Food As Medicine: Garlic

Garlic is such a versatile food as medicine, providing support for the respiratory, immune and cardiovascular system. As we move from Summer to Autumn, garlic is a food worth considering.

Growing Your Own garlic

Garlic is quite easy to grow as long as you prepare your garden beds appropriately. I have found, over time, adding a good amount of compost to your garden beds before you plant the bulbs will support a more successful crop. Pea straw is often added as a source of mulch, saves water and helps to reduce the amount of weeds.

Every year I purchase my organic garlic bulbs from Natures Harvest Hurstbridge. I simply break up the bulbs, being careful not to split the individual cloves and keep the papery husk on the outside. I then plant 15 centimeters apart, making sure they are planted with the root side facing down and the pointed end facing up. I am not too exact with how far I plant them into the soil, but I aim for around 5 cm deep.

Food As Medicine

Garlic & Honey Tea (makes 1 cup)

I personally use fresh garlic during acute coughs and colds to support digestion and immune health. Simply add a clove (or four 😊) to boiling water, freshly sliced ginger, 2 slices of lemon (rind on) and raw honey for a comforting beverage. During the cooler months I encourage clients to add gently cooked garlic to their meals to support the body as a whole. Garlic is hot in nature and supports healthy circulation, lovely for the colder months.

Infused Garlic Honey Infusing garlic in raw honey is another delicious way of using this valuable plant as a food as medicine.

To make a small batch of garlic infused raw honey, fill a small jar about half full with finely cut organic garlic. Then fill and cover with raw honey, mix to make sure garlic is covered well.

Cover jar, date and label.

Store in a cupboard up to 10 days.

You can eat the cloves at the onset of a cold or use it as a preventative. Use the honey at the first sign of a sore throat as a warm drink. With added tamari, I also use it as a lovely marinade or stir fry sauce.

It may also be useful for irritating coughs.

Recipe via Herbal Academy Intermediate Herbal Course

https://theherbalacademy.com/product/intermediate-herbal-course/