In today's Saturday Nation newspaper, there was an article arguing that traditional medicine should be included in biomedical health system. Apparently, WHO estimates that as many as 80 per cent of the world's population, especially in developing countries, rely on traditional medicine for their primary health needs.
As an African woman, I form part of the 80 per cent that reach for plants to relieve common ailments and symptoms. Conventional thinking has us reaching into the medicine cabinet for even the smallest of ails. Over-the-counter treatments can make our aches and pains go away, but many of these drugs can be hard on the body, especially with prolonged use.
That said, allow me to share my favorite natural remedy.....GARLIC.
Garlic, that is, Allium sativum, is a humble little plant and a member of the lily family that can be used fresh, dehydrated, or as a steam-distilled oil. It can address a lot, but not limited to the following;
ACNE: -
Take two cloves of raw garlic with some warm water everyday, (early in the morning) and consume a lot of water the entire day. Garlic is great for your skin as it possesses anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties which can prevent and treat acne breakouts.
ATHLETE'S FOOT: -
Crush four to five cloves of garlic. Once smashed, rub them over the affected area. Do this twice daily.
BAD BREATH/ HALITOSIS: -
A garlic-based mouthwash may not sound like fresh, minty breath but a very small quantity of its extracts is sufficient to ward off cavity and halitosis-causing bacteria. Chew a clove or two and rinse your mouth.
BETTER HAIR: -
Get some garlic cloves and crush them. In a pan, add olive oil and add crushed garlic cloves in it. Warm it up for a couple of minutes and then turn off the gas. Let it cool down and transfer this into a jar. Apply this garlic oil on your hair at the night. Cover your hair and sleep so that the nutrients get absorbed overnight. Shampoo your hair the next morning
COLD/ FLU: -
Taking 2-3 cloves of raw or cooked garlic a day or sip some garlic tea (with a touch of honey or ginger to lift up the taste). It will relieve a stuffed nose, cure the cold and build your immunity against these frequent visitors over time.
Garlic can also help with clearing sinus infections and its symptoms.
EAR INFECTION RELIEF: -
Garlic oil (mentioned earlier) is a proven remedy to treat ear infections. Its antiseptic and antibacterial properties help in treating the bacterial infection that is the primary cause of ear pain.
FLATULENCE: -
Eat raw clove of garlic.
LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE AND BLOOD CHOLESTEROL: -
Drink an infusion made out of garlic, lemon and water. Or add it to the patient's meals. It has been found helpful with decreasing blood pressure and increasing HDL (the good cholesterol), stimulating the production of nitric oxide in the blood vessel walls and breaking up blood clots.
MOSQUITO REPELANT:-
Rub it on your skin to ward off mosquitoes or keep some near your bed.
MORNING SICKNESS/ MOTION SICKNESS: -
You can steep chopped garlic in hot water to make tea, covering the taste with honey. The enzymes from the allicin need a few minutes to start working, so let it sit after you mince, crush or chop it.
SPLINTERS: -
Next time you get a splinter, skip the tweezers and head to the kitchen instead. Place a piece of cut garlic over the splinter cut and cover with a bandage- and voila! Bye-bye splinter.
SCARS: -
Garlic helps with keloid scars, which are tough scars caused by the overgrowth of skin collagen.
TOOTHACHE:-
Chew a raw clove of garlic when you have a toothache.
VAGINA ODOUR: -
Take a clove of fresh garlic and peel off the natural white paper shell that covers it, leaving the clove intact. At bedtime, put the clove into the vagina as you would a tampon. In the morning, remove the garlic clove and throw it in the toilet. And voila! As fresh as a daisy.
Garlic is even great for dogs. And slaying vampires....kidding.
TIP: You’ll get the most benefit from raw garlic. But if you choose to cook it, don’t heat it above 140°F. Higher temperatures kill the allicin, so add garlic to your recipes when you’re almost done cooking.
Next time you’re looking for a cure for your ails, consider using garlic or other natural remedies you may have learnt from your mother, grandmother, aunties or the internet. Better yet share them on your platform, for whoever needs it.
If Covid-19 has taught us anything, it is that in this interconnected world, there is always a subtle need to remain self-reliant especially at a time when the healthcare system is overwhelmed.
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