Home Remedy for Cold: Garlic Tea For Quick Relief

Garlic excels as an antibacterial and antiviral herb for cold, coughs and the flu.

For those who are not up to eating it raw, which tends to be absolutely the best way to consume it, an alternative comes in form of garlic tea which surprisingly has a pretty nice flavor.

Preparation does matter a lot, because when handled incorrectly, garlic does not release or loses allicin, the most beneficial compound.

Preparation Time

• 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 5-6 cloves of garlic. When treating a child’s cold, use less garlic 2-3 as it may be too hot for them.
• 2 cups of filtered water
• Raw or pure honey
• Juice of lemon

Steps

• Peel the cloves.
• Mince or press the cloves into a paste. This is important, as by chopping garlic more finely, more allicin is produced. Pressing garlic or mincing it into a smooth paste will give you the strongest flavor and may also result in an increased amount of allicin.
• Let the garlic sit for 15 minutes. This is important, otherwise the allicin will not get a chance to get released.
• Bring the water to a boil. Lower the heat, and add the garlic paste. Lowering the heat to low or medium is important, otherwise allicin will be destroyed.
• Simmer for another 10-12 minutes. Important: simmering over 15 min. will weaken and damage allicin.
• Strain the garlic and allow the tea to cool to mouth temperature.
• Add raw honey and lemon juice. Alternatively you can add a pinch of cayenne pepper.
• Drink it throughout the day.