How To Use Raw Garlic To Treat The Immune System

Flu season is always just around the corner, and no one likes to get sick. You may have tried tea remedies or taken painkillers and other medication to make you feel better or to boost your immune system, and yet, you still get a cold or the flu. 

There is nothing worse is there? Having a sniffly nose, feeling unable to breathe, or to move your muscles or do anything for days on endso why not boost your immune system to ensure that you do not pick up the next cold, flu or bug going around! One of the easiest and simplest ways to do this is to incorporate raw garlic into your diet. 

Garlic is one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world. This spice has been used for centuries for its pungent aroma, flavor and health properties. Whilst this vegetable is packed with a sense-tingling flavor, it is also full of vitamins, minerals and other beneficial sources of potassium, calcium, iron and copper. 

Surprisingly, garlic is actually incredibly effective in fighting off a cold. However, it has got a very strong flavor, and so you may need to mix it in with something else so that you are not just guzzling down raw garlic all day! Luckily, this guide will tell you exactly how to use raw garlic to treat the immune system, the benefits of garlic for the body, and why you need to be using raw garlic for your health!  

Benefits of raw garlic for the body

There are so many benefits to using raw garlic for the immune system. This is mainly due to the fact that garlic is full of healthy vitamins and minerals that can help soothe and aid the body. 

For instance, garlic is a wonderful source of manganese, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and selenium. Not only this, but garlic is proven to provide calcium, potassium, iron and other essential nutrients for our health. 

It is also full of allicin before it is cooked, which helps to reduce inflammation, and has antioxidant and antibacterial properties, killing off fungi and bacteria in the body. For instance its antibacterial properties are so powerful, that some skin conditions such as warts and bites can be soothed and healed quicker with crushed raw garlic or natural garlic oil! 

In other cases, garlic has been known to reduce the risk of heart disease, and lower cholesterol levels. Some studies even show that garlic makes platelets less likely to clump, which reduces the risk of having a heart attack.  

Why you need to be using raw garlic

When you crush up or mince raw garlic, this causes a chemical reaction within the clove, as the garlic releases something called allicin. Allicin is a very potent antibacterial that only occurs when the garlic is crushed, and before it has been heated or cooked. This is why raw garlic is so much better for you,

By eating raw garlic, or garlic before it has been cooked, you can help disperse symptoms of a cold or the flu. In addition, some studies even show that eating a clove or two of garlic every 4 hours can also kill off a bug, so that you can recover much more quickly. So, why not give raw garlic a try, with our simple guide of how to use raw garlic for the immune system! 

How to use raw garlic to boost the immune system

There are so many ways that you can use raw garlic to boost your immune system or speed up your recovery when suffering from a cold. For the most part, no matter how you eat the garlic, it should work wonders, as long as it is raw and uncooked.

The only problem is the bitter aftertaste in your mouth after chomping on a garlic clove for a few minutes. Therefore, you will want to try out a few hacks and tricks to mask the flavor, and get a good influx of garlic without gagging! 

Honey, Lemon and Garlic Tea

For instance, why not try boosting your immune system by mixing some raw honey, lemon slices, fresh ginger and garlic. You can add this little concoction to your morning cup of tea, or sprinkle on your oatmeal for a healthy start to your day. 

You can make a tea by boiling hot water, adding a few drops of honey, a slice of lemon and the chopped up garlic for a refreshing and rejuvenating tea. This also works wonders if you have a cold or the flu as the hot tea will warm you up and soothe a sore throat.

Swallow with water

On the other hand, some people prefer a simpler method. All you need to do is chop the garlic up small enough to take it like a tablet with some water. That way, the taste of garlic will not get in your teeth, and you will not be left with that sharp aftertaste, just gulp it down! 

Avocado & Garlic

One of our favorite ways to get your influx of raw garlic is with some avocado. Simply crush up three raw garlic cloves and mix with some avocado. The flavor of the avocado will help to mask the taste of the garlic, whilst also giving you extra zinc.

You can either scrape this onto some toast, bread, or eat with a spoon!  

Hidden in Plain Sight

You can also try cutting up a garlic clove by cutting it very thinly, and placing between two slices of apple. Then, eat the whole thing and you will never even taste the garlic!

On the other hand, you can also stuff large olives with garlic cloves and pop them in your mouth. Try taking the garlic in this way twice per day to keep cold and flu symptoms at bay! 

Summary

To summarize, you can use chopped, crushed or sliced garlic to fend off nasty cold, flu and bug symptoms, as garlic has a range of anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

In addition, it is packed with minerals and vitamins to help aid and speed up your recovery, whilst boosting the immune system. Just make sure that the garlic is raw or this handy hack will not work!