As ai reread the article about giardia in the Water subforum, ai wondered something about the statement that a garlic clove is about one fifth as effective as a standard dose of penicilin (correct me if ai misrepresent the statement). What ai wondered was this: dont they use a high dose of penicillin to treat blood poisening? Would making meals based on raw garlic for a few days get rid of this (potentially) deadly infection? Mai brother and ai both have had this condition in the past. Let me tell you, its a scary thing being told that you might not survive going untreated for such a short time (a week? ai forget). Should ai have worried so much, or is it a reletively easy thing to treat, with the right medicines?
I don’t know if it is a fifth as strong (only one clove?) I have heard that fresh Garlic is, by weight, a fiftieth as strong as strong as penicillin (keep in mind that fresh Garlic is mostly water). But the thing is, you can eat a LOT of raw Garlic and you definitely SHOULD if you have blood poisoning or any kind of infection. Garlic is the number one medicine in the herbal medicine chest for anyone who has to treat their own health problems.
Garlic has a lot of medicinal properties, but for antibiotic purposes, it MUST be raw and preferably crushed. Allicin, Garlic’s main antibiotic, is what gives raw Garlic its burn and bite, and you probably notice that bite disappears when Garlic is cooked. However, both the allicin and other antibiotic compounds are increased, by chemical reactions, when Garlic is crushed and allowed to sit for a little while.
Since large amounts of raw Garlic can burn the mouth, esophagus and stomach rather unpleasantly, I fold it into slices of bread to eat it, and that solves that problem.
Raw Garlic can also be applied topically to infections, from gum infections to athlete’s foot.
Another remedy that helps with blood poisoning and is easy to obtain is red wine. I would use both of these remedies for blood poisoning infections.
Wow I get the garlic-vampire connection now!
I’ve succesfully cured pretty bad infections/blood poisoning by rubbing garlic on them. It burns and hurts, but it works and it work pretty quick. In general, just cut your garlic in half and wack it once so it’s kind of mushy, and then rub it all over the area, and then leave some taped to the originally infected spot, and then eat some (raw) garlic and go to sleep, and when you wake up you should see a difference.
I had a nasty wound on a finger once, which a few days later turned purple and swelled up. An infection had set in. Scared of it getting worse, I took several garlic oil pills, which were something like 50 times concentrated. In a day or two all infection was gone, as were allergy problems (the anti-inflammatory action), and I felt healthier overall. And my partner loved the smell. 
Now all I have is a nasty, jagged scar.
I was the one who quoted 1/5th the antibiotic value. It was something I read, don’t know if it’s 100% true. On the other hand, I’ve used raw garlic as an antibiotic quite a bit, both internally & externally, and, while it can be a bit rough at times, it’s sure as shit mighty damn powerful.
The compounds Sacha mentions are, for the most part, formed/created when the garlic is cut/crushed/bitten. If you don’t crush, mince, whatever before taking internally, you should probably chew really well.
But since that probably won’t work out all that well, might as well crush or grind it up first.
Taken internally, I’ve found I really have to take it with some kind of food, not necessarily wrapped up in something, but I can’t take it on an empty stomach. For chest colds, crushed garlic infused in honey overnight, for whatever reason, seems to work particularly well. If you’re treating a blood infection w/ raw crushed garlic, personally, I would expect it to work, given that you ingest enough (maybe 1 clove 3-4 times a day?), but I don’t know a great deal about blood infections specifically, so, YMMV.
Externally, I usually crush it, then put it on the injured area and cover (bandage, clean cloth, something). I have tried just cutting the garlic, but it didn’t seem to work quite as well as crushing it. The downside of the crushing is that there’s a lot more garlic juice, so it’s messier, but the juice probably has more of the active compounds, so…
Re: the garlic-vampire connection: Pretty cool, eh? ;D
Lastly, I very much recommend anyone doing any kind of gardening try to include at least a little garlic in your gardens. It’s easy to grow, doesn’t take up a ton of room and, like Sacha said, it’s a solid herbal medicine if you have to treat your own health issues or act as a family/friend/tribe healer.
The compounds Sacha mentions are, for the most part, formed/created when the garlic is cut/crushed/bitten.
Yes, for the most part. I was once talking with someone who had a PhD in biochemistry and he told me that crushed raw Garlic has more than a hundred different identified antibiotic compounds in it, some of which are, as jhereg mentions, actually formed when Garlic is crushed, because when the cell walls are broken different chemicals get together and react. He said that some of them form instantly and some take time. And allicin, the main and most powerful antibiotic in Garlic, is in uncrushed Garlic, but is increased when it is crushed.
Allicin (a-LISS-in), the main antibiotic (named for the Allium family to which Garlic and Onion belong) is the compound that gives raw Garlic its “bite.” The more that the Garlic burns and stings, the more powerful its antibiotic effects.
When I was living in the jungle I got a fungal infection in my toes. I had heard that Garlic has antifungal properties, so I rubbed a sliced piece of Garlic on it. No effect. It didn’t sting much either. So then a few days later I crushed a clove good and rubbed it - ow! ow! ow! it stung and burned like hell! And the next day the fungal infection was gone!
Bleeding gums (which is something potentially very serious) can be cleared up overnight by rubbing raw Garlic on it, but it works only if it burns and stings. Sore throat can be cured fast by sucking on raw Garlic, but again, it should sting.
Intestinal problems like diarrhea and cramping are cured fast by raw Garlic.
I also had a blood poisoning incident once which was cleared up with raw Garlic.
Garlic has many other healthful properties, even when cooked (cooked or raw it is very beneficial for the cardiovascular system) but for antibiotic purposes it has to be raw.
If you have to take care of your own health, Garlic is one of your best, best friends.
Mmm, now I’m hungry.
Wow. That was some great respondifying you guys did!
Re: vampires: heheh, yeah, ai hadnt thought of that.
This info is really great. Especial thanks to sacha, who once again, bombards me with wonderful information!
Hey, another cwestion: is that bite in onions the same antibiotic as in garlic? And another (cant ai ever just stop with the cwestions?): does anyone know how long you would have to wait for the crushed garlic before the optimum effect is reached?
Onions also contain allicin, yes, just less of it. The ones that contain the most, of course, are the ones with the strongest most “biting” flavor, but Garlic still contains much more.
I don’t know about the “optimum” effect with Garlic, but it works pretty fast. Within 24 hours you should notice an effect.
One effect of Garlic to know about is that it is an anticoagulant, which is one of the ways that it helps to protect the heart (not just to prevent blood clots that block the coronary artery and cause heart attacks, but also because the coagulant factor in blood is an ingredient in arterial plaque, so an anticoagulant helps reduce hardening of the arteries). However, if you cut yourself when taking a lot of Garlic, it can take longer to stop bleeding. Luckily, there are herbal remedies like Plantain that can help stop bleeding.
Once I met Jesus in a truckstop and he was rubbing onions and garlic on his skin. He said the onions “drew out sickness,” which looked like red marks, and then the garlic burned it away.
I’ve also heard that you can clear up congestion by going to sleep with an (unsmashed) clove of garlic in your mouth, and when you wake up your congestion will be gone.
Somebody told me today that taking more than one raw clove of garlic a day is kind of (medicinally) pointless, as maybe your body won’t absorb more of the good stuff? Anyone know about this?
Sounds shifty to me, especially when one is sick, or has heart/circulatory issues. Still, one clove is generally enough. I figure we might as well cook with more than that anyway, though. It’s just yummy.
this thread has been on my mind.
i love garlic and i believe it is a very valueable medicinal and a delicious food. however, i do not believe it to be a panacea or anything close. there are many alternate options for many of the conditions described above that are just as good or better than garlic and do not result in topical burns or upset digestive systems. when raw garlic is applied directly to the skin it can cause severe pain and burning. this is obviously not a reaction that i personally look for when treating people. it is something that i try to avoid as much as possible.
i have noticed a tendency in folks to suggest medicinals with out properly evaluating the best course of action for the individual. instead there seems to be a focus on the western diagnosis and what “key” herb is perfect for syndrome X. this is a typical (modern/allopathic) western paradigm for medicine. there is little or no evaluation of constitution or energetics (of person or medicine). ipersonaly believe using energetic/personalized disgnosis is the heart of herbal medicine.
blood poisening is a serious situation… and one that has come up around me before. serious infections tend to be a heat related condition and as a result garlic and other hot herbs tend to be lower on my list for these situations. this, however, depends on individuals and other factors as well (example: in acute wind cold i find garlic to be valueable). one of the best herbs for blood poisoning is plantain. poulticed (change freq.) and used internally. plantain has drawing, cooling, moistening properties. it also has the ability to remove debris/dirt from wounds… which is essential to having proper healing.
of the strong anti-microbial allies my absolute all time favorite is propolis. it works for me almost everytime - especially with topical ulcers/sores and throat/lung problems. i also seem to use lavender essential oil quite a bit with great success - especially for burns or “wet” infections.
Bleeding gums (which is something potentially very serious) can be cleared up overnight by rubbing raw Garlic on it, but it works only if it burns and stings. Sore throat can be cured fast by sucking on raw Garlic, but again, it should sting.
bleeding gums can be from various things… but i think garlic would be way down on the list of things to use for this situation. especially in cases that were not related to serious infection. when treating gum/tooth infections i would opt for things like plantain, propolis, oregon grape root, calendula, and some astringents as well… maybe a rose family plant or an bark or something.
Intestinal problems like diarrhea and cramping are cured fast by raw Garlic.
diarrhea is probably one of the most commonly oversimplified conditions. there are so many reasons someone could have diarrhea. in some situations garlic could be excellent, but again… not for every case.
well, anyways, i have to go, but i felt the need to reply to this thread. i’ve been running in to this sort of stuff quite a lot lately.
Umm, since when? Not to come out and completely contradict you, but I’ve never had that happen, nor have I heard anything about anyone having that happen. I’ve used crushed garlic topically, on wounds and infections, many many times. Never burning or pain. I can only expect that someone who would have such a reaction is allergic or has extremely sensitive skin, which is a concern for any remedy.
Otherwise, great information.
Actually, I know two people who have had that kind of reaction to raw garlic (as a medicinal). No marks were left, it wasn’t like a chemical burn or anything, but they did report a painful burning sensation with the raw garlic. Also, I can’t manage to take raw garlic internally without distress unless I have some food in my stomach. I think raw garlic can treat the patient roughly at times. Even so, I still endorse its use. I can’t say that I use it as a panacea, but it’s definitely a medicinal I try to keep around.
Yes - raw garlic can be a bit rough!
Last week I woke up with an incipient sore throat. could feel I was going to be hoarse within half a day.
So I ingested a large clove of raw garlic.
Now, I’m pretty used to garlic, having eaten it almost all my life ( I love the stuff!), but a whole raw clove can be pretty harsh.
Apart from the burn, I felt immediately sick to my stomach, as though I was going to throw up any minute.
(I should have taken heed of that ‘not on an empty stomach’).
The nausea passed within the hour, and my sore throat was knocked completely on the head.
Good stuff, yes, but use with caution.
Love,
Terri in Joburg