Garlic is easily accessible and has extraordinary properties that benefit our health. Garlic is known for its strong, pungent aroma and taste as well. The taste of garlic helps in triggering and activating our salivary glands and digestive enzymes, which also makes our stomach ‘ready’ for food. This property of garlic makes it an inevitable ingredient in our foods as without it, we will face trouble with digestion and in making perfect use of the nutrients found in the body.
Honey, too, is known for its medicinal properties since centuries now. Honey has been used to cure different diseases since the time of the inception of Ayurveda and is an ingredient that benefits the health greatly.
The Benefits Of Garlic
Garlic is beneficial in improving cardiovascular health and regulates blood circulation as well. It is also known to protect us against plaque buildup, high blood lipid levels, blood clotting, and can also, reduce blood pressure.
Garlic has proved to reduce the risk of osteoarthritis and many other conditions that include any kind of inflammation as well. The antibacterial, antiviral, anti-fungal, and anti-parasitic properties of garlic helps in improving the immunity of a person to a great extent. This magical herb also contains anti-cancerous elements that can fight many cancers such as the cancer of the brain, breast, lung, pancreas, etc.
Eating Garlic Raw
Garlic is rich in antioxidants, and this is the reason it should not cooked or browned as this can reduce its beneficial properties drastically. The best way to eat it is by crushing, mincing, or pressing raw garlic cloves, letting it sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes and then have it. However, eating raw garlic is not a practice liked by many; its pungent aroma often makes it hard for a person to have it raw. Mixing it with honey not only boosts the already powerful properties of garlic but also, makes it easy to have.
The Honey-Garlic Mixture
To make a jar of 4 oz of the honey-garlic mixture, you need a few ingredients and also, you need to follow certain instructions.
Ingredients:
Unpasteurized liquid honey
1 head of organic garlic
3 to 6 needles of fresh rosemary (optional)
1 sprig of fresh thyme (optional)
Instructions:
1. Peel each clove of the garlic. With the back of the knife, slightly crush each clove and then, peel off the paper shell.
2. Place the peeled garlic cloves in a jar with the fresh herbs (if you are using them). Cover the cloves with enough honey and let them submerge. Also, leave the space of at least 3 inches from the top, so that while the fermentation of garlic with honey happens, there is enough space for the garlic to expand and bubble over.
3. Screw or snap on the jar’s lid and leave it in a cupboard for 3 to 5 days. Remember to place a plate underneath the jar, so that any overflow is taken care of. This will help in the infusion of the benefits of garlic into the honey and also, the garlic cloves will become a bit sweeter.
4. After 3 to 5 days, place the honey-infused garlic cloves in the refrigerator to retain their freshness.
5. Consume 1 or 2 honey-infused garlic cloves daily to keep your immune system strong.
Notes:
1. It is important to flip the jar upside down once daily to re-saturate and submerge the garlic cloves.
2. If the lid used is screwed on, it is recommended to open it once every day to flush out any CO2 buildup inside the jar. Fermentation might seem to be simple, but it is not easy as CO2 builds pressure and might explode if the buildup is not released from time to time. To reduce the risks involved with fermentation, it is always recommended to use fermentation approved equipment.
Our health needs to be taken care of to lead a happier life. So, following a few simple, healthy steps such as having a mixture of honey and garlic will keep our immunity checked and make us healthier.
