both methylmercury and cadmium.

Colon Cancer

In a double-blind, randomized clinical trial with 51 subjects, each having colorectal adenomas-precancerous lesions within the large bowel and given 2.4mL/day (1/2 teaspoon) of aged garlic, that their polyps were reduced in size and numbers within the first year. Another meta-analysis including 14 studies, showed a 37 percent reduction in colorectal cancer risk in the case-control studies.

Dosages

Studies typically recommend about two to three fresh, crushed cloves twice each day, or freeze dried garlic between 700 and 2,800mg twice each day, which is about one capsule of 14mg thiosulfinates or 6mg allicin. Aged garlic extract is another option, at about a half teaspoon twice a day, or 600 to 1,200mg.

One garlic cloves contains 2,500 to 4,500 mg of the allyl sulfide precursors, allicin. Without much difficulty, many of my clients will swallow a whole garlic clove each day. If you are eating at home daily, it would be an excellent practice to get into your home cooked meals, a clove of garlic per person at least daily. This is especially easy to do in soups and stir-frys. How do you prefer your garlic?