One of the most common “folk” remedies is eating raw garlic to ward of everything from infections to the common cold. With few side effects (besides making you smell like garlic!), it is a safe way to build your immune system that I’ve used often. Many of my friends will eat raw garlic when coming down with a cold or the flu, so I thought I would share some of my favorite ways to consume higher amounts of this sharp tasting bulb.
I put garlic in just about everything I cook and love it, but when you are trying to consume a whole clove at a time, it can be a little more challenging. The first thing to keep in mind is always consuming raw garlic with a bit of some type of fat. Raw garlic can be unpleasant in the stomach when consumed on it’s own (if you eat raw garlic frequently on it’s own, I’ve read it could even lead to eventual damage in your stomach!). It also just tastes a lot better when consumed with something fatty.
Keep in mind that these “recipes” aren’t culinary recipes. They are just tasty ways to take a more medicinal amount of garlic.
Raw Garlic Toast
Mix one clove of finely minced garlic with one to two tablespoon pastured butter and spread on a piece of toasted sprouted or sourdough bread. This is also good when dipped into a hot bowl of soup.
Garlic Dip
I learned this trick from my mother in law. Mix one clove of minced garlic with 1-4 tablespoons of mayonnaise. Serve with organic corn chips. This sounds quite strange but is actually quite good! If you don’t have any homemade on hand, my first choice is Wilderness Family Natural’s mayonnaise, my second choice (imperfect and does contain soy protein) would be Follow Your Heart Vegenaise Grapeseed Oil .
Guacamole
Mix 1-3 cloves of minced garlic with 1 small mashed avocado. Add salt and chopped cilantro. Serve with chips or dollop on your choice of Mexican food.
Raw Garlic Shot
When consuming raw garlic frequently throughout the day, some like to take a “shot” of garlic by putting the raw garlic in their mouth and chasing it with some water. I would just recommend that you add a bit of olive oil to the garlic to protect your stomach.
What about you? Do you have a favorite way to eat raw garlic? Please Share
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Sarah
Just today my 12 yo wanna be chef made mashed potatoes with a bit of cream, a tbsp of cream cheese and some finely minced raw garlic added right before serving. It was a pretty good way to get in some raw garlic!
Wardeh @ GNOWFGLINS
My favorite way that you listed is the first, with butter. That’s very delicious and almost not like eating raw garlic at all. I love your 2nd idea for the garlic dip — it sounds so yummy.
When I eat raw garlic, though, I have to take small bites and eat slowly, otherwise I get a seriously upset stomach. Does this happen to anyone else?
KimiHarris
I’ve had some other blog readers tell me that high amounts of garlic causes them discomfort as well. Perhaps some people are just more sensitive?
Carol Bahr
I took a minced garlic and honey shot (a recipe I read on a blog) once to fight a cold off and instantly threw up. Yes, next time I feel a cold coming on I will incorporate garlic into our foods vs taking a shot.
hannah
I have never had stomach trouble when eating garlic medicinally (to speak of), but I once had a horrible nosebleed…this was when I had maybe 5 cloves in a day to fight a cold, 1-2 cloves per meal. In my mind this was not too much to consume, but later it came to me that maybe garlic’s blood-thinning properties caused the nosebleed? Does anyone know how much garlic could be too much, or whether it can cause bleeding such as in my case?
Sarah Faith
Raw garlic makes me feel sick to my stomach no matter how much or how little I take or whether I eat it with/after a meal.
I wish I could (for immune support) but I feel horrible every time.
I can cook with a little bit, thankfully.
Just not take it raw.
But if you’re looking for more ways, my friend swears by this salad dressing recipe. She does a few cloves of raw minced garlic mixed with 1/4 c lemon juice and 1/2 c olive oil. Claims it’s the best dressing ever. I can smell it from across the room but I’ve never tried it. 🙂
KimiHarris
Garlic is a “must” in salad dressing for me. So sorry that garlic bothers you! That’s too bad!
elizabeth
I didn’t know that about taking oil with garlic – thanks for the tip!
I used to use oreganol at the first symptom of illness, but that is not an option while pregnant or nursing… so I’ve returned to garlic. 🙂 I usually eat it on toast, hands-down the easiest method. But I have also crushed a clove onto a spoon and then poured honey over it. Raw, wild-flower honey is also mildly antibiotic, so they’re a good combo.
KimiHarris
I love oreganol! Have you ever gotten specific directions against it for pregnancy and nursing? I’ve avoided it just because I wasn’t sure and my naturopath didn’t know.
Sarah Faith
I know it says not to on the label but I feel that’s often just to cover their bases litigiously. (In order to be deemed “safe” for pg/bf it must have specific targeted studies with preg/nursing women and many supplements have no such studies done.) I have taken oreganol throughout all my pregnancies and nursing with no ill effect. (Didn’t know better at first and then figured, no harm done.) Just my experience.
Rachel J
Oregano oil is considered an emmenagogue (promotes menstrual bleeding/contractions) so it’s normally contraindicated during early pregnancy but considered safe at term.
brite
Thanks for this! After hearing that I’ve had a cough and cold for two weeks, a friend ended her recent email with “eat lots of raw garlic!” and I just laughed and wondered how that was going to happen. 🙂 I need to see if I can get my kids to do the garlic/chip dip…sounds good!
Jaime @ Like a Bubbling Brook
Just chop it fine and throw it in my salad 🙂
Jen @ Real Food Healthy Living
I meant Kim! Duh! Sorry for calling you Steph!
Jen @ Real Food Healthy Living
I see that my first comment never made it to you! Weird. I just was sharing that we eat it in salsa and pico de gallo which makes it easy for my kids to eat it raw! =0)
G.
I put raw garlic in everything! Hummus is one of my favorites. I usually throw in about 3 cloves. It’s really strong but, I like it that way. I take a raw garlic shot with honey usually and it doesn’t bother my stomach. I also put chopped cloves in salad, on top of soup (raw) or on just about anything savory. 🙂
Heather
I chop two cloves every day and swallow them with a water chaser when I’m eating my lunch salad, and not chewing the garlic prevents garlic breath. Cooking garlic destroys beneficial allinase, which performs multiple actions in the body, including lowering liver cholesterol.
Melanie
I love raw garlic with guacamole! Thanks for the great tips!
Tara
I’ve started chopping up a few cloves into tiny pieces and swallowing each one w/ a swig of water- just like taking a pill (or a lot of pills :). This way I don’t really taste the flavor at all and it seems to keep the fire breath away since I’m not chewing it up!
LoraLynn
We used to mince it and put it in a spoonful of spaghetti sauce to trick our kids to swallow it. They eventually got wise to that trick.
We crush a clove and put it on the bottoms of our feet. I stick it on with a band-aid and leave it for 45 minutes for kids and an hour for adults.
Sarah
We keep a container of “flu fighter” in the cupboard at all times. It is raw honey with lots of minced raw garlic. Just mix it up and let sit for a couple weeks; then it is ready to go at all times. When we’re feeling brave, we just eat a scoop, but it’s actually quite tasty to make it into a “garlic shake” by mixing the juice of one lime or lemon, a scoop of flu fighter, and a bit of water. We drink this daily when sick or feeling off.
I didn’t know about consuming garlic with fat, though. We eat tons of fat, so maybe this hasn’t been much of an issue since our garlic shakes are usually had right before dinner.
Can’t wait to try the garlic butter recipe.
Lisa Y
I heard that the good things in raw garlic break down after a few hours and it should be consumed quickly after cutting/chopping. Don’t recall where…
Healthy mamma
Garlic is awesome! I put it in so many things too. It’s good that you mentioned using caution when eating raw garlic as it is very harsh to most peoples GI systems in frequent or lage amounts. It’s good to start on small amounts an w other foods like you mentioned. We r garlic ‘professionals’ around my house nd have worked up a tolerance! 😉
My Fav’s r my simple chilled gazpacho that my kids & I eat 3-4 times a week for breakfast. Also, soups, hummus, marinara, garlic paste on potatoes and in salad dressings.
Healthy mamma
P.s. The chemical allicin which is only released when garlic has been chopped is what is responsible for the anti-carcigens, anti-viral properties etc. Also, when heated, allicin is completely destroyed. It takes several minutes after being chopped etc for allicin to form so it’s best to chop garlic and let it sit while u prepare your meal. Most recipes call for sautéing garlic but we just add it at the end. Allicin begins disintegrating after a day or so I’m not sure how effective it is when pre-minced/bottled. You may already know this, just thought it was an important part to your post.
Happy new year!
KimiHarris
I’ve read that 20 minutes after chopping garlic is the best, but I couldn’t find my reference for it. 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship
Me too, Kimi – something like 7 minutes after mincing/crushing is good, 14 is better, and 21 is best.
The-Java-Gal
Here is the best reference resource to letting garlic stand for allicin to develop – http://bit.ly/gFOiRC – I use this site as my nutrition reference Bible.
I have enjoyed all the comments and suggestions on garlic here. I cannot take it as a shot, but combine it with almost everything. If you cannot take it raw, do make sure you chop it fine and let it rest. Once the allicin is developed, nutritional benefits can survive heat of cooking.
Krissa
I like the first one you mentioned–with butter on toast, only I add in some honey too for the extra health benefits and to make it taste better!
KimiHarris
Honey, garlic, and butter. Interesting! But I could see that being good….
Jen @ Oh no! I really do need to eat my vegetables!
I did the honey-cinnamon-garlic remedy several times when I had a mild cold. Between that and grapefruit seed extract, I never got really sick, and was done with it in a day! I don’t mind raw garlic, and eat tons and tons of it. I kinda like the “kick” of raw garlic with honey. For all my other digestive sensitivities, garlic never bothers my stomach, but we do eat tons of fat and I usually put a whole bulb in every meal. Thanks for the other ideas to share for my garlic-fearing friends 😀
Emily
If you mix minced garlic with applesauce you can’t even taste it.
Sara
I have a bunch of Dr. Christopher’s Master Tonic (garlic & more) in my cupboard. It is surprisingly good to take a couple spoonfuls & mix with some olive oil & sweetener & used as a salad dressing on a salad mix with some avos & hard-boiled eggs.
http://www.its-my-health.com/documents/MasterTonic.pdf
Kelly Holderby
We love Master Tonic at our house! I also like to ferment whole cloves of garlic in with other veggies like carrots or kraut.
http://heal-thyself.ning.com/profiles/blogs/master-tonic-101?commentId=2814160%3AComment%3A10778&xg_source=msg_com_blogpost
Jennifer
I like to mince it and mix with honey and cayenne.
Kate @ Modern Alternative Mama
I mix mine into salads, or with olive oil and herbs and dip bread into it. I also sometimes add a little to soup right before serving, once it’s slightly cooled. If I really, really need it, lol. The olive oil dip is definitely my favorite!!
KimiHarris
I love the olive oil, herbs and garlic idea!
Jane
Adding chopped raw garlic to chopped tomatoes, basil, olive oil & balsamic (like you’re making the topping for bruschetta) is how I like it – but the kids prefer the garlic/honey toast
KimiHarris
Yum! It’s true that bruschetta does have raw garlic in it!
Layla
We make fresh toum every few days, it’s delicious and it’s not harsh on your tummy! It’s helped us lots and is thanks to my housemates (em) mum who, like Toum, is from lebanon:
4 or more cloves of garlic (peeled)*
¼ cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
salt to taste (Funnily enough, the salt is actually necessary to temper the harshness of the lemon and garlic.)
You can either use a mortar and pestle or a blender, we’ve done it both ways and it’s come out fine.
1) Crush or blend the garlic cloves and salt until smooth (if you’re using a blender, adding the lemon juce at this point will make the process faster).
2) Once you have a smooth paste, gradually add the oil and blend until mayonnaisey.
* If you want to increase the garlic, remeber to increase the olive oil accordingly.
🙂
KimiHarris
That sounds just like a type of garlic mayo that we get at a restaurant. It’s soooooo good.
Jen R.
Anyone mention fermenting garlic in brine? Use either a Pickl-It or a Harsch crock, and place the whole, peeled cloves of garlic in brine. Best, most mellow taste after about three months fermenting. It takes care of the stong flavor some people cannot handle, and keeps the goodness intact because the cloves aren’t cut open until you are ready to use them.
Sarah
My garlic drink for preventing colds and clearing the lungs nose and throat recipe follows. I don’t know if it’s considered raw, but it works well.
In a mug put:
1 to 3 cloves raw garlic, pressed through a garlic press or finely minced.
juice from a lime, or half a lemon
teaspoon of ginger, grated finely
honey to taste.
fill the mug with very hot water.
Drink up.
It has a texture, but really works.
Some people add a pinch of cayenne pepper.
I’ve done it quite often and I can even enjoy it, or take it like a shot after it’s cooled a bit.
Sarah
I take it morning and evening, twice a day works.
emily
Big glass of raw milk and chopped.garlic…saves me a tummy ache.
Katy Taylor
my mom chops it up and freezes it in small amounts she can swallow down and then just pops the frozen garlic in her mouth and swallows it down with water. when it’s frozen, you can’t taste it…i imagine mixing a bit of olive oil in would work, too.
Katarina
When the kids were small I used to slice the garlic thinly, then put the slices on the sandwich in between what was on it. Worked fine. I also use garlic in cold yougurt sauces a lot.
Tricia Bush
we make ceasar salad dressing and it is delish.
it calls for-
3-4 garlic cloves (i use garlic press)
1 egg yoke
salt & pepper to taste
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp braggs cider vin
1 tsp balsamic vin
1 tsp dry mustard
pulse in food processor
3/4-1 cup olive oil, add while pulsing
it is not runny or pourable but soooooo yummy
stephaney
Garlic is great i just got a recipe it calls for one part honey and one part AC vinager blended together with 7 or 8 minced garlic cloves. It said to store in the fridge and use 1 tsp a couple of times a day in water or juice.From Harris farmers almanac..CAUTION NEVER STORE GARLIC IN OIL AT ROOM TEMPERATURE! It is a breeding ground for botulism. If you make oil-based garlic dressing, keep it refrigerated.
angela
We also put it on the bottoms of our feet with a bandaid when sick. Also – raw garlic minced and put into olives are one of our favorite ways to eat it. I healed a deep lung congestion with eating raw garlic that way.
Naomi
I take my raw garlic with covered in honey. It slips right down and you don’t get garlic breath.
Shalene
I am so glad you posted about this!! I’ve been fighting a cold that has morphed into a sinus infection for two weeks now. My dentist perceived an antibiotic, but it’s not safe for breastfeeding and side affects are atrocious (I’m allergic to penacillian). So I’ve been eating three to four cloves per day, whole, raw. I did not know about the fat but will start adding it in. I’ve also been drinking ACV tonics, and I’m drinking alkaline mineral water to combat the acidity. Does anyone have any other remedies for fighting a sinus infection?
Shalene
Oops … I meant prescribed an antibiotic!!! So much for trusting auto correct!
Lisa
My parents told me how they cured our ear infections with garlic as kids. It has worked wonders on my kids too. When your child starts to complain of an earache, take a garlic clove and mince it in some olive oil. Let it sit for a couple of minutes. Then take the oil only and drop one or two drops into the affected ear. Tell your child to lay on their side to keep the oil in for 5-10 minutes.
I’ve had kids who are screaming calm down pretty quickly. For stubborn infections do it about once every hour.
kitblue
I use garlic in pesto (fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and Parmesan). I slather it thickly on pasta and add hot sauce. If I am alone, I lick the plate when I am finished!
LeaG
I ate tons of raw garlic at the end of my last pregnancy because I was gbs positive and i thought that would help. I think it helped me to go in to labor timely! I delivered on my due date. I really don’t think the garlic helped much with anything else, it seemed to just pass through me but I didn’t know much about eating it properly. These are some great suggestions! I’d like to incorporate some of these into our regular diets for sure. I think garlic can cure or prevent just about everything.
annie
I eat raw garlic all the time. Not for any health benefits but because I just really like it! I eat it in guacamole as you say, salsa, gazpacho, mixed with yogurt and blue cheese for a dip, mixed with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper for a salad dressing, in a shredded carrot salad with soy sauce, ginger, and sesame oil, in tuna fish salad, mixed with feta and sardines to spread on crackers, etc, etc.
Christin A.
I’m glad to find out that I’m not the only fresh garlic (and onion) junkie in the world. 🙂 Garlic dip and raw garlic toast are two of the best ways I consume garlic. But whenever I get tired of garlic on toasts, I mix it with butter and rice–sort of like fried rice except that I don’t fry it. 🙂
Laura Chisholm
A good friend turned me on to just mixing raw chopped garlic in a spoonful of raw honey. It tastes wonderful… even my kids love it.
Maggielynne
I eat 2 garlic-stuffed olives every day. That way I get the fat with the garlic!
Michele
Chop raw garlic and add it to cottage cheese. Or mince and add to a juice glass size portion of orange juice and drink it. If you are not opposed to alcohol I once read that a sure-fire immune booster is to mince a clove of garlic and add it to 1-2 ounces of red wine and drink it. (perhaps grape juice would work as well).
matt gordon
i like raw garlic in guacamole. also, with chocolate. i know its odd, but it does taste great
Heather
We do the garlic “shot” here, with some modifications. The clove is minced (to activate the alecin–sp?), we then put a sprinkle of ginger powder on it to aid digestion and protect our tummies from “the burn”, then we cover all with local honey (it not only helps the taste, but keeps everything together on the spoon, and honey is good for health too). We chase all of this with water. It is truly a poweful concoction!
Rebekah
My immune system was down over Christmas and I developed a fearsome U.T.I. I have been treating it with a clove of garlic three times a day, lots of fluids, cranberry juice, vitamin C, and an occasional glass of water with apple cider vinegar and it’s working! Amazing 🙂
jean finch
Rebekah
Take acididophalis every day to get back your good bacteria and you will not get UTIs! I used to get them often now not at all!
Jean
Laura
how in the world do you all deal with the garlic breath? I see that you don’t get it if you don’t chew – fine (have never tried that one) – but most of us do chew garlic. I had a little garlic last night and today I feel like I am stinking up the entire office.
Is there something I can do to prevent the smell from my pores and mouth? Or is it all in my head????
Carmen
Don’t leave out pesto and hummus. Both of those are great with a lot of raw garlic!
Alysia
I’m actually on day 4 of the flu right now (for the first time in 11 years! and no, we don’t get flu shots) and man, is it brutal! BUT, I’ve been ingesting lots of garlic and I think it had helped keep a bad fever away…I’ve had almost no fever the whole time, despite feeling like I’ve been run over by a bread truck! Here’s my favorite way to eat the stuff: Make or buy some good, healthy and crusty bread and then mince up several cloves of garlic. Add the garlic to some good olive oil and throw in a dash of salt and pepper and some Italian herbs and make a superb bread dipping sauce! Even my kids like it! Also, if you make a sandwich you can spread this on the inside of the bread- with all the other ingredients (esp some avocado and cream cheese) it cuts the pungent aspect of the garlic and makes for a fantastic and yummy lunch!
kathygrace
In traditional Korean barbeque restaurants in Korea, raw garlic cloves are eaten whole in a lettuce leaf, along with cooked meat, veggies, and barbeque sauce. It’s delicious. I never realized when I ate this that it was so healthy. Of course, I reeked for weeks afterward! But now that I know it was healthy, it makes it seem that it was all well worth it. Thanks for the tips!
briita
i love guacamole, just got done eating something. to expand on your recipe, i add some lime juice and a drizzle of sriracha. yum!