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Meet Traute Klein,
AKA biogardener.

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Other Articles on Garlic

Raw Garlic Without Bad Breath
If you learn how to take it right, your friends won't have any reason to complain about your bad breath.

Garlic, Wonder Food
Unlike some herbs, garlic does not lose its medicinal effectiveness with frequent use, because it is a food and not just a herb.

My Natural Earache Remedies
Garlic is an earache remedy which my favorite family physician recommended to me. It works.

Garlic, Wonder Drug

by Traute Klein, AKA biogardener

Raw garlic became a lifesaver to me when by fluke I discovered a medicinal property which is not mentioned in herbal literature. It restores breathing during intense asthma attacks.

Disclaimer: I am not trying to take the place of any health care provider. I merely want to share with you my experience with the benefits of garlic.

Caution with Natural Remedies

Many natural remedies need to be taken with caution, because the body develops a resistance to them. Relaxant herbs, for example, just like relaxant pharmaceuticals, should be restricted to emergencies, because they lose their effectiveness. The same is true for antiseptic herbs like Echinacea. I have long questioned whether garlic has properties which require restricted use in order to keep its effectiveness, and from personal experience I have concluded that as a food, garlic can safely be enjoyed daily without losing its powerful medicinal benefits.

Garlic for the Circulatory System

Traditionally, garlic is supposed to unclog the arteries and regulate blood pressure. That is probably true, but I have no way of verifying it. In a Herbalism Forum, a lady warned readers of the powerful effects of garlic. She insisted that her uncle's blood pressure fell dangerously low as a result of eating garlic. I don't buy that story but suspect that her uncle's problem had a different cause. I understand that garlic does not lower blood pressure per se. It merely unclogs the blood vessels to allow the circulatory system to function unimpeded. That sounds like a regulatory function which can only contribute to overall health.

Garlic for the Respiratory System

I know one thing for sure. Garlic has been a lifesaver to me. It is without question the most effective preventive as well as emergency cure for respiratory problems. I have never seen this use mentioned in any literature nor have I ever heard anyone talk about it, even though I have attended many holistic health lectures and conferences. I found out about this property of garlic simply by fluke. One summer day, I was suffering from hay fever. I had just bought garlic at the grocery store and was going to plant the cloves in the garden. Since I was not feeling well, I lay down on the chesterfield and fell asleep. When I awoke, my lungs and sinuses had cleared for the first time in a week, and I was able to breathe easily. That is when I noticed the plastic bag with the garlic lying beside my head. Even through the plastic bag, it had worked its magic. I had felt the same type of relief only once before when I was on a trip in the Black Hills of South Dakota and had picked lots of wild peppermint. I was drying it in the vehicle as we were driving and sleeping in the car.

Garlic Pouch

To take advantage of inhaled garlic, I now make a garlic pouch. I use one of the many socks which has lost its mate in the laundry and place in it a handful of garlic cloves. I attach the sock to a shoestring which I tie into a necklace to wear around my neck.

Garlic for Earaches

My favorite family physician once told me to dribble garlic oil from a capsule into my ear to relieve an earache. That made sense. I tried it, and it worked.