Known for their many properties, garlic and honey are used in cooking but also in medicine around the world. Detoxifying and regenerating, these two foods combined in a natural recipe restore energy and vitality to the body and mind.
Benefits of garlic
Initially, garlic is a plant that grows in the form of a bulb. From the Liliaceae family, the one that scientists call Allium Sativum is a concentrate of health benefits. Rich in B vitamins, minerals and trace elements such as calcium, phosphorus, iron and selenium, it has even been recognized by The National Cancer Institute as one of the foods with anti-carcinogenic potential. Its protective effects would apply in particular to stomach and intestinal cancers.
Used for millennia in India but also in Egypt and Greece, garlic is considered a miraculous gift made available to humans to treat many illnesses and strengthen their health. It would have been of great help to the Egyptians during the construction of the pyramids who would have used it daily to protect themselves against diseases and increase their energy and strength. The same goes for the Greeks who made it their miracle stimulant during the very first Olympic Games!
Benefits of honey
An elixir with a marvelous golden color, organic honey is a wonder of nature and its effectiveness has been observed on nearly 60 different bacteria! Rich in flavonoids, phenolic and ascorbic acids which represent only some of the 200 substances that make it up, it would have a real antioxidant action on the body and prevent many health disorders.
Originating from Ayurvedic medicine, honey has been used for centuries to treat digestion problems, chronic coughs, skin problems, heart pain and lung disorders. Moreover, its antibacterial action was recognized for the first time in 1892 by Dr Van Ketel, a Dutch scientist.
To make garlic honey, for medicinal or culinary use, it’s very simple.
You need a whole bulb of garlic. Peel and chop the pods. Chopping activates allicin – the most powerful active ingredient in garlic – which is released only when the garlic is chopped or crushed.
Once chopped, pour the garlic into a clean jar. Cover with honey.
I used organic bee honey (crazy that we have to specify good quality honey, most supermarket honeys contain glucose). It takes a while for the honey to seep into all the little crevices of the chopped garlic, so pour in slowly.
You can use a knife or toothpick to help release any air bubbles trapped in the minced garlic.
Close the jar, label it and date it before placing it in a cupboard for 2 to 4 weeks, maceration time.
At the end of this period, you can use the honey with or without the garlic in the jar. The shelf life of garlic honey is 3 months. You can take it by the spoonful or add it to tea if you have a cough, cold or sore throat.