Garlic is one of Dan's and my all time favorite medicinal herbs. Any time either one of us feels even the slightest twinge of coming down with something, it's the infamous "
Garlic Drink".
- 1 to 1.5 cups tomato or vegetable juice
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (helps cut the garlic flavor)
- 1 rounded tsp pwd ginger (makes it easier on the stomach)
- 1 or 2 raw, whole, peeled cloves of garlic
Liquefy in blender. Pour into glass. Bottoms up.
A day or two of this is the absolute best cure or preventative for beating whatever is trying to make us sick. (Yeah, yeah, I know, "That's because no one will get anywhere near you so you can't get sick, ha ha ha".)
🙄
*Tip: a fresh peppermint leaf or peppermint tincture is useful afterward.
Why is garlic so effective as an antibiotic, antiviral, antifungal, anthelmintic (wormer), anti-parasitic, anticoagulant, expectorant, anti-diabetic, anti-cholesterol, anti-allergy, antihistamine, cardioprotective? Because of the phytochemicals it contains. (For a complete list
click here.) Specifically, it is sulfur containing compounds
allicin,
alliin, and
ajoene. (Do click on those if you want to be impressed).
Allicin is what causes garlic to have it's strong, often objectionable, smell. It is released when a garlic clove is cut, bitten, or crushed. In the garden this is a natural defense mechanism against insects and microorganisms. In the body, it's a natural defense against bacteria, virusus, fungi, and parasites. Allicin is what makes garlic a potent medicinal. Unfortunately, the allicin quickly converts to other, less effective sulfur compounds. (For additional information,
click here.) This is why raw garlic is best. Dried, powdered, or commercial forms are less effective. For this reason we take garlic as medicine in a fresh garlic drink.
But on to goats. A number of natural goat wormer formulae include garlic, but usually in powdered form. Knowing raw garlic is more potent I would rather give it that way. But how does one give raw garlic to goats?
My old method: Liquefy in blender with a little apple juice and blackstrap molasses. Administer with a dosing syringe. My goats
love this. They fight me for the first couple of days but are quickly won over by the blackstrap (which is rich in calcium. iron, copper, B6, complete analysis
here). It gets to where when they see me coming with the syringe, they fight over who's first.
New Method: Simply toss whole, unpeeled, raw cloves in their feed. I learned this tidbit over at
Out Standing In The Garden. Seemed too simple. I gave it a try and it worked! Every goat I offered it to gobbled it down.
Three things should be noted:
- There's no milk withdrawal period, but garlic can effect milk flavor. Using it works best with a once a day milking regimen. Feed at the time of milking.
- Goats will eat what they need. If they need the garlic, they'll eat it. If they don't, they won't. By offering it regularly I can make sure they get what they need, and only what they need, free choice.
- The liquefied method is still good for adding other things, such as herbal tinctures or powdered herbs.
One last tidbit, garlic is a nutritious food too. It's a source of calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, copper, and selenium. Complete nutritional analysis
here.
