The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Garlic
Posted by Trixie (Inverclyde, Uk) on 11/06/2010
★★★★★
When I feel a cold starting I take a whole bulb of garlic. I either put it in soup, omelette or make a liver flush smoothie with orange juice, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, ginger and cayenne pepper(you'll either love it or hate it). Next day my cold has gone.
Garlic
Posted by Neukoln (Edinburgh, Scotland, Uk) on 10/10/2010
I absolutely swear by taking raw garlic for knocking a cold on the head. Garlic takes 1.5 to 2 hours for its effects to be felt. So, when you first start taking it for your cold you need to take it every 2 hours, for about 4 doses... Then there is enough in your body to have an effect on your cold symptoms.
I take it this way: get a large clove of raw garlic or two small ones, chop it up very fine, put it on a spoon and swill it down with a cup of water. When my symptoms are really bad (i.e. At the start) I sometimes take two large cloves at a time. Once your symptoms dip down you'll get a feel for how often to take it thereafter. They'll come back if you haven't taken enough, for long enough. I promise you that it works. I thought I was dying last night cos I felt so bad, but I got up every two hours (I couldn't sleep anyway) and had a finely chopped clove of raw garlic with a cup of water. By the morning my symptoms were OK, not gone but a lot better. I took another clove 4 times through the day, and I feel well enough to go to work tomorrow. Amazing stuff!
Garlic
Posted by Diane (San Jose, Ca) on 11/09/2009
★★★★★
Eating raw garlic shortened my cold to about 2-3 days. On a Thursday morning, I woke up with an awful sore throat and congestion. By Friday evening it had become a full blown cold, so I went to this site to look for remedies. I decided to try the raw garlic by mincing up 3 cloves and eating it in a tortilla with cream cheese. This was just my way of making it palatable to eat. The only side effect was garlic breath, so you might want to eat it at night. By the next morning my sore throat was better and my congestion was minimal. That evening I was able to go out and felt almost better. My cold ended up lasting from Thursday morning until midday Saturday, which is about 2 1/2 days. Usually I have symptoms for up to a week, so this was amazing. I also advise taking lots of vitamin C. The best part is I did not even need cold medicine at all! Very natural and inexpensive.
Garlic
Posted by Janet (Near Idaho Falls, Idaho) on 05/21/2009
★★★★★
Here is something soothing that really helps colds,
bronchitis, etc:
Bring 2 c. chicken broth + 2 c. water to boiling
Add 1 small onion, chopped
When done, remove from heat, add 3 cloves crushed
garlic, cover; let
sit for about 10 minutes.
Add sea salt to taste.
Replied by Erin
(Rockingham, Nc)
11/19/2009
★★★★★
Garlic
Posted by Julie (San Diego, California) on 02/22/2009
★★★★★
just this past week aa nasty bug was going around that consisted of nasal congestion, sore throat, and fatigue and i caught it. finally on friday i decided i wanted to be well for the weekend so i fished out my natural cures book and found out the MIRACLE. i ate 4 cloves of garlic uncooked... of course the taste was horrendous but i am not kidding after the first one i could feel the difference. it makes sense because of its anti bacterial/fungal/viral properties and its ability to strengthen the immune system. i will do this whenever i start to feel sick because i'm serious it totally cured me within 30 minutes
Garlic
Posted by Wanda Greene (Tarrytown, New York) on 02/10/2009
★★★★★
I've been fighting a cold for a couple of days, a friend suggested I take 3 cloves of garlic blend with orange/lemon juice and drank it before going to bed. I did this and I have to say within ten minutes of laying down, I could feel the results. My nose became unstuffed and the cough which had kept me up several nights in a row was gone, I feel so much better. ..... IT REALLY WORKS!!!!! Thanks to my friend and this site GARLIC will be on my shopping list each week.
Garlic
Posted by Sonja (Swanley, England) on 09/08/2008
★★★★★
I have used garlic for years. Every time I get a cold I eat one clove of garlic 3x a day. I enjoy the taste, so have it on bread with pate, or meat always raw. It is not very social... but within 3 days feel great. It is very effective. I also love horseradish for congested sinuses/ blocked nose. just a bit of it with some meat and you can breath freely..
it is easy, cheap and works without fail.
Garlic
Posted by Susan (Puerto Vallarta, Mexico) on 08/04/2008
★★★★★
This is going to sound hideous... and it is, but it does the trick.
When ever I have a cold I have a number of remedies I use.
In Scotland we have a thing called a hot toddy which is basically whiskey, cloves, honey and lemon made into a tea.
However, my other remedy (and this is the disgusting one) I have used and it works... is blend some garlic cloves and water into a blender. Then gulp down some of the brew at night. I normally just try to drink the whole thing. I don't really bother with measurements, Just play about till you find something that works for you. It's the garlic your eating, the water just helps it go own. Plus it's broken up and therefore absorbed into the body quicker and easier.
I also do the same as a mosquito repellent. Blend the garlic and water together and pour through a siv. The pulp I place in plant pots on my pation and the water garlic solution I place in a squeezy bottle and go around spraying my windows and door frames. All blood eating creatures hate garlic.
You can also use Listerine which surprisingly mosqutios hate for some reason. I use a combination of the two.
Garlic
Posted by Esther (Lymanville, Pennsylvania) on 11/08/2007
★★★★★
Chewing raw garlic, which is hard on the stomach and bad for the breath, or drinking garlic tea, which is neither, is very effective against colds. To make the tea, chop a garlic clove or two into a cup, add boiling water, followed by lemon and honey to taste. The garlic will settle to the bottom. Be sure to spoon it up and chew well when you have drunk the liquid. Drink a cup of garlic tea frequently, at least once a day, when everyone around you is passing a cold back and forth, or at the first hint of a scratchy throat or runny eyes and sniffles. I am religious about this, and have not had a cold in years.
Replied by Patricia
(Missouri City, Texas)
01/25/2008
Garlic
Posted by Laura (Seattle, WA) on 10/16/2007
★★★★★
I've been using garlic for years for a variety of things. Usually I use it for colds. At the first sign of a cold, chop up 4 cloves of raw garlic and eat. I prefer to use it as a garnish on an already garlicy type food like soups or spaghettie, it helps make the taste not so obvious. Keep up with 4 cloves a day, then reduce the number as your symptoms decrease. This can stop a cold from manifesting, or it will shorten and weaken your colds. I used to have chronic bronchitis after every cold, now I haven't had it in years. I also only get one cold a year usually. Yeah, I don't smell great but I'm not missing so much work!
I will also use raw garlic juice on rashes and bug bites. It stops the itching immediately, and I pretty much use it for anytime I might need a phytoncide.
Garlic
Posted by Jane (Los Angeles, California) on 04/07/2007
★★★★★
I noticed that when I came down with a cold - I would always start to crave raw garlic. So I thought I would try it the next time before the cold took hold. It worked like a charm! Now I use it every time I feel a cold or flu coming on. It has to be raw garlic. I chop a few large cloves (as much as I can handle) finely and sprinkle it on buttered toast or in my food. You should be sure to chew the garlic to release the essential oils. I continue this once or twice a day until i'm better - could take a few days to completely get well - but I have managed to fend off every cold since I discovered the "garlic cure." (this is good for colds and flus except if you are coming down with a stomach bug - in which case it could aggravate your stomach.
Garlic
Posted by Jim (Magnolia, TX) on 09/17/2006
★★★★★
Garlic for colds. When a cold first starts, place a whole clove between the cheek an teeth. It will shorten the effects of the cold.
Garlic
Posted by Nixa (New York, NY) on 04/03/2006
★★★★★
Garlic tea cured my severe cold with a constant irritating cough. I had an annoying cold that wouldn't go away. I got a recipe for a garlic tea from a coworker. Cured my cold in a couple of days. Garlic Tea Recipe: Pour 1 cup of boiling water into a mug. Add 2-3 cloves of smashed garlic. Let it sit for a min or two. Add 1-2 tablespoons of honey and stir. Trust me. It doesn't taste as bad as it sounds. The honey helps a lot!
Garlic and Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Armadillo17 (Chicago, Il) on 01/28/2015
★★★★★
For me, one of the most miserable aspects of a cold is the nasal congestion that blocks the taste buds and causes endless nose-blowing. This time, I took a clove of garlic, broke it into small chunks, and put a chunk up into each nostril. Leave it there as long as you can stand it, it will probably prompt you to sneeze eventually, after a few minutes. Do this repeatedly and your congestion will be gone in a day. Also, chew a little garlic all day and keep a peeled glove in your mouth to suck on. This, plus a dose of apple cider vinegar in water 4 times a day, got rid of 90% of my cold symptoms in 24 hrs.
Garlic and Cayenne
Posted by Shannon (Moncton, Canada) on 05/28/2007
★★★★★
When I feel a cold coming on, I usually take the following: 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, and 1-2 tbsp of lemon juice. I recommend taking it like a shot, and chasing it with water. You should feel it working within a minute.
Another thing I do to stop colds is eat raw garlic. But it's difficult on the stomach, so I'll often toast a piece of bread, butter it, and slice some garlic. I lay the garlic on half of the bread, fold it over, and eat it. It tastes like intense garlic bread.
