How to Fight Colds and Flus With Garlic

It’s that time of year again. Beautiful fall colours, crisp air, and yes… GERMS. With back to school and the change of season brings colds & flus. It starts with fatigue and before you know it your throat feels scratchy and you’ve blown threw a box of Kleenex.

When anyone in my family starts to come down with a cold or any respiratory type illness I get out the echinacea/goldenseal tincture but also start increasing the amount of garlic we are eating. Now I personally know that getting garlic into little ones is no easy feat. To make it easier I head to the kitchen to make some homemade garlic syrup!

Garlic is one of those must have kitchen items. It is a food, but also a herb. It has been traditionally used medicinally for a variety of ailments from gastrointestinal conditions to respiratory tract infections. Garlic is a potent antimicrobial and has been shown to increase white blood cells to fight off bacteria, parasites, fungi and viruses. It is also a powerful antioxidant helping to enhance overall health and vitality.

There is no doubt that garlic has ability to fight against infection which is why I use it as soon as I notice any signs of respiratory illness. For my family I am proactive because a sore throat or cough can easily turn into bronchitis or pneumonia. By increasing our garlic intake it is less likely for this to happen.

Increasing your garlic intake can be easily accomplished my adding more to your food, but many kids don’t enjoy it. Garlic gives food a great flavour but it is strong and can be overpowering. In order to get maximal benefit from its antimicrobial properties make this syrup and avoid the dinnertime dilemma of your kids not eating their meal.

Homemade garlic syrup so far has worked for us. I am especially grateful that my kids willingly take it without much fuss! Let get into the details of how to make it.

Homemade Garlic Syrup

When I make homemade garlic syrup, I start with a small batch because the active ingredient in garlic, allicin, doesn’t last forever (max 24 hours). I have found that using the baby bullet or smaller blender to be easiest.  I start by getting out 3-5 cloves of garlic, raw honey and some lemon juice (or lemon essential oil)

***Caution: Honey is not suitable for children under 1 year of age. Use maple syrup instead.

First you need to peel your garlic cloves. I find that smashing them allows for the peel to come off more easily. I smash them a couple times so I need to blend them less (you don’t want to create any heat by over blending). Put your peeled/crushed garlic in your blender and cover with honey. Cover the cloves so they can blend easily. Don’t worry about measuring you can add more honey later if the taste is too strong.

All that is left to do is blend everything together. It’s as easy as that! I find because there as such few ingredients I have to blend, scrape, stir, then blend it again. Keep blending until everything is mixed and few chunks of garlic remain. Don’t over-blend and create heat though… a few chucks are fine!

Now taste your mixture and if it is not sweet enough you can add more honey. I also sometimes add a tbsp of lemon juice or some lemon essential oils. Always taste before giving to your children because too much garlic may create a burning sensation.

So far this has worked great for my family. They don’t mind it too much because it is sweet from the honey. They also seem pretty convinced because the results speak for themselves. When my kids are sick they also ask for “magic socks”! They are becoming little naturopaths themselves.

During bouts of respiratory infections I give my children 1 tsp every 2-3 hours. Over the day adults should try and consume 3-4 garlic cloves which would be about 1-2 cloves for children.

Taking this herbal remedy as often as possible, at the first sign of infection, will help you get adequate amounts to help fight off infection and keep germs at bay!

Do you have any tips for helping your family get back to health from colds/flus. Please SHARE them in the comment section below. Make sure to share this post on social media, click the buttons below!