Raw Garlic at the Onset of a Sore Throat

It is cold and flu season and there are some nasty bugs out there. Three days ago I woke up with a very painful sore throat and knew I was in for it unless I got aggressive. I am a believer in the healing powers of garlic, but that was at the back of my for some silly reason.

DAY 1
I started with a warm tonic of cayenne pepper, honey, and apple cider vinegar to no avail. I drank many cups of green tea and sucked on throat lozenges. By the afternoon of day one it was hard to swallow and I started to feel the weak and warm, I was losing hope. I then went to Earth Clinic, a great website full of natural remedies for everything you can imagine including testimonials from faithful users. There it was! My cure! Raw Garlic! I nearly kicked myself as I have used garlic as a remedy for years - why did I wait! It was 4pm, many hours of a painful sore throat, I cleaned two cloves of garlic and immediately put them in the garlic press. I put the pressed garlic into my mouth and started chewing,sloshing it around, and reluctantly swallowed. Within SECONDS my sore throat had diminished 75%! Not only did my sore throat subside, I had an instant burst of energy and the weakness was gone. Throughout the rest of the night the sore throat waxed and waned, but the weakness and body temperature was gone. Before going to bed I pressed 2 more cloves and ingested them.

Day 2
When I woke up I could feel the sore throat, but it was a 50% change from the morning of Day 1, the weakness was completely gone. Throughout the day I took good care of myself with soups, vitamin C, vitamin D3, green tea, and my cayenne tonic. Over the course of the day I consumed 4 raw cloves of garlic. Around 7pm my sore throat reared its' ugly head and gave me a good scare, I went to bed with hope - mind over matter right?

Day 3
This morning I woke up with glee as my sore throat is only 10% there! I have normal energy levels and feel confidant that I am safely out of the woods.

Garlic was an instant cure for me, I feel that I killed the nasty bugs that were inside of me trying to take over my body and give me a full blown cold. I eat garlic in one form or another several times a week so it was easy for me to eat it raw, this may not be the case for others. Raw garlic will burn but the burn will fade. Throughout all of this raw garlic consumption I did not get heartburn or any kind of stomach aches. Contrary to common assumptions garlic does not CAUSE heartburn, some have had luck with it aiding heartburn.

Garlic has many potent properties and one of those is Allicin - it kills bacteria on site! The pungent smell of garlic is just a hint as to how powerful it is on the human body when taken internally. I did a blog on garlic and its' anti-cancer properties back in March Garlic Consumption a Key to Longevity? , I wish I would have taken my own advice before suffering through a whole day with a sore throat.

I saved hundreds of dollars by avoiding the mainstream doctor mill as well as skirting a nasty round of antibiotics. Yes, I panicked and wanted it to go away, but I always go to the natural cures first. I encourage everyone to visit Earth Clinic, it is a great "go to" website for ideas and testimonials on natural cures.

***I am not a doctor, if your symptoms are worsening visit your doctor.
***too many raw garlic cloves can make some light headed...tread lightly if you are not a usual garlic consumer.
***garlic will burn going down but the burning should subside.
***If a sore throat is severe for more than 3 days you should visit your doctor.
***If you do not have a garlic press you can just chew the cloves or slice the cloves.

Stay Healthy!


***********UPDATE 11/11/09
It is now day 4 from the onset of the super sore throat and when I woke up this morning there was no sore throat. I have no symptoms of a cold. I must add that I took 6000 IU of D3 on day 2 and day 3. I must say that Garlic stopped my sore throat from developing into a nasty cold.

Garlic Consumption a Key to Longevity?

          To me garlic is not stinky and pungent. To me garlic is aromatic and a strong healer. I eat tons of garlic! I try to eat it everyday and I try to consume it mostly raw. Everytime I unwrap a clove of garlic I remember a story my mom told me about my Great Great Aunt and her long life with garlic. This woman consumed several cloves of garlic a day, apparently the smell of garlic would seep through her pores and be on her breath. She was stinky but she lived into her 90's healthy and doctor free. I am sure that her garlic consumption gave her the longevity that we would all love. This is not new news of course...several books have been written about garlic and it is sometimes referred to as "the stinking rose".
          The source of the stench and bite of garlic is exactly what makes it so good for us - sulfer compounds. Garlic is in the Allicin family along with leeks and onions. Scientists are very interested in Allicin in regards to cardiovascular health, cancer, and bacterial issues. Garlic is excellent for the cardiovascular system and our blood as well as being very powerful antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. The reason books have been written on garlic alone is no mystery. I was very happy to find a lot of info about garlic as a cancer fighter. It is truly stunning how much garlic can shave down the chance of getting cancer. I am taking the following stats from a study of Southern European populations (Galeone C, Pelucchi C et al, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition):

Study participants consuming the most garlic had a 39% reduced risk for cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx, 57% reduced risk for esophageal cancer, 26% reduced risk for colorectal cancer, 44% reduced risk for laryngeal cancer, 10% reduced risk for breast cancer, 22% reduced risk for ovarian cancer, 19% reduced risk for prostate cancer, and 31% reduced risk for renal cell cancer, compared to those eating the least garlic. Similarly, those eating the most onions showed an 84% reduced risk for cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx, 88% reduced risk for esophageal cancer, 56% reduced risk for colorectal cancer, 83% reduced risk for laryngeal cancer, 25% reduced risk for breast cancer, 73% reduced risk for ovarian cancer, 71% reduced risk for prostate cancer, and 38% reduced risk for renal cell cancer, compared to those eating the least onions.

          Eating garlic raw is the best way to get the benefits. Some people may be sensitive to this so make sure to check with your doctor before starting daily consumption. I put raw garlic in anything you can think of or sometimes just pop a clove in my mouth and eat it!

Source:
WHFoods: Garlic