Thanks for your post above on garlic. I know of the beneficial effects - was just wondering if it could be used (safely) as a substitute for prescribed antibiotics, i.e. if the dosage would be sufficiently high enough. You mention Murray which I will check out; I guess I was hoping for established knowledge, i.e. from more than one source/study. Thought someone on this forum might know the answer to that.
You do not say what you are interested in using it for. So no-one can offer a suitable suggestion. Were you looking to study the uses of garlic?
There are 58 references in Murray's book on the chapter for garlic - it would take me a while to copy them all. I quoted the bugs he mentions that garlic will deal with. Also that a clove of fresh garlic is a suitable dose, though you might like to take more if you can cope with smelly breath. I can also quote the chemical compounds involved in the beneficial effects, should that be helpful. As for contra-indications - it can cause irritation to the digestive tract, and some people have problems detoxifying allicin and the sulphur-containing compounds. Prolonged feeding of high quantities of raw garlic to rats induced anaemia, weight-loss and failure to grow. Side effects are said to be rare at the recommended dosages.
Balch says it has antibacterial effect of 1% of penicillin and was used to treat wounds and infection and prevent gangrene in WW1. She doesn't quote her source of information. She mentions it several times in her 775-page book.
Holford suggests 2-6 cloves daily to fight infections (p 294). But he also suggests immune-boosting herbs to help the body deal with infections (p 290). There is a whole chapter in his book on 'Fighting Infections Naturally', refrenced in the book that I hyperlinked below. He has many references to its beneficial effect in preventing cancer.
Paul Pitchford in Healing with Wholefoods mentions garlic many times plus a full page and a quarter on its healing properties p.546, but again not referenced.
If you are really wanting help may I suggest you consult a [url]Medical Herbalist[/url], a BANT-registered [url]Nutritional Therapist[/url] or Naturopath. 🙂 They will be able to assess the problem for the specific purpose and offer suitable options.
You do not say what you are interested in using it for. So no-one can offer a suitable suggestion. Were you looking to study the uses of garlic?
There are 58 references in Murray's book on the chapter for garlic - it would take me a while to copy them all. I quoted the bugs he mentions that garlic will deal with. Also that a clove of fresh garlic is a suitable dose, though you might like to take more if you can cope with smelly breath. I can also quote the chemical compounds involved in the beneficial effects, should that be helpful. As for contra-indications - it can cause irritation to the digestive tract, and some people have problems detoxifying allicin and the sulphur-containing compounds. Prolonged feeding of high quantities of raw garlic to rats induced anaemia, weight-loss and failure to grow. Side effects are said to be rare at the recommended dosages.
Balch says it has antibacterial effect of 1% of penicillin and was used to treat wounds and infection and prevent gangrene in WW1. She doesn't quote her source of information. She mentions it several times in her 775-page book.
Holford suggests 2-6 cloves daily to fight infections (p 294). But he also suggests immune-boosting herbs to help the body deal with infections (p 290). There is a whole chapter in his book on 'Fighting Infections Naturally', refrenced in the book that I hyperlinked below. He has many references to its beneficial effect in preventing cancer.
Paul Pitchford in Healing with Wholefoods mentions garlic many times plus a full page and a quarter on its healing properties p.546, but again not referenced.
If you are really wanting help may I suggest you consult a [url]Medical Herbalist[/url], a BANT-registered [url]Nutritional Therapist[/url] or Naturopath. 🙂 They will be able to assess the problem for the specific purpose and offer suitable options.
Thanks Caroline for taking the time to provide these details. Very kind of you and much appreciated.
I have a genetic lung disorder (involving bronchiectasis). I have been told that if/when my phlegm becomes contaminated with germs (changes from white to green) then I will have to go on antibiotics (probably indefinitely by the sound of it). I am 63. I have only just realised that this was probably my motive for my enquiry here.
If, as I suspect, garlic is not strong enough (you indicated here 1% as strong as penicillin) then that doesn't bode well. I will start my own enquiries, e.g. into garlic oil capsules and their strength although I don't really know how to compare it to the strength of a prescribed antibiotic.
Thanks Caroline for taking the time to provide these details. Very kind of you and much appreciated.
I have a genetic lung disorder (involving bronchiectasis). I have been told that if/when my phlegm becomes contaminated with germs (changes from white to green) then I will have to go on antibiotics (probably indefinitely by the sound of it). I am 63. I have only just realised that this was probably my motive for my enquiry here.
If, as I suspect, garlic is not strong enough (you indicated here 1% as strong as penicillin) then that doesn't bode well. I will start my own enquiries, e.g. into garlic oil capsules and their strength although I don't really know how to compare it to the strength of a prescribed antibiotic.
Ah then that makes the picture much clearer! :nature-smiley-008:
The way I would approach this is not comparing herbs/food with antibiotics but to look to boost your immune system. For that there is LOTS you can do! Garlic is only one of many options.
The medical model of 'knocking out bad bacteria' is only one approach. You need to ask why your body is struggling; what can you do to encourage it to fight off the 'baddies'; how can you support your body's immune system. For that I could write a book!
Have a read of any of the books I mentioned before, but more specifically Holford's [url]Boost your Immune System[/url] and Jean Carper's Food, [url]Your Miracle Medicine[/url]. And there is also Murray and Pizzorno's [url]Healing Foods[/url] (a used copy for 49p - I paid £22 for mine!!). I would look to use herbal and probiotic support too but that is advised in the books. I found the information invaluable. Also be aware that juicing of fruit and veg, over and above your normal 5-a-day intake, can be enormously beneficial, but it must be freshly done and consumed within half an hour or frozen immediately, [url]see here[/url]. You also need to make sure your stress levels are reduced - stress is an immune-function blocker.
Antibiotics are then just a backstop for when you are overwhelmed - but that should not be necessary really if you follow the dietary advice.
If you find it a bit confusing, which is quite possible, then do see a [url]Nutritional Therapist[/url].
Thanks Caroline. I hadn't thought of boosting my immune system. My knowledge of nutrition is pretty good so am clued up there.
I know exactly why I am struggling; as mentioned I have a genetic lung disorder - my lungs are permanently inflammed so there's nothing I can do about that condition apart from not exacerbating it. I realise acidic foods are linked with inflammatory tendencies, e.g. transfats,/highly saturated fats, processed meat, coffee and high GI foods. I have my weaknesses, e.g. coffee but eat fairly healthy overall.
Stress is a sticking point since I am a full time carer for my elderly mother; I have my methods with trying to prevent getting too stressed but it does not come with 100% success rate!
Again, thanks for your help Caroline. Will look further into what you have suggested.
Thanks Caroline. I hadn't thought of boosting my immune system. My knowledge of nutrition is pretty good so am clued up there.
I know exactly why I am struggling; as mentioned I have a genetic lung disorder - my lungs are permanently inflammed so there's nothing I can do about that condition apart from not exacerbating it. I realise acidic foods are linked with inflammatory tendencies, e.g. transfats,/highly saturated fats, processed meat, coffee and high GI foods. I have my weaknesses, e.g. coffee but eat fairly healthy overall.
Stress is a sticking point since I am a full time carer for my elderly mother; I have my methods with trying to prevent getting too stressed but it does not come with 100% success rate!
Again, thanks for your help Caroline. Will look further into what you have suggested.
Hi Amy
The belief that a genetic disorder is causing inflammation is being questioned in naturopathic and Functional Medicine circles. And yes, an alkaline diet would probably be helpful for you.
The potential for inflammation is definitely there, yes, but how the body and mind copes and deals with that potential may be another matter. The ability for vitamin C and many foods to reduce that possibility is there too. So don't feel that inflammation is inevtiable - it is possible to modulate it.
The advent of antibiotics as the panacea for all infectious illnesses has caused the vast majority to forget the basics - ie understanding the body's biochemistry and how to support its function - and along with the advent of so much processed food, has all but destroyed our knowledge of just how beneficial proper food can be. We are only just beginning to rediscover it all.
For example, when I started my nutrition course one of my projects was to study the benefits of cabbage. To my amazement, I found the Romans used it as a medicine, but nowadays chemists have identified the healing elements in cabbage (indoles, sulphorophanes, and glucosinolates for a start) and if you delve further it is possible to find all the amazing benefits of cabbage. Not an antibiotic as such, but it supports so much in the body by supplying nutrients that make our immune systems function better. Not only that, if made into sauerkraut, it has probiotic properties too. As I say, too much has been forgotten, not least by the medical profession as a whole.
Well the technical name for my condition is Kartegener's syndrome. It's an unusual genetic condition where my heart is on the other side (slightly to the right), deformed sinuses and co-starring bronchiectasis. My dad had TB when I was conceived.
Yes it's sad that we've lost touch with nature. I went through a stage of going to waste grounds, identifying wild plants and finding what uses there were for them, i.e. culinary, medical and cosmetic. It was fascinating. Of course herbalists know all this.
A lot to cope with, I'm sure :(, but in this it is vital to reduce the inflammatory load and keep the immune system fully on top! I remember nursing babies with this at one time.
I wish you all the very best in your quest to improve your health, Amy.
If I can be of any further help I'll do my best.