Sentient Times Dec/Jan 06

Birds, Plagues and Garlic!

By Julie Avena, CCH

When I was a freshman in college, there was a constant struggle to ward off illness that was passed around the dormitories. The tight living quarters, poor diet from cafeteria food, and perpetual stress were all factors in the spread of disease. I was able to survive those trying years thanks to a friend who would bring a head of garlic with him to dinner every evening and split it up among friends who would all eat several raw cloves. We all reeked of “stinking roses,” but it helped keep viruses away.

With the current uproar about the “Bird Flu” it may be a good time to revisit this age-old herbal remedy. First, a brief look at the bigger picture—as of November 1, 2005 according to the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza (www.pandemicflu.gov), only 121 people have been infected with the avian flu in four Asian countries, resulting in a mere 64 deaths over the past two years. Compare that to the common flu, which in the US alone causes 36,000 deaths a year, over 200,000 hospitalizations, and costs over $10 billion annually (regardless of the flu vaccinations that are offered to the public every year).

Much of today’s concern is based on the memory of the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 which wiped out an estimated 40 million people worldwide. This nasty infection struck with amazing speed, causing patients to die due to hemorrhaging of the lungs before the typical secondary infection of lethal pneumonia could even set in. Entire cities shut down because a quarter of the work force was ill or deceased.

But the avian influenza virus has yet to show the ability to transmit through human-to-human contact; bird flu viruses usually do not infect humans directly. Whether or not the virus will mutate, or how long this would take, is questionable. Symptoms of avian influenza resemble those of the common flu such as fever, sore throat, cough and aching muscles, but it also can produce eye infections, severe breathing problems and pneumonia. There is no vaccine available at the time, but even if there was the virus could easily mutate and become resistant to pharmaceutical medications. But have no fear, there is a simple, readily available remedy that can be easily grown in your own garden: Garlic.

Garlic (Allium sativum), a member of the Lily Family, has been used for nearly 5,000 years as food and medicine. It was a popular remedy during WWI and WWII to combat infections on the battlefield. During the Plague in Marseilles, thieves claimed to douse their bodies in garlic vinegar in order to rob the bodies of the dead in complete safety.

The healing power of garlic can be an effective ally today as well. For the last fifty years, antibiotics have changed the world of medicine as we know it, but over time bacteria and viruses have developed strains resistant to these pharmaceuticals. Numerous studies have shown that garlic is not only effective against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, but is also antiviral, antifungal, antiparasitic, and antiprotozoan. There are over 50 clinically recognized microbes that don’t stand a chance against garlic, including those that cause influenza, TB, shingles, dysentery, staph, strep, E coli, herpes, salmonella, yeast infections, common colds, even HIV and cancer. Stephen Buhner, author of Herbal Antibiotics: Natural Alternatives for Treating Drug-Resistant Bacteria states, “If only one herb could be used to combat an epidemic spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and viruses, garlic would be it.”

Daily use of garlic has been known to prevent heart disease, balance blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and increase overall immunity. Eating raw or lightly cooked garlic is the best way to benefit from its healing virtues. Lightly cooking chopped garlic in olive oil helps to infuse the medicinal constituents into your meals. It is best to let the chopped garlic sit for ten minutes, adding it at the very end of the cooking process to preserve more allicin, the beneficial compound responsible for fighting disease. It is questionable whether encapsulated powdered garlic has any medicinal benefit at all.

When addressing an acute condition, only raw garlic will fight infections. Try it chopped and mixed in honey, juiced with vegetables (start with ¼ tsp garlic juice per 16 ounces of juice, up to 1 tsp garlic juice, every hour), sprinkled over soup or salad. Keep in mind that too much raw garlic can cause nausea, vomiting and irritation to the intestinal tract, so start with small doses. One should avoid taking raw garlic on an empty stomach.

Different solvents extract different constituents of garlic. Boulder herbal guru, Paul Bergner, shares this “Connoisseur’s Garlic Cocktail” in his book, The Healing Power of Echinacea and Goldenseal and Other Immune System Herbs: Blend together 3 cloves garlic with 1 tsp each red wine, vinegar and olive oil, add ¼ cup hot water and let sit 6 hours. Without straining, add 1/3 of the mix to a cup of hot water and drink up, repeating every 3-6 hours. This sounds like a recipe for salad dressing, but this stuff really works.If you are still freaked out about the possibility of a bird flu pandemic, may I suggest a simple act to ease your conscious. Plant garlic! Simply take a healthy looking, fat clove off the garlic head and put it in the earth with the tip facing up; if you plant now you can have a harvest by mid-summer. Getting your hands in the earth and growing your own medicine is therapy in itself. Don’t let their fear tactics weaken you! Remember, prevention and peace of mind is the best medicine.

Julie Avena is a certified clinical herbalist, teacher, writer, mother, musician and dancer living in Ashland, Oregon. She creates a line of herbal body care products available at www.earthmamagoods.com. She can be reached for classes and consultations by calling 541-292-6062 or writing to mail@earthmamagoods.com.