The Benefits of Garlic and How to Use It
By Rachel Redondo
Garlic. One of the most potent plants available to us, and it’s so easy to get your hands on.
I’m all about being as healthy, natural, and as in tune with Mother Earth as I can be. I’m passionate about discovering the many gifts this planet has to offer me. And one of my favorite, and by far one of the most beneficial herbs, is garlic.
It’s powerful!
Why Choose Garlic?
Here are a few reasons why you want to have a more intimate relationship with garlic:
It’s anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-microbial, anti-parasitic, and anti-inflammatory. It’s non-toxic to humans and it fights infection! It can be taken internally or externally for many different ailments or general health and wellness uses. It can be used as a personal hygiene tool as well as a preventative, aid, relief, or cure for many diseases. It can be used for cooking and also for many general around the home solutions for common household fixes.
Garlic Can Replace Many Toxic Beauty Care Products
Garlic is amazing for our beauty needs! You can use it to reduce acne and acne scars. Just crush a garlic clove, dip a cotton ball, and dab a little on the affected area. Wait a few minutes and wash off with cold water. If the garlic is a bit too strong, you can mix it with a bit of vinegar. A simple mask would be a bit less abrasive for those of you who would rather something less potent (and a bit less fragrant). Just mix crushed garlic with 1/2 tsp of honey and 2 tablespoons of yogurt and apply all over your skin. Rinse after 15 minutes. This is said to do wonders on minimizing pores!!
Garlic doesn’t think only of our beautiful faces, it is also a wellness worker that does wonders for our hair! Dandruff or dry scalp?! No Problem!
Drop a crushed clove into your conditioner with a table spoon of honey, lather into your hair twice a month, and your hair shall flow flake free!! Need a bit of a boost to those follicles?! Call on Garlic to the rescue! Garlic will help your hair follicles stay healthy and in turn hold on to your beautiful hair longer (so, less fall-out!). Just soak some garlic in olive oil on your window sill for a week, making sure the oil completely covers the garlic. Use this garlic infused oil in your hair and massage your scalp, throw a shower cap on, and let it sit over night. Use this once a week to keep your scalp clean and follicles in tip-top shape!
Because of garlic’s anti-fungal properties, it can be used to cure and relieve the itching associated with athletes foot. All you need to do it throw some crushed cloves in warm water and use it as a foot soak. You can place a crushed garlic clove on a cold sore to help reduce the pain and swelling. Be sure to ingest some garlic each day to help with healing! That cold sore and athletes foot will go bye-bye with a little help from our friend, Garlic! Another quick tip for us ladies out there: if you heat a little olive oil and add the juice from a few crushed garlic, and massage this into your skin regularly, it is said to help reduce cellulite and skin rashes! 😉
Garlic is an incredible healing tool!
Garlic for First Aid and General Health
Garlic can be very helpful in preventing and treating colds. Eating fresh, raw garlic daily packs a powerful punch against viruses and nasty bacteria. If you were to consume garlic daily, either added in your recipes or in a garlic tea, you would be boosting your immune system and giving your body a hefty daily dose of antioxidants! Its also great for soothing coughs and sore throats. I use a simple garlic tea when I’m feeling a bit under the weather is.
A simple garlic tea recipe that I use when I’m feeling a bit under the weather is:
3 smashed garlic cloves
1/2 cup of honey
1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice
3 cups of water
Toss the water and the crushed garlic in to a pot and bring to a boil. Once water is rolling, remove the pot from the heat and add the lemon and honey. Stir, then strain out the garlic chunks. Enjoy several times a day, as often as you like!
Another use for garlic, that is well known and appreciated, is the benefit of consuming it and the resulting weight loss associated with consumption! Yup! That’s right! Eating garlic each day has been known to help with weight loss and reducing the storage of fat!! Woohoo! I know I’m heading to the grocery store for some ASAP!
Garlic for Cooking and Un-cooking
Garlic is most potent when eaten raw. One of the easiest and most commonly known ways to eat garlic is crushed and mixed with olive oil! We all know and love garlic bread at Italian restaurants! Well, I try to limit my bread consumption these days, so what I tend to do with my minced garlic is add it to a fresh salad to add a simple yet tasty boost to my greens. Easy Peasy! Another simple use would be to throw it in the pan when cooking just about anything! Garlic is a great flavor enhancer for many dishes!
I LOVE GARLIC!! And you should too! Get your loved ones on board the Garlic Love Boat and you won’t have to worry about smooching your honey because we should all have garlic breath! Here’s to garlic breath for us all (aka,here’s to your health!!) Woohoo! 😉
What do you love to use garlic for? Let us know in the comments below!
Meet Rachel Redondo
Rachel Redondo is a health nut and a nature junkie! She believes in taking time each day to appreciate nature’s gifts and in doing so be inspired to enjoy and create naturally beautiful things.Rachel shares goodies regularly on her inspirational website CloudsAndClovers.com, which is a lifestyle blog focused on inspiring a beautiful, natural, healthy, and handmade life.
Ready to Learn More About Pure, Health-Enhancing Beauty Care?
For a complete, head-to-toe natural makeover of beauty on the cellular level, please join us for the upcoming BE Beauty program. It’s 30 days of learning the most efficient, empowering natural beauty tips you need to know. Wrinkle-cream and powder puffs just don’t cut it anymore for women who long to reveal their natural, radiant beauty and sparkle with a vibrant glow reflective of the health and well-being happening on a cellular level.