I have been down with a throat infection for the past 2 to 3 days and my family may be finding it comfortable as there is no regular nagging behind them from my side. It is very clear that with the kind of infection I have, I am unable to speak, let alone pester my family for their daily chores.
This compulsory " MAUNA VRAT" did get me thinking and I suddenly remembered that i had not spoken to all of you about " the other side of Garlic".
Since day one in the ailment I am sincerely using the home remedies to fight the infection using garlic as the main constituent, but i have been very careful that the amount of garlic that i am using is not too much for my body and my body type. It is this thought that got me thinking and i realised that we haven't discussed garlic in a different light.
When we are using garlic as herbal or food medicine, we need to be cautious about certain things and conditions. These are listed below:
- Any herb that is strong enough to act as a medicine , is always strong enough to produce side effects. Having large amounts or very high doses or long duration applications of Garlic can sometimes cause side effects like stomach irritation, nausea, garlic odor to breath, skin irritations, flatulence and heartburn also.
- Apart from these side effects, one has to also take into consideration the body physiology of the patient before garlic is used in larger amounts. A Typical "Pitta" physiology with a type A personality will not tolerate Garlic as easily as others.
- Garlic is a herb with hot potency. In other words, it can bring about heat and can really fire up body processes. So it should never be used directly when there is an acute inflammation or redness or pain.
- Caution for Diabetics: Use of Garlic has a blood sugar lowering effect and so people using hypoglycemic drugs should use garlic with caution. If using this herb in very large amounts during cooking, it is advisable to inform the Diabetologist or the Dietitian about the amount that is being used.
- Caution for Heart Patients: Garlic has a blood thinning effect. People taking blood thinning drugs which are prescribed after a stroke, heart attack or detection of blood clots should consult with their physician or nutrition consultant before using large amounts of garlic in their food. Large amounts of Garlic can amplify the effects of these drugs to a higher extent than required, hence the caution.
So........... This was just a caring reminder of the other side of garlic to my readers and followers of this blog !!!
With a lot of help from my favourite Garlic pearl necklace and caution about the use of direct juice in this particular inflammation and infection; and after an undesired but unavoidable antibiotic prescription from my family doctor, I am on the path of a speedy recovery.
See you all soon !!!
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