My toddler caught a nasty something that’s been going around last week and it provided me with the wonderful opportunity of utilizing the garlic poultice. Have you heard of it? If not, let me introduce you…
What is a garlic poultice?
You may recall from previous posts, a poultice is a soft, moist mass that you place on the skin for medicinal purposes, usually kept in place with a cloth. The garlic poultice is pretty much that, but I use the term loosely. Basically, it’s a method of putting garlic on the body for the purpose of utilizing its antimicrobial properties and to boost the immune system. There are many ways to use garlic for maintaining health or recovering from an illness and they each have their pros and cons. One of the nice things about a garlic poultice is you don’t have to eat the garlic, but your body still gets the benefits as it’s absorbed through the skin all night.
How to make a garlic poultice
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Fresh, raw garlic cloves
- Vaseline
- Small bowl
- Paper towels
- Tape
- Socks
- Butter knife, spatula, or spoon
Step 1: Mince or press 4-6 cloves of garlic into a small bowl.
Step 2: Add 2-3 Tablespoons of vaseline to the garlic and mix well.
Step 3: Use a utensil of some sort (I generally use a butter knife) to spread half the mixture evenly on one foot.
Step 4: Cover with a paper towel and tape to stay in place.
Step 5: Cover that with a sock.
Repeat steps 3-5 on the other foot. Leave it there all night while you sleep and remove it in the morning. It’s as simple as that! We always have fresh garlic on hand, which makes it even easier to do at a moment’s notice or in the middle of the night.
Pros and cons of the garlic poultice
Let’s start with the cons…
It’s stinky. The room will smell like garlic.
It’s squishy to walk on, so hopefully you sleep great and don’t have to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.
The pros definitely outweigh these cons for me.
First of all, you get hours of immune system support all while laying in your bed.
It’s not painful and it doesn’t taste gross (since you’re not eating it).
You’re helping the body do what it is made to do (heal) without having to deal with side effects of medications (which mask symptoms for the most part, rather than support the body on its healing journey).
It’s very cheap and easy and can be done night after night without causing problems.
It’s wonderful for kids who often can’t take pills or won’t eat garlic.
When to use a garlic poultice
If I remember, I try to make one the moment an illness is coming on. I don’t want to waste any time waiting for things to get stronger. With my toddler, he started having a weird sounding voice on Tuesday night, so that very night he went to bed with garlic on his feet. Garlic is great for fighting bacterial and viral infections, as well as boosting the immune system in general, so you really can’t go wrong adding it to your healing routine.
There are other ways to do a garlic poultice, but this is the method I’ve used. I hope you’re able to try it the next time the opportunity arises, and when you do, let me know how it goes!
Resources:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4417560/
Potential Health Benefit of Garlic Based on Human Intervention Studies: A Brief Overview – PMC
