12 Surprising Yet Effective Uses Of Garlic

Hippocrates once said that we should let food be our medicine, and medicine be our food. It is actually known that the famous Greek physician used to prescribe garlic to treat various medical conditions. Now, garlic with its intense and flavorful taste is used basically in every cuisine in the world. When we eat raw garlic, it has a powerful pungent flavor that matches its remarkable benefits. We often take for granted how blessed we really are to have garlic that serves as one of nature’s natural antibiotics. Garlic is ranked as a superfood, only coming second compared to turmeric benefits.

Not only eating garlic every day is beneficial for us, but its usage has been linked to reducing and helping prevent four major causes of death: heart disease, stroke, cancer, and infections. And this is backed up by modern science too. To get into the basics, garlic is a plant that belongs in the allium (onion) family. Its closest relatives are onions, shallots, and leeks. Every segment of a garlic bulb is called a clove, and there are about 10-20 cloves in a single bulb. It grows in many parts of the world and is a very popular ingredient in worldwide cuisines. However, garlic is not only used in the kitchen, as its incredible effects are known to treat many diseases, infections, warts, and corns. Not only this, but some people also apply garlic to their skin, hair, nails etc, for it has amazing effects. See some of its benefits:

1. Garlic for acne

Garlic is widely used as a home remedy for acne. All you need to do is slice open a clove of raw fresh garlic and apply it directly in your face where you have breakouts. Yes, your skin might not smell heavenly, but at least the antibacterial properties of garlic will do its magic and lessen the appearance of acne, even those stubborn ones that keep coming back.

2. Garlic for cold sores

I swear that these baddies always seem to make an appearance before a date or some other important date. Well, little did I know before how garlic works just as good as commercial medicine, although I might warn you that the acidity might cause a slight discomfort at first. But hey, it works. All you need to do is a cut a garlic clove in half and put it directly in the cold sore and keep it for 10 minutes, several times a day. Say goodbye to cold sores.

3. Garlic for weight loss

According to research, garlic actually has a lot of weight loss properties, despite its flavor making you want to eat a lot of it. The garlic compounds actually send your brain signals of satiety, which will make you feel full fast. Plus, garlic boosts the metabolic function that helps you burn more calories throughout the day.

4. Garlic for glass repair

In fact, garlic juice is a natural adhesive. While you should not expect that it will fix broken windows and mirrors, it works great on filling hairline cracks in glass and hold them together. All you need to do is crush a clove of garlic and rub its sticky juice into the cracks while wiping the excess juice away.

5. Garlic as a mosquito repellent

I know that you can’t help but ask: does it also work as a f*ckboy repellent, and the answer is, yes honey, it works as an every-living-thing repellent. However, if you don’t mind smelling like an Italian season, garlic can work wonders in warding off pesky mosquitoes without using toxic chemicals. To make a natural garlic mosquito spray, you need to infuse a few minced cloves of garlic in mineral oil for 24 hours. Then, strain and mix the garlic-scented oil with 2 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice. If needed strain again, and then pour it into a spray bottle.

6. Garlic as pesticide

Filthy and creepy crawlies can totally destroy the beautiful garden that you spent days or even months taking care off. To ward them off completely, an all-natural garlic pesticide spray comes in handy. For this spray, you need three minced garlic cloves sitting in two tablespoons of mineral oil for 24 hours. Strain out the garlic and add the oil as well as a teaspoon of liquid dish soap and add them in a spray bottle. Then, spray on infested plants.

7. Garlic for athlete’s foot

If you don’t know what athlete’s foot is already, I suggest you don’t Google it. Anyway, all you need to know, athlete’s foot is a fungal infection that is irritating and itchy. Garlic comes in handy since it is a potent natural antifungal. You need a few cloves of crushed garlic which you should add to warm water in a foot bath and soak your feet/foot for about half an hour. Bye athlete’s foot, hello Barbie feet.

8. Garlic for ear infections

Garlic has been used as an ear infection remedy for centuries. However, this does not mean that you should shove a clove of garlic in your ear and sit awkwardly, waiting to do its thing. Instead, crush a garlic clove and place it in a teaspoon of hot olive oil for minutes. Then, strain it and allow it to cool down before you drip a few drops into your ear canal.

9. Garlic as a skin cleanser

Not that I know any of them, but somehow I know that a lot of women use garlic as a face cleanser as a way to tighten and exfoliate the skin. Not that I know, but I have read that it burns, so careful, especially if you do have any open wounds. Moreover, to create a natural garlic face cleanser you need minced garlic, olive oil, facial cleanser, and sugar until you come with a paste-like thing. Massage your face in circular motions, then rinse with water.

10. Garlic for yeast infections

I also did not know that many women around the world when they get the earliest signs of a yeast infection, use raw peeled garlic cloves tied in a strip of cheesecloth for their fungal infection. Again, garlic’s antifungal properties work on the yeast, keeping the infection at bay. Good to know.

11. Garlic as a cough syrup

To make a cough syrup out of garlic, use steeping raw, minced garlic in hot water, before straining it after five minutes have passed. You can drink the liquid like tea. If you are bothered by its taste, you can also add ginger and honey to disguise it and make it more palatable.

12. Garlic for hair loss

I don’t care what happened, you over-dyed your hair to the point of shedding like a sick dog or you’re just going bald because nature decided so, garlic may be worth a shot before you make more drastic measures. Such as starting to wear hats. A lot of people believe that massaging the scalp with garlic oil can keep hair loss at bay and even stimulate hair growth.

You might also want to read: 

Home Remedies For Cold: How To Relieve Cold Symptoms

What You Need To Know About Detox: The Process Of Detoxifying Your Body