How to Ferment, Tincture & Grow Garlic

A compendium of medicine making ideas for your home apothecary

Garlic is an astonishingly under-rated medicine. Although most of us are familiar with its immune supporting properties, it’s often an after-thought when it comes to inclusion in the home medicine chest.

Garlic has long been recognised as a powerful antiseptic. Paracelsus deemed it an essential ingredient to protect against the plague, as did Ambroise Paré (a French barber-surgeon and pioneer of the treatment of battlefield wounds,) who was a huge fan of eating garlic for breakfast:

“The rustics and working people could eat some garlic clove or shallots with bread and butter and good wine if they can provide themselves with any, to charm the affliction: at which point they would take their leave at the good hour God would have intended for them.”

A significant body of research backs up garlic’s effective use against a wide range of ailments. It’s an ideal home remedy as it is completely safe, while also being affordable to all. Once dried, garlic will keep for many weeks before the bulbs dry out or sprout shoots - nature’s way of letting us know they’re itching to be planted.

Did you know?

• During World War I, thousands of soldiers depended on the antiseptic properties of garlic juice which was applied to wounds on sphagnum moss. It was credited for preventing sepsis and gangrene in the trenches.

• Because of its powerful antiseptic and antibiotic properties, garlic is sometimes referred to as “Russian Penicillin.”

• Garlic has a chelating action and contains phytochemicals that stimulate cellular detoxification. Studies have shown it even has the ability to protect against gamma radiation.

• Regularly eating garlic can be helpful for people with cardiovascular disease as it helps to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol.

Today’s article is a compendium of recipe suggestions and medicine making ideas to highlight the myriad ways that garlic can boost your family’s health. I’ve even included a “how to” guide for growing your own.