Does Raw Garlic Really Kill Bad Bacteria Inside Your Body? (infections, respiratory)
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Seriously, I really have my doubts. I'm just recovering from a bad upper and lower respiratory infection (bacterial, not viral) and all the raw garlic I took (and its was lots, maybe 3-5 cloves a day crushed and stuffed into gelatin caps) only seemed to make the nasty critters stronger. It finally took Zithromax to get the infection under control and I am presently recovering. Thank God for antibiotics. I think a mysticism of some sort has grown around garlic as some sort of magic bullet that cures all infections.
It does not.
I will continue to take it after I am recovered because there must be some good things about it, but as far as keeping me safe from bad bacteria in my lungs or sinuses I'm afraid I've lost all confidence in it.
I don't know.
You may have been experiencing "die-off" symptoms which often will be experienced as an intensification of the malaise.
That is a lot of raw garlic that you took btw.
I've built up to that much (and more) in the past for candida but not jumped right in with that much.
I've never thought of garlic (or anything for that matter) as a panacea.
And it takes a lot of experience to be able to pick and choose, ie; discern among the various natural approaches and to come to know what works for you and what does not.
Um, you should be careful consuming too much raw garlic. It can harbor botulism, more likely if it is old or stored under oil, a nasty bug that can result in complete temporary (several weeks) paralysis or even death. Also, the active chemical allician is a pretty caustic substance, overdoing it will hurt you more then anything else over long periods...leading to not just irritation, but scarring and damage to the gastrointestinal tract. Large amounts can also easily render many surgical anti-coagulants and HIV/AIDs drugs ineffective.
I've built up to that much (and more) in the past for candida but not jumped right in with that much.
Oh, no, I didn't start with that. I've been taking garlic in the last ten years for 90% of that span. There were times when I dropped off for a few months, and then maybe took it only 4-5 days a week and then for a large chunk of that I was taking it every day as a ....um...can't think of the word (somebody please help: the act of doing something regularly because of a belief that it will accomplish something for you or help you in some way). In that time I've had maybe 4-5 colds mild to severe. I don't know if taking garlic has any therapeutic effects. They say it helps with BP and blood circulation, but who knows??
Quote:
Um, you should be careful consuming too much raw garlic. It can harbor botulism, more likely if it is old or stored under oil, a nasty bug that can result in complete temporary (several weeks) paralysis or even death. Also, the active chemical allician is a pretty caustic substance, overdoing it will hurt you more then anything else over long periods...leading to not just irritation, but scarring and damage to the gastrointestinal tract. Large amounts can also easily render many surgical anti-coagulants and HIV/AIDs drugs ineffective.
Yes, thanks for the warning. I'm aware of this. I've taken capsules on an empty stomach several times and ended up with a pain that, especially most recently during this sickness, made me think I was going to die. Fortunately I don't think there's any permanent damage to my stomach and now I'm very careful to take it only on a full stomach. When I do I don't even notice it. On the plus side, there is evidence that garlic kills h pylori. It certainly killed any other living thing in there, I'm certain.
If it was that easy to kill off bad bacteria, antibiotics would have never been invented. I am sure that garlic has health benefits but it is not a panacea.
I eat a lot of garlic in my diet but also take an immune support vitamin that contains vitamin A and C, garlic and oil of oregano. I'm the only person in my group of friends who hasn't had a cold or flu this year (knocking on wood right now). Oh man does that give me bad heartburn if taken on a empty stomach. I think garlic has some beneficial properties, but works best in certain areas of the body, such as digestion and urinary vs. respiratory. Just my opinion though.
I had a roommate who used to thin slice garlic cloves, paper thin and then swallow them whole in the morning. Went years without getting colds or the flu.
I have a chopping board he used to use to do that and all these years later it still reaks of garlic.
I had a roommate who used to thin slice garlic cloves, paper thin and then swallow them whole in the morning. Went years without getting colds or the flu.
I sincerely agree with tilli on this. If your roommate has dodged a cold for many years it's because he has a super efficient immune system, not because garlic somehow managed to kill the bugs.
Oh, and redjan you should read my commentary on my experience with oil of oregano. In a nutshell I took it from the onset and am still fighting this dumb infection.
UPDATE: I finished the zithromax regiment and I still have green crud coming out of my throat, probably dropping down from my sinuses. This damn thing survived the zithro!
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