The smell of onions and garlic kills germs. A tasty seasoning and a healing plant: does garlic help against viruses? Garlic for germs

The human body is attacked daily by viruses and bacteria. For people with strong immunity, such attacks are not scary, since these microorganisms are suppressed by internal resources. However, sometimes the protective functions are reduced and the disease wins. For the prevention and treatment of colds in folk medicine there are simple, easy to prepare and inexpensive recipes in which garlic is the main component.

Useful properties of garlic

Garlic has several important properties that make it useful for the prevention and treatment of flu and colds:

• Sulfur compounds contained in garlic help destroy harmful microbes, including those that cause respiratory diseases.
• Garlic is effective in fighting the flu virus and colds, as it cleanses the throat and respiratory tract well of mucus during illness.
• The plant contains vitamins C, B, P, sulfur compounds, essential oil, phytoncides, fiber, iron, phosphorus, iodine, zinc, magnesium, manganese, potassium, calcium. Thanks to such a variety of microelements, garlic stimulates biological reactions, mobilizing immunity at the cellular level. As a result, there is a general strengthening of the body.

Today, garlic is produced by the pharmaceutical industry in the form of oil, capsules, tablets, extract, tincture, ointment, and inhalation product.

Areas of use

Garlic will help treat the flu. Moreover, it can be used pickled, dried, combined with nuts in the form of puree, made into sauce and tincture, and used as an additive to gravy. For colds, the plant is consumed both crushed and in the form of cloves. Garlic subjected to heat treatment loses some of its beneficial properties.

Is garlic effective for a runny nose?

Garlic should be used for nasal congestion only when it is a bacterial infection and thick mucus is present. If your nose is simply stuffy, then there is no point in using garlic.

How to help with sore throat

For sore throat, garlic is used as a gargle. For this purpose, a small amount of plant juice is diluted in warm water with the addition of a pinch of sea salt. Rinsing is carried out at least 5 times a day.

Help with bronchial asthma

1. Peel and chop 2 heads of garlic and mix them with grated 5 lemons.
2. Pour the mixture with 1 liter of boiled water and cover with a lid.
3. Leave the resulting solution for 5 days and then store it in the refrigerator. You need to take the mixture 1 tablespoon 2 times a day for 1 month, in spring and autumn.

Treating acute bronchitis

1. Grate 3 cloves of garlic and squeeze out the juice.
2. Mix the resulting juice with 1 glass of milk.
3. Leave the mixture for 10 minutes. For treatment, you need to take this drink hourly throughout the day.

Getting rid of otitis media

1. Peel 1 medium-sized clove of garlic and chop finely, the size of the pieces is the size of a grain of rice.
2. Wrap the chopped garlic in a bandage.
3. Place in the affected ear for 30 minutes.

Traditional recipes with garlic

Alcohol tincture

1. 250 grams of peeled garlic, finely chopped.
2. The resulting slurry is placed in a container and poured with 300 ml of alcohol.
3. After which the mixture is not stirred, but the container with it is screwed on with a lid or plugged and placed in a dark place for 10 days.
4. Then the solution is filtered through cheesecloth, and the liquid is squeezed out of the garlic mass.
5. For 3 days, the tincture is again put away in a dark place.
6. After 3 days, the container is taken out and the tincture is drained from it without sediment, which will certainly appear in the form of a dark liquid at the bottom. Take 1 teaspoon 2-3 times a day after meals.

Inhalation

Garlic inhalation is performed as follows:

1. Pour 0.5 liters of water into an enamel bowl and boil.
2. Place 6-8 small cloves of garlic along with the peel into the liquid.
3. The resulting mixture is brought to a boil again and kept over low heat for about 4 minutes.
4. Remove the container from the heat and add 1 teaspoon of soda to it.
5. The mixture is cooled to a temperature of 80 °C and its vapors begin to inhale, covered with a towel or blanket. In this case, you should inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Inhalation is best done in the evening, just before bedtime.

Decoction

Garlic oil

1. For 100 ml of any vegetable oil (preferably olive), take 3-4 cloves of garlic.
2. Garlic cloves are thoroughly crushed and mixed with oil.
3. The mixture is allowed to sit for an hour.
4. Use 1 teaspoon. You can lubricate the outside of your nose with this oil.

With honey

1. In a 1:1 ratio, take honey and pre-chopped garlic.
2. Mix thoroughly.
3. Use the resulting mass every hour, 1 teaspoon.

With lemon

1. Take 1 liter of honey, 10 lemons and 10 garlic heads. In this case, honey can be candied.
2. The lemon is first doused with boiling water, and then cut into slices without removing the peel.
3. The garlic is peeled and cut into slices.
4. Grind lemon and garlic together in a meat grinder or blender until smooth, then combine with honey.
5. Take the finished product 3 times a day, 1 teaspoon.

With milk

If a cold is just starting, you can stop it with a mixture of milk and garlic juice - add 10 drops of garlic juice to 1 glass of warm milk. This drink is drunk completely before going to bed at night.

Beads

Garlic beads are an inexpensive, effective and safe remedy for the prevention of influenza and other respiratory infections. This “decoration” is worn both for treatment and for protection if there is a sick person in the house.

1. Many holes with a diameter of 1–2 mm are made in the plastic egg from Kinder Surprise.
2. Several cloves of garlic, cut into very small cloves, are placed in this container.
3. A thin rope is threaded through the egg and the beads are hung around the neck. This original “decoration” is capable of releasing phytoncides for about 2–3 hours.

Consumption of garlic during pregnancy and lactation

Experts are divided on the use of garlic by pregnant women during flu or colds.

Some doctors say that garlic is a forbidden product for expectant mothers. This is explained by the fact that it belongs to the category of very rich spices and therefore may well increase uterine activity. And this is already dangerous, since in some cases it can lead to termination of pregnancy. In addition, the allergic danger of garlic has been proven, and late pregnant women are very susceptible to allergies.

At the same time, garlic is good for pregnant women because it contains a huge amount of vitamins and microelements, which are better obtained from natural products than from synthetically created vitamin complexes.

In a word, it is better for a pregnant woman to periodically eat one clove of garlic and then there will be no threat to the fetus or the expectant mother.

Regarding the use of garlic by young mothers during lactation, the following is important:

• Garlic affects the taste of milk, but since it is consumed in small doses (the woman does not feed on it alone), the child will not refuse the breast.
• Garlic increases appetite, and this will also prevent the baby from refusing mother's milk.
• Garlic does not cause colic in infants unless they are allergic to this product.

The use of garlic during lactation by a woman who has the flu or ARVI is not prohibited, but it is important to observe the measure.

Children and garlic

Contraindications to the use of garlic for the prevention and treatment of influenza and colds in children are:

• individual intolerance to the product, garlic causes allergies in the child;
• body temperature above 38 °C;
• the patient's age is less than 1 year;
• obesity (garlic increases appetite);
• gastritis, ulcer, epilepsy;
• Garlic extract is not recommended for children under 14 years of age.

In all other cases, the use of garlic by children with colds, flu or ARVI is not prohibited.

General contraindications

Garlic is prohibited for people suffering from:

• ulcers of the stomach and duodenum;
• pathologies of the pancreas;
• cholelithiasis;
• nephritis;
• nephrosis;
• anemia;
• gastritis;
• hemorrhoids;
• skin infections.

You should not overuse the spice if you have a tendency to flatulence, since garlic causes increased gas formation in the intestines. In addition, garlic contributes to the appearance of a specific odor both from human breath and from the body. It is important to remember that this natural immunomodulator strongly thins the blood, and in some cases this is also unsafe.

Expert opinion - video

This article is in no way connected with European manufacturers of medicinal products containing dried garlic, which are used in industrial animal husbandry. This article is a translation from German, so the grammar may be less than perfect in some places. It explains why the commercially produced garlic products you purchased are practically useless. If you are going to consume garlic, it is best to consume it RAW.

If we remember about allicin(chemical compound), then it is necessary to mention a group of compounds called thiosulfates. They are formed when garlic cells break down. Allicin dominates among thiosulfates (about 70-80% of thiosulfates are allicin).

Allicin is an antimicrobial substance, but it is not the only one that has this property. Other thiosulfates are also antimicrobial components, but have fewer functions. This is why we consume raw garlic rather than artificially synthesizing substances such as allicin.

Garlic EnteroGuard

Manufacturers call it a new antibacterial drug for the feed industry. Enteroguard consists of two active natural ingredients. This antibacterial complex is designed to replace small amounts of antibiotics added to animal feed (feed for pigs and birds, milk for calves). We have known for a long time, and it has been repeatedly stated, that the presence of small amounts of antibiotics in feed leads to long-term problems in the human body.

There is a phenomenon like cross-resistance(resistance of a cell (organism) to several different external agents, even those that have never previously acted on this cell (organism), as a result of a change in one genetic factor).

In the feed industry, antibiotics like virginiamycin, tylosin, spiramycin are used in small quantities as growth activators, which promotes rapid growth of animals. Moreover, in this case, antibiotics of the same classes are used that are used for medical purposes in humans. For example, the antibiotic used for humans is synercid. Virginiamycin is streptogramin.

A possible or potential future is a future in which the population is cross-resistant; where organisms with resistance are present.

In 1999, all the drugs mentioned above were included in the group of drugs banned in the European Union. They cannot be used as a growth activator. Stocks of these drugs are allowed to be used for four months, after which the ban will come into force completely.

But they remain two more drugs that tried to be banned. But people became interested in how antibiotics of the same classes that are used for medical purposes in humans will be used in the feed industry, where from 500 thousand tons to 1 million tons of feed are produced at a time. When using these drugs, not only the growth of animals was observed, but also the emergence of immunity to diseases in them. This is what we have come to.

Enteroguard is a mixture of two potent herbs that have antimicrobial properties.

I'd like you to understand why we chose these active ingredients and what we know about them. The first is allicin, which comes from garlic, which I'll tell you about soon, and the second is brown aldehyde, which comes from cinnamon oil.

Allicin was first discovered about 20 years ago. Scientists have studied more than 200 natural plant substances to determine their ability to fight bacteria. Researchers have determined that allicin, obtained from garlic, is a powerful sulfur-containing antibacterial substance. Its chemical name is thiosulfate. This compound is found in small quantities only in plants of the Allium subfamily, which includes onions and garlic. But the highest concentrations of allicin are found in garlic. That is why scientists chose this plant as a source of allicin.

Here you can see the structure of allicin and diallyl thiosulfate. To some extent, their structure is similar to the structure of antibiotics - two cysteine ​​molecules at the ends, but it is the double covalent bond >C = C<, являющаяся важным компонентом молекулы, придает аллицину и тиосульфату антимикробные свойства.

Why did scientists dry garlic?

When you carefully peel garlic, you can smell it. Faint odor. But once you crush a clove, boom! - the smell becomes much stronger. This smell is due to the produced allicin.

Allicin is not present in garlic, but is formed from its predecessor - alliina. Alliin is found in the mesophylls of cells, and the vacuoles of garlic clove cells contain an enzyme called alliinase.

In the whole clove, alliin and the enzyme allicinase are separated. If the integrity of the tooth is damaged, its cells are destroyed and their components interact, resulting in the formation of allicin and other thiosulfates.

Thiosulfates as antimicrobials

Allicin makes up 70-80% of all thiosulfates, because it provides antimicrobial activity. Interestingly, the amount of enzyme is almost the same as the amount of alliin. This is very unusual because usually an enzyme system requires a small amount of enzymes to convert one substance to another. But garlic contains large reserves of enzymes.

The equal ratio of enzymes and alliin is the reason for the almost instantaneous conversion of alliin into healing allicin. This process occurs when garlic cells are destroyed and takes only 20 seconds.

The plant has been using this antimicrobial mechanism for as long as researchers have known about it. Garlic cloves are the seeds of the garlic plant. Garlic cells can be destroyed if invaded by bacteria or pathogens. Once cells begin to break down, alliin and alliinase combine to form allicin, which kills pathogens or bacteria.

The developers of Enteroguard import garlic from China, where the soil is rich in sulfur. Sulfur helps increase antibacterial activity. The University of Bonn in Germany analyzed Enteroguard and found it to have the highest concentration of alliin.

Frozen garlic from China

Manufacturers of the drug must be sure that the garlic was grown in the right place and in the right way, which helps increase the alliin content in the plant. Afterwards, 700 female workers carefully peel the garlic with their hands. Nowadays, garlic can be peeled using automated devices, but this can lead to a strong release of allicin, which is formed by a compound of alliin and alliinase.

After this release, there comes a period when allicin is destroyed.

Then the hand-peeled garlic is frozen. To do this, garlic in large rooms is blasted with icy air at a temperature of -30°C, which freezes the garlic. The frozen garlic cloves are then imported to a factory in the UK.

Frozen garlic cloves are supplied in 12-ton containers where the garlic is kept frozen. At the factory, garlic is passed through a press to remove excess moisture. Small teeth are not pressed. After this, the garlic is sent to the freeze drying center.

There, the plants are laid out in containers and sent to a freeze dryer. In a sublimation vacuum, all liquid is removed. The temperature in a vacuum is -30°C, due to which moisture cannot turn into liquid and immediately turns into gas. It's like frozen carbon dioxide. When heated, it does not pass through the liquid phase, but passes directly into the gas phase.

Manufacturers use this process as a gentle method of dehydrating the product. Now that the liquid is completely absent, alliin and alliinase are separated and inactive, since these substances only interact in the presence of moisture. The garlic is then removed from the freeze dryer and ground into powder.

If garlic is crushed when there is a large amount of liquid present, it will lead to a chemical reaction that results in allicin. This compound evaporates within a few days. This is the disadvantage of preparations containing garlic on the market - they do not contain allicin.

When manufacturers of these products crush garlic, it still contains moisture. When an animal or person consumes dehydrated Enteroguard, it begins its activity in the digestive tract. Alliin interacts with alliinase, and allicin is produced exactly where it is needed - in the intestines.

Allicin fights:

• Escherichia coli
• Staphylococcus aureus
• Gas gangrene stick
• Salmonella.

However, garlic has virtually no effect on lactobacilli And enterococci.

Why is this a plus?

Because they contain beneficial intestinal bacteria. Allicin is an anti-yeast, anti-fungal substance, not a gram-negative or gram-positive bacterium, neutral to beneficial microorganisms.

Garlic kills not only pathogenic bacteria, but also rotaviruses, which are responsible for causing diarrhea. At a ratio of 20:1000000, garlic completely protects mammalian cells from pathogenic viruses.

Garlic also helps with protozoal infections such as Cryptosporidium parvum. This infection was discovered in the United States in 1971, and in more than two decades, it has become the most common infection on dairy farms. About 90% of dairy farms are infected with it.

About 40% of calves grazing with their mothers on pastures are infected with Cryptosporidium parvum. When adult cows graze on pastures, oocysts (the developmental stage of the simplest sporozoan cells) fall onto the grass along with saliva. Later, when the calves stop eating milk and switch to grass, a new generation of animals becomes infected with oocysts on pastures.

This is the only cause of contamination of water supplies.

During the First World War, garlic was used in dressings. The plant was ground into a paste and applied to the wound. After the invention of antibiotics, the use of garlic ceased.

Allicin acts in the intestines, and after absorption it is converted into diallyl sulfides. Diallyl sulfides have low antimicrobial activity and are excreted from the body through urine, respiratory tract and skin. The smell that appears when cooking or eating garlic is the smell of diallyl sulfide.

The odor of allicin is less noticeable and occurs when you crush a clove of garlic, while the odor of diallyl sulfide is stronger and occurs when you cook food with garlic. Allicin is a cascade molecule, and when it is broken down, 150 different broken down molecules are released. Thus, allicin is slowly broken down into molecules that subsequently interact with each other and form other molecules that can fight protozoans (single-celled animal organisms). For example, with lamblia or trichomonas.

In addition, garlic kills the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (a spiral-shaped gram-negative bacterium that infects various areas of the stomach and duodenum).

Garlic. Toxicity

To exhibit a toxic effect, you will need to eat 10-20 kg of garlic.

Garlic. Method of action

How does allicin kill bacteria? Answer: macro effect. We know that allicin disrupts cell membrane biosynthesis, which interferes with RNA synthesis and DNA polymerases. Thus, allicin disrupts the functioning of the entire enzyme system responsible for cell replication.

Allicin destroys SH groups in proteins. These sulfur-containing groups are found in thiol-dependent enzymes, which are an essential part of lower organisms - bacteria, viruses and protozoa. Antibiotics typically target a metabolic pathway [a specific sequence of enzymatic reactions in a cell] and destroy it. As long as a bacterium is associated with a mutation in a single gene, in which mutations occur all the time, it can always find an alternative way to obtain another from one substance. But as soon as antibiotics destroy this opportunity, the cell dies.

Once a cell has successfully mutated, resistance can be considered achieved. When you take substances like allicin, it attacks groups that are part of the enzymes of lower organisms and destroys them.

But these enzymes produce proteins that enter the cell membrane. Or these proteins are part of enzyme systems that are subsequently used in the synthesizing system DNA polymerase and RNA polymerase. They are a structural element of all types of protein. The bacterium cannot find a metabolic pathway among these enzyme systems. Therefore, bacteria cannot resist natural compounds such as allicin.

Resistance to allicin, which is found in garlic, cannot be developed. Think about it, garlic uses this defense mechanism against bacteria and prevents them from developing resistance for as long as the plant has been known to mankind. After all, if the bacteria become resistant to allicin, the plant will be destroyed. But this will not happen even in 10 thousand years. Until pathogens emerged that could resist the effects of allicin.

Why doesn't garlic harm mammalian cells?

If we take a mammalian cell, we see that S-H compounds are not so widely used. In addition, S-H groups can be protected by glutathione. This can be demonstrated in an ordinary test tube. Take a sulfur containing enzyme. This protection mechanism is the same for lactic acid bacteria. They have developed the same defense mechanisms. If this mechanism did not exist, then lactic acid bacteria would be destroyed among peoples who eat garlic. But this did not happen.

So, with allicin, you have a variety of ways to fight bacteria, viruses, and protozoa.

Resistance can be developed, so taking allicin is completely safe.

Allicin does not affect mammalian cells and lactic acid bacteria.

conclusions

Garlic is a product that you should consume every day. Dr. Klinkhardt and I are simply amazed at garlic's ability to improve gut flora and kill pathogens.

It is important to note that garlic must be FRESH. The active component begins to evaporate within an hour after the clove shell has been damaged. Tablets containing garlic are practically useless and are not recommended for use. When you eat garlic, you need to press it with a spoon and swallow it (unless, of course, you are going to squeeze the juice out of the plant). If you swallow the clove intact, then allicin will not be produced.

The only problem is the smell. But most people tolerate the smell of garlic. If you are still concerned about the reaction of others to a similar aroma, reduce the amount of garlic you eat until the smell no longer bothers you.

Sources

1. van der Peet-Schwering C. M. C., Plagge J. G. Influence of Enteroguard on the performance and health of weaned piglets. – Experimental Farm for Pig Husbandry” North-and East-Netherlands”, 2000. – No. P 5.11. - WITH. -.

In the autumn-winter period, the issue of treatment and prevention of viral respiratory diseases is especially relevant. In such cases, in addition to drug therapy, people look for alternative ways to eliminate diseases and resort to traditional medicine. So, many are interested in the questions of what methods are there to eliminate ARVI, and does garlic kill viruses?

Garlic has been used for medicinal purposes since ancient times due to its rich composition. It is used raw, stewed, pickled, salted and eaten raw to eliminate and prevent various pathologies. In addition, tablets and capsules are made from garlic powder; this option is convenient because when they are consumed, the odor does not spread to the oral cavity and does not irritate the gastric mucosa.

Garlic is used in the form:

• Tincture.
• Decoctions.
• Syrup.
• Oils.
• Juice.
• Extract.
• Essences.
• Ointments.

The root vegetable is used for rinsing, compresses, inhalations and other methods. Garlic contains: fiber, ascorbic acid, proteins, sulfur compounds, bioflavonoids, iron, calcium, vitamins, extractive components, sulfuric and phosphoric acids and, of course, phytoncides.

The most important component of the plant's essential oil is allicin; this component is an organic compound formed by crushing the cloves and is responsible for eliminating a wide range of bacteria and viruses (including the influenza virus).

Garlic for ARVI

Research on the effectiveness of the plant against viral diseases has been carried out more than once. The results of only one experiment were accepted, since the rest were implemented with errors. Data from this study indicated the effectiveness of garlic in fighting viruses, but more accurate data is needed for official recognition by science.

In any case, it can be argued that garlic, like onions, is useful in the prevention and treatment of colds and acute respiratory viral infections in the early stages. In the fight against viruses, a freshly squeezed product is most effective, as it retains the most healing properties. When the product is heated, the beneficial properties that are necessary to eliminate viral infections are lost.

In addition to eliminating the symptoms of colds, ARVI, garlic and onions are also used for other respiratory diseases, such as: acute tonsillitis, rhinitis, sinusitis, bronchial asthma, lung abscess, pneumonia, bronchitis, whooping cough.

The product is useful for viral infections because it:

• Eliminates viruses.
• Fights bacteria and fungi.
• Has an immunostimulating effect.
• Has a diuretic and diaphoretic effect.
• Has a healing effect.
• Reduces swelling.

It should be remembered that garlic and onions can only act as additional means of treatment, in combination with other methods of eliminating a viral infection.

Application

To treat viral diseases of the respiratory tract and prevent their development during epidemics, garlic is widely used in various recipes. Among the most common and effective methods are the use of root vegetables:

1. In raw form. To prevent colds and generally strengthen the immune system, it is recommended to consume 1 clove of garlic per day, once a week you should take a break for one day. You can divide the lobe into 2 doses - morning and evening.


2. Infusion. Peel 1 large head of root vegetable and pour 150 ml of warm water for 20 minutes. After this time has elapsed, strain the liquid. Use 1 tbsp. l. every hour, wash down with a small amount of warm water. This option of using garlic will speed up recovery from sore throat and flu.
3. Mixture with added honey. Grind 10 cloves of garlic and add 2 tbsp. l. linden honey, stir until smooth. The mixture is 1 tsp. each hour. Helps with severe flu symptoms.
4. Garlic with butter. Grind 2-3 cloves of garlic, add 1 tbsp. l. butter and a pinch of salt, mix the ingredients well. This mixture should be taken in one dose from the first days of the onset of illness. After consumption, refrain from water and food for 30 minutes. This recipe has repeatedly saved me from influenza viruses.
5. Garlic with milk. Add 1-2 cloves of chopped garlic and 1 tsp to a glass of warm milk. honey (optional). Drink this drink daily until relief occurs. The liquid is used to soften the mucous membrane, relieve inflammation of the throat and reduce the intensity of cough.
6. Infusion for gargling. Crush 4 cloves of garlic, add 1 tsp. salt, pour 200 ml of warm water into the mixture. Let stand covered for 15–20 minutes. Rinse up to 6 times a day until symptoms disappear. This folk method is effective for treating acute tonsillitis, sore throat and other ENT diseases.


7. Compress for feet. 1 tsp. minced garlic mixed with 1 tbsp. l. pork fat. Spread the mixture on your feet, wrap the film on top, apply a layer of fabric and put on warm socks. Apply this foot compress for 10–12 hours before going to bed. This warming procedure is effective for colds.
8. Inhalations. Chop a few cloves of garlic and place in an enamel pan with water at 40 °C. Lower yourself over the container, cover your head with a towel and inhale the garlic fumes. The procedure should be carried out for 5–10 minutes, after it is completed, wrap yourself well and rest. You can dilute the water with onion juice (squeeze ¼ of a medium onion). Inhalations help reduce runny nose and cough. When carrying out the procedure, it is important to take into account the patient’s age and contraindications. It is recommended to carry out steam inhalations only as prescribed by a doctor.
9. Garlic drops. Squeeze the juice out of crushed garlic through cheesecloth and dilute with boiled warm water in a 1:1 ratio. Place the resulting drops in the nasal passages, 1–2 drops a couple of times a day. Use natural drops with caution in children, as there is a risk of burns to the nasal mucosa (consult your doctor before use). For a milder effect, you can replace the water with olive oil. Oil drops should be prepared based on the proportion of 2-3 drops of juice per 1 tsp. oils This option is suitable for eliminating rhinitis and sinusitis.
10. Compress for back and chest. Prepare a mixture for a compress from crushed garlic and honey in a 1:1 ratio, in such an amount that it is enough to treat the chest and back. Apply the paste to the indicated areas of the body, wrap with film, apply the cloth tightly, wrap in a warm scarf, and cover with a blanket. Leave the warming compress overnight and repeat the procedure for 4–5 days. The method is useful for severe paroxysmal cough.


11. Ointment. Squeeze the juice from the garlic, chop the pulp of 1 aloe leaf and cyclamen root, add Vishnevsky ointment. Take all ingredients in equal quantities and mix well. Apply a small amount of ointment to the nasal passages a couple of times a day until the runny nose disappears. The mixture should be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 3 days. Before use, warm up a little so that the ointment is slightly warm. Use garlic ointment with caution; if itching or burning occurs, stop using it.
12. Air disinfection. Crush a couple of cloves of garlic and add 50 ml of water. Place the liquid in the rooms. You can lay it out in its entirety near the bed, periodically replacing it with a fresh product. This method helps reduce the concentration of viruses in the room and acts as a preventive measure during influenza epidemics.

​Remember that treatment with folk remedies using garlic must be agreed with your doctor.

Contraindications

The root vegetable contains biologically active substances that can negatively affect the body. So, there are a number of restrictions on the use of garlic:

• Allergy to product components (may manifest as redness, itching, gastrointestinal disorders).
• Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
• Kidney disorders.
• Cholelithiasis.
• Anemia.

Contraindications should be taken into account and the product should be used correctly in treatment to avoid negative health consequences.

We can safely answer that garlic kills viruses, but its use as a preventive measure and in the initial stages of the disease will be more effective.

Garlic has been considered a panacea for all diseases for many centuries. Due to its unique properties, it is used in both folk and official medicine. Garlic has an excellent effect against the flu and now we will find out how to use it.

Is it possible to cure the flu at home without the use of special medications? Many believe so. But experienced specialists still do not recommend using only folk remedies to treat a viral infection. At the first signs of illness, you need to go to the doctor. To understand why adequate measures are needed to influence the virus, you need to know what it is and what dangers it poses.

Garlic has many beneficial properties that can help treat the flu.

According to official data, humanity has experienced at least 18 powerful influenza pandemics, affecting all countries and continents. As a result, millions of people died, many became disabled due to complications that arose. But how does a virus arise? The atmosphere around us is inhabited by microorganisms, most of which are pathogenic, and at air temperatures from -5 to 5 degrees, bacteria multiply rapidly. With reduced immunity, which can fail due to long-term, chronic diseases, hypothermia, harmful lifestyle: smoking, alcohol consumption, a person has every chance of becoming infected.

Important: 2-3 epidemics occur in the world every year, but every 2 years, the virus mutates and a new strain appears. As a result, more than 500 million people fall ill and at least 250 thousand die. Specialists have to create a vaccine using antibodies from “updated” microorganisms.

Vaccination against the virus - is it necessary or not?

It is not for nothing that doctors say that it is easier to prevent a disease than to treat it. This statement is directly related to the flu. Immunization was created for a reason; the virus poses a serious threat to human life. It is dangerous due to its complications. Therefore, it is important to be able to determine the symptoms and mechanism of spread of bacteria throughout the body.

The virus is transmitted by airborne droplets when an infected person sneezes or coughs. Microbes settle on the mucous membranes of the mouth and nose and create colonies. They penetrate the epithelium of the cell and enter the circulatory system, affecting one organ after another. The respiratory tract is primarily affected - the larynx, trachea, bronchi, and lungs. In addition, when fighting foreign cells, a proportion of your own cells die. The decay products from them and parts of destroyed bacteria cause powerful intoxication, which causes:

• Strong headache;
• pain in joints and muscles - myalgia;
• loss of appetite, nausea, and in rare cases, vomiting.

Important: If the condition is accompanied by a rash and seizures, there are problems with the brain, there is a possible risk of meningitis and encephalitis.

In advanced stages, a person may be attacked by pneumonia, bronchitis, tracheitis, sinusitis, sinusitis and other serious diseases.

First steps when infected

As we have already said, in order not to subject the body to severe stress from the action of viruses, it is better to undergo immunization. It is carried out every year and makes it easy to transfer the disease or avoid it altogether. If symptoms occur, you should consult a doctor for adequate treatment.

The influenza virus, entering the body, begins to actively develop

The specialist will conduct a full examination, collect an anamnesis from the patient, and, if necessary, send for tests and a full examination of the data. Treatment includes the following medications:

• antiviral;
• antihistamines;
• antipyretics;
• antispasmodic;
• bronchodilators.

Additional treatment measures

In addition to exposure to medications, the patient must follow the following recommendations:

• Drink plenty of fluids. When intoxicated, the body accumulates a lot of toxins, which can only be eliminated with the help of consumed liquid. This can be not only clean, warm, boiled water, but also juices, fruit drinks, jelly, compote, herbal decoctions, etc.
• Water treatments. Taking a bath with the flu is contraindicated, but this does not apply to the shower. Together with water, the body is cleansed of toxic fragments excreted through sweat. Thanks to the jets of warm water, the body relaxes, the airways expand, and blood circulation improves.
• Bed rest. Any disease takes away a person’s strength, that is, the level of immunity decreases. To maintain a supply of energy and internal strength, you need to be in a state of rest.
• Ventilation. The patient does not have the opportunity to walk outdoors, so it is important to ventilate his room 2-3 times a day. In stagnant, dry air, bacteria multiply quickly and continue to attack the weak body, therefore, it would be a good idea to install an air humidifier in the room.

And, most importantly, the use of folk remedies, among which garlic ranks first for colds and flu, is an important point for treatment. There are a lot of useful and effective recipes, among which we have selected the best and proven ones.

Garlic against flu

A plant familiar to us, which we add to first and second courses, and salads, has an amazing set of properties:

• antibacterial;
• wound healing;
• anti-inflammatory;
• decongestant;
• immunostimulating;
• antiviral;
• antifungal.

The phytoncides contained in garlic are harmful to the influenza virus.

It has been used since ancient times and everyone knows that garlic is the best cure for all diseases in the world. The main component is allicin, which successfully fights high blood pressure, cancer, and bad cholesterol. You can use garlic against flu and colds at home, and for this you only need one thing - the desire to be healthy.

1. Grind 2-3 cloves, mix with a tablespoon of honey and eat.
2. Add 3-4 cloves to the first course, be it soup, borscht, or broth.
3. Squeeze 2 cloves into a glass of warm boiled water and drink at a time.
4. Grind or squeeze 2-3 cloves through a garlic press, add walnut pulp, 2 tablespoons of oil (sunflower, olive), salt, lemon juice and mix. Spread the mixture on bread and eat like a sandwich.
5. Chop 25 large cloves of garlic and 3 lemons, add a liter of cool water in which 25 grams of yeast was previously dissolved. Leave for 2 hours and drink 100 grams three times a day before meals.
6. Boil the potatoes and prepare mashed potatoes, add butter, milk and chopped garlic (2 cloves per 200 grams of mashed potatoes).
7. For a severe cough, the following composition helps: squeeze 2 cloves into 200 grams of hot milk, add half a teaspoon of butter. The recipe is indicated for exterminating viruses in the human larynx and improving blood circulation, liquefying and expectorating mucus.

Garlic can be used for ARVI without eating the hot cloves. To do this, it is enough to chop the teeth, place them in saucers and place them on a table near the bed of the patient and other family members.

Garlic for flu prevention

Considering the fact that the product has antiviral properties, it can be consumed to prevent infectious diseases. To do this, it is enough to eat 2-3 cloves of garlic a day and no illness will overcome the body. But it is worth remembering that the product also has a number of contraindications. It is not recommended to eat it raw for people suffering from:

• peptic ulcer;
• colitis, enteritis;
• acute phases of diseases of the cardiovascular system.

How to eat garlic to prevent children from getting the flu

Do not overuse garlic in the diet of young children.. Here you need to know the limit - half a slice a day, and then crushed and diluted in porridge, soup, gravy. Kids love to enjoy a crust of bread on which they can grate a piece of garlic. The child will not feel the extra ingredient and will happily eat the healthy vegetable. When combined with vegetables, the product loses some of its bitterness, so it’s a good idea to add it to salads with tomatoes, cucumbers, and sweet peppers. In this case, you will have to exclude the onion or neutralize its burning qualities: finely chop and pour boiling water for 10 minutes. The result is a delicious, soft salad in which all the flavors are harmoniously intertwined.

Garlic is considered one of the most affordable remedies that help against the flu.

The beneficial properties of the vegetable we are describing are not limited to the above. Garlic is the main component in the treatment of various diseases, and the best thing is that it is always at hand. Do not neglect the colossal qualities of affordable and familiar products that nature has generously endowed with to combat ailments.

- What is the prevention of influenza?

There is a well-known saying: “Take care of yourself before you get sick.” Unfortunately, we often observe that it is easier for people to swallow widely advertised “anti-flu” pills than to take timely steps to strengthen their own immunity. And here I will not say anything new: a healthy lifestyle, proper nutrition with a predominance of fruits and vegetables in the diet, daily physical exercise and hardening, giving up bad habits, take vitamins and mineral complexes in the fall and spring, use plant sources of vitamins, the best of which , in my opinion, is rose hips - all this is the prevention of influenza and other respiratory diseases.

The main and most effective method of preventing influenza is specific immunoprophylaxis using influenza vaccines. In addition, courses of seasonal prevention are conducted using specific and nonspecific drugs. As well as emergency prevention, for example, in case of contact with a sick family member, anti-influenza drugs are taken for 70 days.

- How do you personally feel about flu vaccination?

Preventing influenza with vaccines is a highly effective method of combating influenza and its complications. Vaccination is recommended primarily for persons at high risk of severe disease and complications. These include primarily young children, preschool children, people over 65 years of age, as well as people with chronic diseases of the cardiovascular system, respiratory system, diabetes, and so on. In addition, people at high risk of infection should be vaccinated - these are schoolchildren, medical personnel, military personnel, and social workers. Of course, vaccination does not always prevent the disease; its effectiveness is 75-80%, but it protects against severe disease and complications. I must say that vaccination complications are extremely rare. But, unfortunately, there are still many opponents of vaccination. However, we should not forget that influenza is a dangerous disease that causes complications, sometimes life-threatening. And only timely vaccination (optimal timing is October-November) can reduce not only the incidence of the disease in general and significantly reduce the risk of complications.

- In many offices, employees try not to take sick leave, how to protect yourself from colleagues with the flu?

- The most effective method in this case is emergency prevention, which involves taking antiviral drugs in prophylactic doses for 7-10 days. These include Tamiflu, Remantadine, Arbidol. In addition, internal use of Viferon-ointment and Grippferon is recommended. A good way to protect yourself is to wear masks.

- Tell me, please, how much onion and garlic should I eat to avoid getting the flu?

I don’t think onions and garlic will help with a flu infection. Also, you won't be able to eat onions and garlic for breakfast every day for ethical reasons. Nevertheless, there are a lot of recipes for using onions and garlic for the prevention and treatment of colds in folk medicine. For example, she suggests taking an infusion of onion juice and honey at night, and we can agree with this.

- How do you feel about such homeopathic remedies as “Antigrippin”, “Arbidol”?

Homeopathic medicines are currently widely available on the market for the treatment of influenza and other acute respiratory viral infections. But none of them has an antiviral effect. Small epidemiological studies conducted in Russia in recent years have shown some reduction in incidence overall, meaning these drugs may have little preventive effectiveness. But there have been no extensive clinical controlled studies of therapeutic effectiveness. “Immunal” is a natural herbal preparation based on echinacea juice, which contains a unique complex of phytocomponents. “Immunal” stimulates the body’s production of its own interferon, strengthens the body’s defenses and ultimately reduces the risk of disease. "Antigrippin" is a complex drug that has antipyretic, analgesic and antihistamine effects. Can be used for respiratory diseases, but with caution, as there are contraindications. As for Arbidol, it is not a homeopathic remedy, but belongs to the class of chemotherapy drugs with an antiviral and immunomodulatory mechanism of action. It is used for the treatment and prevention of influenza and other respiratory diseases in adults and children from 2 years of age.

- Oscillococcinum is now being actively advertised. How do you like this drug?

- This is a homeopathic drug that relieves the main symptoms of a respiratory disease, but does not have a direct antiviral effect. However, an indirect (through the immune system) antiviral effect cannot be excluded. From my point of view, clinical substantiation of the effectiveness of Oscillococcinum for influenza can only be obtained within the framework of controlled randomized studies, which, as far as I know, have not been conducted in Russia.

- Tell me, please, what kind of flu prevention should pregnant women take?

- Pregnant women, due to the physiological immunosuppression inherent in pregnancy, are more susceptible to respiratory diseases, and the flu is fraught with serious complications. Therefore, of course, it is necessary to take all precautions, using all the possibilities of nonspecific prevention and traditional medicine. It is effective to use Viferon ointment or Viferon gel or Grippferon nasal drops in prophylactic doses during the entire period of rising incidence. For sick pregnant women, Viferon in suppositories is recommended.