There is no doubt that garlic milk is not going to be on top of your favorite beverages list. However, garlic milk has numerous health benefits to offer your body, especially if you have respiratory or digestive difficulties.
Garlic possesses anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties and, therefore, it is quite useful to treat any disease. It can be used to boost the immune system and fight against the disease-causing germs. The combination of garlic and milk is also an Ayurvedic approach to help treat today’s common illnesses.
Here’s how you can prepare this medicinal drink at home using garlic and milk.
Garlic Milk Recipe
Ingredients:
- 500 ml milk
- 10 cloves of peeled and minced garlic
- 2 or 3 teaspoons of sugar
- 250 ml water
How To Prepare:
- Pour both the water and milk into a pan.
- Then, add the garlic and allow the mixture to boil.
- Once the mixture boils, place the pan on medium heat.
- Continue stirring the mixture until it evaporates to half of the amount.
- Strain the mixture and add the sugar as per your requirement.
- This drink is best when served hot.
Garlic milk has been used to treat respiratory issues, sleeplessness, digestive, and other illnesses that are common today. Let’s examine the illnesses that garlic milk can treat.
7 Common
Illnesses That Can Be Treated With Garlic Milk
A number of illnesses that can be treated using garlic milk. However, if you are lactose intolerant, this may not be the best alternative medicinal drink to try.
1. Tuberculosis
A decoction of garlic boiled in milk is an effective way to treat tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is a serious bacterial infection that affects the lungs. Garlic can help dissolve mucus that irritates the lungs. One gram of garlic, 250 milliliters of milk, and a liter of water are boiled together till the mixture reduces to one fourth of the initial quantity. For effective results, it should be taken thrice a day.1 When taken in sufficient quantities, garlic milk may also be effective in treating pneumonia.
2. Asthma
Asthma is another chronic lung disease that occurs due to a disturbance in the airway. If you suffer from acute or chronic asthma symptoms, your airways, or bronchial tubes, are inflamed. Garlic, with its anti-inflammatory properties, may help reduce the inflammation significantly. Three cloves of garlic boiled in milk can be used every night before going to bed to reduce asthma symptoms.2
3. Digestive Disorders
Garlic is a herb that will help treat digestive disorders because of its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. It also helps in eliminating toxic waste materials from the body. Garlic also stimulates the movement of intestines and helps in the production of digestive juices that are required for good digestion. Crushed garlic in milk is good for treating digestive disorders, especially infectious illnesses and even inflammations in the stomach and intestines.3
4.
Jaundice
Jaundice is caused when there is a condition that may disrupt the movement of a substance called bilirubin (a waste product formed from the break down of red blood cells) from the blood to the liver and out of the body. Taking garlic milk in the morning for three to five days may help treat jaundice.4
5. Arthritis
Arthritis is the inflammation of one or more joints that may cause stiffness and pain in the body. Studies have reported that a sulfur compound called thiacremonone present in garlic has anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic properties.5 Therefore, consuming garlic milk on a regular basis may help ease the symptoms of arthritis.6
6.
Sciatica
Sciatica is a condition caused when pressure is applied to the sciatic nerve. This causes pain from the lower back that may run down to one or both the legs. Boiling garlic in milk may be an effective alternative remedy to treat this condition.7
7. Insomnia
Garlic milk may also be used if one experiences sleep disturbances or insomnia. Garlic milk can induce sound sleep, especially when vata (in Ayurveda, that which governs all movement in the mind and body) is the cause. So, drinking garlic milk an hour before bedtime can help induce good sleep.8
Apart from these illnesses, garlic milk may also help in treating impotence. This is because garlic improves blood circulation and is known to be an aphrodisiac.
Garlic milk can also reduce bad cholesterol levels in the body and may also help in keeping the heart healthy. For treating heart-related issues, it may be better to use skimmed milk or low-fat milk.
Garlic milk is an easy-to-prepare remedy that can be used at home. However, it is always important to consult the doctor before trying any remedy yourself at home. If you are on certain medications, a natural remedy may reduce its effectiveness. To avoid any further complications in an existing health condition, communicate with your doctor and only go ahead with the remedy after their approval.
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