How to Make Garlic Honey for Colds and Flu
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Garlic has been part of my culture for a long time. Being Spanish we use garlic for almost every imaginable sauce as well as stews, ‘potajes’, broths, oven cooked dishes, gazpacho… the list is endless.
I remember my mum telling me about the power of garlic because of a book that landed into her hands quite a few years ago. The book was all about garlic and the power it contained; I remember looking at the book in disbelief thinking: really?? This smelly funny looking ball has enough properties to fill up an entire book??
Obviously, it did.
My mum was as gobsmacked as me and I remember she fell in love with the book, with garlic and with the general power of plants. She bought a few other books by the same lady but she never really told me what the books conveyed inside….
So I had to find out myself a few years later.
About Garlic
Garlic is a strong antimicrobial that is generally used against pathogens like fungi and bacteria. Its strong smell gives away how powerful it is. The same goes for its powerful taste (it has an extremely hot, spicy and pungent flavour). Garlic increases the function of our immune system. This makes it an excellent herb for cold and flu symptoms, particularly good for sore throats and when you get congested coughs.
About Honey
Besides being wonderfully sweet and a fantastic syrup for many things around the kitchen, honey is high in antioxidants, promotes wound healing, might improve heart health (source).
Here’s What I Love About this Recipe
- Cheap to make!
- Very tasty
- 2 simple ingredients we always have at hand
- Easy to make
- Indefinite storage time
How to Make Garlic Honey
1. Place 15 garlic cloves inside a mason jar (you can get a mason jar here).
2. Shake the garlic cloves vigorously so the skins can loosen up.
3. Chop your 15 cloves into tiny little bits so you end up with minced garlic.
4. Now let the garlic sit for around 10 minutes or so.
5. Place the garlic inside the mason jar and stir in around 1/4 cup of honey. I prefer organic honey like this one. Stir till nicely mixed.
6. Add another 1/4 cup of honey and stir really well.
7. Seal and label (non-plastic labels here).
You can start to take your garlic honey immediately but within one or two days the mixture will go more syrupy.
You don’t have to strain the garlic out, you can eat it along with the honey.
Congestion? Coughs? Flu Symptoms?
Take a spoonful of this syrup and you’re on your way to health : )
If you’re diabetic you can temper the hotness of the garlic by mixing this with vegetables. Children might not love this mix but if you’re a garlic lover like me and you also like honey this is definitely a wonderful herbal remedy for flu and congested coughs.
How Long Will My Garlic Honey Mixture Keep?
For as long as you like, honey is a preservative on its own. Over time the honey might create crystals and/or the garlic can get a little rubbery. If so, just strain them out.
You can either store it in the fridge or your herbal remedies counter. I prefer to store it in the fridge because I have the ‘ants problem’ here in La Finca as it is a hot place.
I really hope you make this wonderful syrup. It is such a great way to get started in building a herbal remedies kit at home.
Patri xx
