Raw Garlic: Cold and Flu Fighter

Garlic, the medicinally potent vegetable that belongs to the onion family is more or less a “cure-all” factor for almost all diseases. It is very effective in strengthening your immunity and fighting against the infections. But how does garlic do all these miracles? How should it be used for maximum effectiveness? Read on to find out.

This tonic and restorative herb has the following ingredients in it:

• Dietary fiber
• Proteins
• B vitamins except B12
• Vitamin C
• Calcium
• Magnesium
• Potassium
• Selenium
• Iron
• Manganese
• Zinc
• Bio-active sulphur rich compounds
• Antibacterial, antiviral, antiprotozoal and antifungal properties

Here’s how you can consume garlic to fight against cold and flu:

Garlic and orange-best immunity boosters: Make a glass of orange juice and peel out 3-4 cloves of garlic. Make sure you use the organic variety. Slice the cloves into thin pieces and cubes. Leave it aside for 5 minutes to ensure that “allicin”, the compound responsible for the hot sensation in garlic builds up. Then mince up the chopped garlic and follow it up with a glass of natural orange juice. This treatment helps in clearing congestion if any, normal cold and flu very effectively.

Garlic+basil leaves+pepper: In a blender, add thin slices of peeled raw garlic, a handful of fresh basil leaves and a teaspoon of black pepper. You can grind this into a fine paste with the help of water and consume this paste when you are suffering from cold/flu. For children, you can try adding this mix to a teaspoon of honey, so that making them eat this spicy and hot paste would not be a problem.

Garlic Rasam: Well known for its effective on patients suffering from cold and flu, garlic rasam is definitely a take away! For its spicy taste and effect, it is a must be eaten delicacy. You could either mix it up with hot rice and a teaspoon of ghee to treat your illness in the best possible tasty way, or drink it down like soup.

Here’s the way to make an instant garlic rasam:

• Peel 6-7 cloves of garlic and add to a blender. Along with the garlic, add a few pieces of chopped tomatoes, a teaspoon of pepper and cumin seeds. Blend the mixture into a fine paste.
• Dilute this mix with water for the quantity of rasam you would need, add salt and turmeric powder and let the rasam mixture to boil once.
• To enhance the taste, you could splutter a teaspoon of mustard in a teaspoon of ghee and add it to the rasam along with chopped coriander leaves.

Add raw minced garlic to honey or apple cider let it steep for as long as possible. Take the honey by eating a teaspoonful and use the vinegar as a dressing.

Do remember, boiling garlic for a long time or any other kind of processing this herb on the fire will make it devoid of allicin, the main ingredient which gives it the hot sensation, and thus the relief from cold and flu. Try and consume garlic only its raw form or if need be, do not let it boil for more than 2-3 seconds’ time.