I'm all for natural remedies; however, when faced with a bout of sickness, the last thing I think of is garlic. However, new research suggests that garlic, the humble cloves sitting in your cupboard, could be very effective at fighting bacterium that cause food-borne illness.
Now, this research—conducted by scientists from Washington State University and recently published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy—doesn't mean you should go rub garlic all over your food just yet. (I only recommend that if it results in deliciousness.) The research is still in the development stage, but it's an interesting thought!
Read more: Garlic compound fights source of food-borne illness better than antibiotics at EurekAlert
Related: What To Do If You Get a Food-Borne Illness
(Images: Flickr user Muffet licensed for use under Creative Commons)
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I'm not sure this is NEW information :)
Me, either - I thought garlic's antibiotic characteristics were already pretty well known.
I have known this for awhile. I actually eat roasted garlic every night no matter what because I believe it keeps me healthy and really does have great antiviral, antibiotic, and antifungal properties. Whether I really want it or not, I make sure to eat a couple roasted cloves every single night. And, knock on wood, I really think it works.
Nope, not new. And garlic isn't the "last thing" people think of in garlic-eating countries when they're feeling under the weather. It's right up there in the top five. And yes, in many places it's considered something you should have every day, like a multivitamin.
Yeah this is definitely not news. I always try to eat a lot of garlic when I'm sick and have been doing so for at least 10 years.
Trust me. Not news. You should smell my dad when he is feeling sick. He eats a ton of raw garlic. Bleh.
It may not be news, but it's awesome that our home remedies are backed up by science. Direct info from my great-grandma (she LIVED to 96, and when I say lived I mean to her last week on earth, in her own house, fully mobile and healthy (for 96), and still making homemade pasta for her friends who were 'stuck in the old folks home'):
Raw garlic, lemon, and wine vinegar will fix common colds, sore throats, and most of what ails you -- despite the fact that ingesting that strong stuff will put hair on your chest. She also said that raw garlic was good for yeast infections, acne, and other skin/topical ailments.
Garlic also has antifungal properties.
Every time I tell someone that garlic is my go-to cold remedy (after warm salt water gargle) I get the STRANGEST looks, so any press and scientific back-up this method can get is welcome!
My grandma knew - she's chop up garlic and eat it with a spoonful of honey. I'm not brave enough to do that but I will add lots of garlic to a soup when I'm feeling blah.
Well I know this may sound strange but if you need/want to add raw garlic to your diet may I suggest grating it up and putting it straight into your vinegarette/salad dressing. It is to die for. I started doing it while I was pregnant because that's what sounded good at the time and I have not stopped. I'm hooked.
who knew? ancient Greeks, the Romans, cavemen.............everyone!
My family has been taking garlic supplements as long as I can remember. Not a cultural thing, but my dad is pretty huge into immunity boosting and preventing colds and the like. He never gets sick!
in Estonia garlic is one of the most basic home remedies - some people go a big overboard with it - garlic up their nose when they have flue for example. but in general slicing garlic on a piece of bread is not uncommon.