Garlic Honey

cloves of garlic ready to be mixed with honey

Now that the ground is freezing over and the last bits of summer have come and gone, it is time to look ahead into the drearier days of winter and wind. Although the cold weather brings with it innumerable joys - fresh air, crisp sunsets, borscht every day, sauerkraut, apple everything - it also brings with it unwanted sickness and sniffling. To prepare for the cold weather this year, I combined two of the oldest, most effective folk medicines (and two of my favorite foods)  in a winter flu remedy: garlic and honey.

Garlic has been eaten as a vegetable since ancient times: in the spring, it is enjoyed with breads, added to salads, sauces, and marinades; in the fall, it is used to for pickling and marinating. Garlic contains high amounts of Vitamin C, Vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and iron. It is known to strengthen hair, alleviate nausea, bloating and cramps, and control appetite. In addition, it has effective adaptogenic and antiseptic properties; it can lower blood pressure, maximize heart function, and help long-lasting wounds heal. In folk medicine, it is used traditionally to treat migraines, insomnia, balding, bug bites, warts and blisters, and most importantly, bronchial disorders, coughs, and colds. One of the best remedies in slavic folk medicine is considered to be to eat 1-3 cloves of garlic after dinner with a cup of clabber.

prepared garlic honey

Honey has also been used four hundreds of years as a folk medicine. It has anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and adaptogenic properties and is quickly absorbed converted to energy by the human body. It is well known to promote healthy skin (it can be used topically as well), normalize the sleep cycle as well as metabolic function, stabilize organ function, stimulate circulation, and promote tissue regeneration. It is used for headaches, anemia, insomnia, depression, gastritis, skin problems, anxiety, sore throats, coughs and a host of other ailments. 

While some recipes of the garlic-honey remedy call for fresh minced garlic mixed with honey (1 tsp several times a day during colds and bronchitis), I used a Susan Weed recipe, the original which can be found here: www.susunweed.com/Article_Garlic_Honey.html

I filled a jar half-way with garlic cloves and covered with local, wild forest honey. A few weeks and the garlic will be fully saturated and the honey ready to consume!