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Registered Medical Herbalist
Luzia Barclay
DBTh MIRCH
Tel: 01722 330663

COVID-19 and garlic. Fake news?

12-03-2020
It looks as if the corona virus is here to stay. The question arises: How can we strengthen our health and specifically our respiratory system so that we are better able to cope with this virus?

Covid-19 is a new disease to us humans. We are learning how to deal with it and how to minimise the harm it may cause. We are confronted with plenty of news and with fake news.

In March the BBC News stated: Lots of posts that recommend eating garlic to prevent infection are being shared on Facebook”. A sentence later it quotes WHO (World Health Organisation) saying that “there is no evidence that eating garlic can protect people from the new coronavirus”.
Of course garlic cannot protect us from this virus, except some infected people who don’t like the smell of garlic, might keep a good distance from us. What garlic is likely to do however, is that it can help us to better deal with the viral infection.

Garlic is well known as a protective plant food against bacterial and viral infections. The juice of garlic was known to prevent gangrene and sepsis in the trenches of the First World War. When eaten raw, garlic acts on the lungs due its volatile oils we are so familiar with. These volatile oils end up in the blood stream, and as soon as the blood circulates through the lungs, these oils are released and have a sterilising effect on the lung tissue. This property of garlic could be very helpful in coping with the coronavirus.

Another herb that could also be helpful is the common garden thyme (thymus vulgaris) especially when there is dry cough and congestion. Thymol is the volatile oil that has a strong antiseptic effect on the lung tissue. Pour a cup of boiling water onto one teaspoonful of dried or fresh thyme, infuse for 10 or 15 minutes and drink while warm. To enhance the effect of this tea add some freshly grated ginger and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Drink two or three mugs of this wonderful mixture every day.

We have no specific immunity yet to this virus. But another part of our immune system, the innate part (versus the adaptive part), is always kicking into action when we become infected. This is the reason why some people cope well with this virus and others suffer or might even die. The chance we have now is to strengthen this innate immune system with the usual healthy lifestyle choices and the support of herbs. Let food be your medicine and medicine your food!
Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have relating to this article.
Garlic - April 2013 Newsletter
Garlic is an everyday ingredient that really can help us avoid Antibiotic apocalypse, the ticking time bomb, or the catastrophic threat to population that antibiotic resistance can lead to.
Download this newsletter