Garlic and honey are two wonderful ingredients from nature. Both of these have strong anti-inflammatory properties and are great as a home remedy for fighting both colds and the flu.
Besides having strong anti-inflammatory properties, honey and garlic are also good for your immune system. So, at the first sign of flu, grab this garlic-infused honey, or even garlic clove, and suppress those viruses that are trying to make you ill. Garlic is filled with allicin, a compound known to have anti-microbial and even anti-cancer properties.
The antibiotic quantities of garlic appear to be a direct result of allicin. The allicin is very sensitive, however, and cooking or heat treatment may destroy its benefits. The best way to get that allicin is by consuming the raw garlic, but many people cannot stand the smell or taste of it.
Although it has been shown through clinical studies that garlic can reduce the number of colds by 63% and reduce the length of cold symptoms by 70%, the overpowering flavor of garlic is just a deal breaker for some.
Luckily, honey is something almost everyone enjoys. As stated above, honey has strong anti-inflammatory properties but is also anti-viral and anti-fungal. Of course, as we all know, honey has a great flavor, and this natural delicacy can make even garlic taste better.
The combo of honey and garlic makes the garlic more palatable and easier for us to use. Besides, when infused with honey, the garlic properties become even more potent while at the same time improving the benefits of the honey.
The recipe for this remedy is very simple, and over time, the mixture will taste better. The garlic is ready to eat after a few days, but as time passes, it will develop complex flavors. In no time, you will not only love this flavor but also enjoy it as an addition to your pasta or pizza or smeared over warm toast.
Related: 6 Powerful Natural Anti-Inflammatory and Pain Relief Agents for When SHTF
Fermented Honey Garlic Recipe
Preparation time: 15 minutes + inactive time
Serving size: 2 ½ cups
Ingredients:
- 1 cup garlic cloves, peeled;
- 1 ½ cups honey (I used acacia.).
Instructions:
#1. Gather your ingredients.
#2. Peel the garlic and place it into a clean jar.
#3. Drizzle the honey over the garlic. You can pour the honey directly over the garlic or drizzle in by using the wooden honey spoon. Do not use a metal spoon as the honey has an acidic pH and reacts with metallic surfaces. This reaction may damage the honey.*
#4. Once the garlic is covered with the honey, place a lid on the jar.
#5. Make sure the cloves are covered in honey. You can flip the closed jar upside down and place it in a dark place.
#6. Within a few days, the fermentation will begin. Bubbles will appear.** This is the first sign your garlic is ready to consume. (Of course, you can wait a few days more or even weeks, until the honey is thinned down and garlic drops to the bottom of the jar).
#7. At this point, you can store your fermented garlic in a dark place (not the fridge) and let it age.
NOTE:
*Although you are only touching the honey with a metal spoon for a short time, you still do not want to risk any honey spoilage or destroying its natural healing properties.
**If your fermentation does not begin, you may have too much honey. In that case, add a splash of water (about a tablespoon) and close the lid again.
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I made this a while back.I used a local honey and fresh garlic.The honey hard a dark color.And now The honey has a sediment in the bottom of the jar. Should I toss it out or is it still safe to eat?
judy it is still good the garlic just caused the color seperation it still good donot toss it
Judy, it’s probably pollen. Darker honeys are usually made from clover. Also, the probiotics will sink to the bottom when they’re done. If you ferment sauerkraut or pickles in jars, you see this. It’s good for you. niio
Would this be a good topical for the healing of wounds? Sounds like it might be a bit messy but effective.
I have always thought that garlic needed to be crushed in order for it to be both medicinal and flavorful. This recipe calls for whole cloves. Would the cloves still need to be crushed before consuming them? Does chewing ‘count” as crushing? Could/should the cloves be crushed before adding honey?Or is crushing not necessary? Also, once the garlic has soaked in the honey, and the jar opened, does it sit on the shelf indefinitely or should it be refrigerated after opening? And is there a shelf life after opening? Thanks.
AJ,
While I’ve not made this recipe, I do use local honey as well as garlic, onions, and other in the Allium family, so I’ll give you my opinion on these.
Crushing garlic is required to release the flavor and aroma; but, the Allicin is simply a chemical compound that works either way.
If you eat an aspirin whole or chew it, you get the same medicinal effect.
Yes, for eating raw garlic; but, when cooking, it should be crushed to add the flavor trapped in the clove to the food.
I’m not sure it matters, since when consumed, the Allicin would be released into the body via the digestive system in either case.
As long as the garlic is still covered in honey, I suspect it will last indefinitely, since honey will keep away the oxygen and other things that could cause spoilage.
As long as it isn’t moldy or smells bad, I suspect it would have a long shelf life due to the honey; but, as with many foods and medications, will become less effective with age.
Would this be a good topical for the healing of wounds? Sounds like it might be a bit messy but effective.
I take it one must use Unpasteurized honey is a must.
How much and how often does one take it for colds or flu?
Or other uses such as a fever or perhaps an infection?
any other medical/medicinal uses?
I know honey is but is this combination good for open minor or serious wounds? Perhaps open raw blisters?
Yosemite,
In this case I don’t think it matters, since the normal medicinal properties of the honey are intact in either case.
When taking honey for it full nutirional value, or local honey to help assuage allergies, raw honey is best.
All of the honey we harvest is simply centrifugally extracted and strained to get out pieces of legs, wings, and other bits of crap.
Since it’s basically a food, you cannot overdose, so I would take as much as is required until you start feeling better.
Just plain raw honey is a good topical treatment and can help cuts heal without leaving scars.
I don’t know that one; but, why waste the garlic if you have enough plain honey.
Keep it simple.
What are some recommended ways of consuming this fermentation to get the full effect of its properties? What about uses in recipes. Very interested in this topic.
Just pop it in your mouth when feeling puny and enjoy.
Al tomar la miel con ajos como medicina, debo consumir los ajos?.
En las ciudades es difícil conseguir miel pura, se puede hacer con miel comercial?
Si, hay que consumir los ajos, hasta 3 diario con poquito miel, como canta Mary Poppins, ‘a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down…’. Miel comercial esta procesado a fuego fuerte, degradando los beneficios. Me gusta mas ajo picamente fino con jugo de tilo, uno o dos dientes diario en una cucharadita de jugo, me parece asqueroso miel con ajo…
On the fermented honey garlic , could it be improved by adding cinnamon?
someone asked mcould they also add cinnaman to it yes you can and will add to the benifits to the mix
The article mentions avoiding using a metal spoon to add or remove the honey. However, it mentions you can turn the jar over while storing/aging the honey garlic. The photo with the article shows a metal lid. So, won’t the metal lid react with the honey the same as the spoon would?
Can you eat the garlic or just the honey?
Ms. Bee-Tree,
There is unlikely any interaction, because most jars like that don’t have bare metal touching the product in the jar.
Open a jar of nearly anything, but, especially pickles or olives with an acid (vinegar) based solution and look at the inside of the lid. You will most likely see a plastic liner, as you will see on canning lids, there to keep the product from touching the metal.
They are both food and may be eaten, although some may not like the flavor.
How does this compare with fermented “black” garlic for the immune system? (Having fallen in love with fermented garlic, I now make my own…) I also wonder what would be the result if fermented “black” garlic were used to infuse the honey. May have to do some experimenting…
I wonder if it would make a difference in the flavor if you
take a pin and poke holes in the garlic?? the hone could
run through it and get a better taste if you are sick. Just
asking I haven’t made it yet but will.
While this is an OK use for both items on what are hopefully rare occasions, they are both wonderful foods.
We don’t use a lot of spices like pepper, oregano, and such; but, life without garlic and onions would truly be boring.
Other members of the Allium family, such as onions, leeks, and ramps also have the wonderful, sulfur based compound in different concentrations; but,, one must be careful to keep such products from pets, like dogs and cats, since ingestion can be lethal.
I did some research on this aspect some years ago when I brought in a bunch of garlic from the garden to dry, and one of our cats tried everything he could to get at it, forcing me to hang it to dry in one of the outbuildings.
It was then that I learned to keep it and its cousins away from dogs & cats.
Doing this right now
The fermentation process produces a gas (the bubbles) and pressure builds up in the jar. I don’t see any recommendations here addressing having to “burp” the jar daily during this fermentation process. Also, the process requires a completely sealed jar to work (except to burp), so the jar should be tightly sealed. Is this information I was told accurate?
This story is from the euro-asia area back in 2003. I wanted to share it since it was similar recipe.
Honey and Ginger Root: He Cured Himself From The Most Dangerous Type Of Cancer And Left The Doctor Shocked – 13 years ago, a man called Ante Kresic from Zagreb, was told he had one of the deadliest cancers- lung cancer. Moreover, he was informed that he won’t live much longer.
Yet, he is a perfectly healthy man today, due to his natural cancer treatment with honey and natural herbs. He defeated lung cancer and now he keeps bees.
He was released from the hospital in April and he decided to try the honey treatment. After several months he went for a regular check-up in the hospital in Zagreb, and the doctors were shocked because he was still alive.
Hence, they advised him to proceed with consuming his homemade remedies and therapies. In summer, his disease was gone. When he had his blood checked, there was no sign that he has ever been ill.
Afterwards, Kresic decided to share his experience in order to help people with similar problems like his one.
The stories of Kresic and people like him serve as evidence that honey mixed with other natural spices as ginger, garlic, pine needles and other herbs can defeat cancer.
A woman from Bosnia also succeeded in defeating cancer with a mixture prepared from honey and ginger. She recommends that the honey used should be homemade, or bought from reliable beekeepers. She also shared her recipe, hoping to be able to help others.
Recipe:
Chop two big ginger roots and mix them with (18 oz ) ½ kg of organic honey. (I would also add garlic to the mix.
Put the mixture in a glass jar and consume 1 tablespoon (use wooden or plastic spoon) 3-4 times a day. The first effects will be achieved in 4 days.
Remember to keep positive and never give up the struggle for your health, regardless of the doctors’ predictions, for that is the first step to your improvement.
I have used this and am convinced that it works at least as well as advertised, however, and this is obviously just my opinion but, it is like Crocodile Dundee said about witchity grubs, “They taste like sh**t but you can live on them” It is all I can do to choke it down, but I do because it works so well.