What's that smell? The bold smell of Health

Garlic. 

That smelly, white, knobbly thing sitting on your kitchen counter in the jar with holes in it. 

It is powerful.

I must confess, this is an herb that I did not start in love with. It's been a very cool, distant acquaintance, and it took a while to become pretty good friends. 

The main reason why I avoided this herb was because I could not figure out how to peel them. 

Really, had no idea. 

I am not telling you this as a way of boasting that a literate, driver's license, intelligent girl got bested by a cousin of the onion, leek, and chive.

It's embarrassing. 

I'm telling you to encourage how far a person can come by trying it out. Baby steps. 

So for us novices, you peel garlic by pulling off the easy to pull off papery white stuff, then lay it on its side. Push on it with the flat of a butter knife, until you hear the pop. The dry, papery stuff that peels easily away is the shell. The garlic itself is usually moist.

If you already knew how to do that, then you started ahead of me in Garlic 101.

Fresh uncooked, recently crushed garlic has a near magical, although smelly, quality.

What is it you ask?

It is antibacterial and antiviral.

The thing that gives it that distinct smell, called Allicin, is the same stuff that kills bacteria and viruses, as well as gives yeast, fungi, and even parasites a hard time.

Booyah! Alexander Flemming, you founder of penicillin, bringer of antibiotics to the masses. We already had antibiotics hidden in your wife's herb garden! 

Garlic, when taken raw is a spectacular kick-in-the-face to any invading bug that may want to take over you body. I've read about many people who take it daily, for that as well as general health, like;

-Reduces bad cholesterol

-Raises good cholesterol

-Lowers blood pressure

-Decreases risk of heart attack

-Regulates blood sugar levels

-Effective in lung ailments like bronchitis, asthma, and emphysema.

-Reduces H. pylori, the bacteria that causes ulcers and can lead to stomach cancer.

- Prods the immune system to seek and destroy malignant cancer cells.

-Kills parasites (we Americans like to think they don't exist anymore, but they still do. Roughly 4 million Americans are walking around with parasites. Especially if you've been to a third world country, or are a child.)

There have also been some wacky benefits, such as people claim they feel good emotionally, and arthritic people notice less joint pain.

Now here's the real problem. How do you consume a clove of garlic?

Maybe you've tried eating one on a dare. I wouldn't have.

After learning about it’s healing qualities, I tried eating it once raw when I was coming down with a cold. To me, eating a clove of garlic is comparable to taking a swig of Tabasco sauce. Painful and not something I want to do on a daily basis. 

Fortunately a friend of mine taught me an easier way. 

Garlic Shots (non alcoholic)

One medium to small clove of garlic.

Spoon

Peanut butter. ( I love these kind of recipes! Simple.)

Fill about half the spoon with peanut butter.

Place clove of garlic on spoon, it’ll be stuck onto the peanut butter

Insert into mouth, chew.

(Rocket science, right?)

It will be a little bit of a kick, but trust me. It'll be nothing like taking it pure.

Or better yet, you try it both ways and tell me which you like better. 

The healing properties of garlic are able to go into almost every major system of your body. That's why your breath smells like garlic some time after you eat it. 'Cuz it went from your digestive tract, through your liver, into your bloodstream, and even into your respiratory system. Then it'll travel on your blood to your muscles, bones, and other organs. And last get flushed out through your bladder and urinary tract. It's a total sweep!

This has now become part of my regime whenever I feel that start of a cold or flu coming on.

As well as beefing up on vitamins. I am very happy to see how many cold and flu prevention medicines are out there that is packed with vitamins and minerals. It's almost like people are realizing this thing really works! Woohoo!

Now raw garlic gives you the most benefit. But pre-peeled garlic still has tons of good stuff for you, especially with the heart and cholesterol arenas. Even cooked garlic still helps. It just doesn't have the antibacterial/antiviral power any more. Garlic oil doesn’t really do anything.

The only thing I have found that contains garlic and is not good for you is Chili Cheese covered French fries sprinkled lightly with garlic salt. But this is not definitive. I may have to eat them again to verify. You know, for science's sake. I’ll let you know how it turns out the second time, and the third, and the fourth too.

Now if you are absolutely not able to eat garlic raw. No worries. Make yourself a garlic foot bath. Heat up some water about 15 minutes before your favorite show. Mince fresh garlic and stick it into the warm water. Then watch your show while soaking your toesies.

If anyone asks, you are taking your medicine. So no, you can not change the diaper, find something that's lost, make someone else food, or get them a drink. In fact, they should get you something to drink. With a straw. And a little umbrella too, please.

If you want proof that you can absorb nutrients through your feet, make yourself a garlic footbath. Then a half hour later, have someone smell your breath. Really, try it!

I did this with an 80 something year old lady I helped cared for who had diabetes and a list of medicines she had to take as long as my arm. She was having swelling in her feet, ankles, and lower leg.

I searched for herbs that would get necessary nutrients into her body that also wouldn’t interfere with any of her medications, and that she wouldn’t have to eat/consume. She was a picky eater, and coffee drinker.

So I made her a foot bath, gave it twice a week, that had fresh garlic and other nutrition-filled herbs in it. She steeped only 5 to 10 minutes or so. But after about 5 weeks of this along with massaging her legs and reflexology. Her swelling started going down!

Was it all me and only me who caused the swelling to go down. Heck no!

Did I maybe give her body the stuff it needed to heal herself and help to remove some blocks? Yeah, I hope so.

I sure did not hurt her, which is why I love herbs. They can cause so much good, without the negative side effects.

Garlic is another amazingly safe herb. The worse thing that can happen is a stomach ache if taken in copious amounts I’m talking snacking them like potato chips.

My favorite quote for the maximum does of garlic is “Use as much as your friends can tolerate”

I’ve only had two friend comment when I smell like garlic.

We as Americans are incredibly self conscious about the way we smell. So much so that we shower so we don’t smell like our bodies, then put on deodorant that smells not like our bodies, then puts on clothes that smells not like our bodies, then sprays a dash pf perfume that smells not like our bodies, as we chomp on the peppermint gum that smells not like our bodies. A bit paranoid, maybe?

So when they said I smelled of garlic, my panic ‘I SMELL!!!’ button went off.  Loud!

Both had no negative thing to say, except that it made them hungry and think of food.

So go ahead, buck the crowd. Eat that garlic (and maybe that peppermint after) and let that little clove of amazing free inside your body.

May you take care of yourself happily!