Garlic and Ginger Tea : Homemade Antibiotics for The Sniffles and More

By Krishna Singh Reynolds

This article is based the  Jamaican Oral Archive (The Wisdom of the Ancestors) and on personal, practical knowledge.

The ability to respond to infections as they appear is an important lifesaving response. In many places in the world, access to medical services is affected by distance, availability and money, among other things. In a case where a visit to the doctor is not absolutely required, it is possible to take advantage of the accumulated wisdom of  Jamaican healers. This recipe is especially effective for children’s colds and assists in the development of a healthy immune system.

Treatable Symptoms:
Onset of flu-like symptoms, recurring cold, chest cold, sinus problems, toothaches, stomach flu and feeling rundown (due to low level infections)

Adult Dosage:
1 cup tea taken a maximum 3 times per day and that is a red flag.   Use FRESH garlic since it loses its potency under certain conditions.

Remarks:
This tea will make you sweat and so, ideally, you should be in a resting state just after you take it.  i.e in bed or on the chesterfield   (sofa).  IMPORTANT: Discontinue use of this tea after 4 consecutive doses no closer than 7-8 hours apart. if there is no relief, seek medical help.

How it works:
 Garlic and ginger contain sulphur compounds which are effective against minor and some not so minor infections, including abscesses related to teeth. We are talking about  otherwise healthy people here.
Do not get this twisted, it is best used at onset of symptoms and may not be sufficient if you have waited too long.

How to make it:         1 cup recipe

Ingredients:
1.    1 largish clove(peg) of garlic (nominally 30 g or 1 oz)  diced to increase the surface area of the garlic and thus decrease the time the garlic is boiled.

2.   A similar amount (nominally 30 g or 1 oz)   of peeled and washed ginger. (also diced)

****** Jamaican Ginger is preferred because it has a higher concentration of the good stuff. You can also use the supermarket ginger, powdered ginger and ginger tea for substitution. Garlic is so common, so there is no need for substitution. *****

3.   Add ginger  to 1 cup of water and bring to almost boiling (bubbles on the bottom of pot)
4.   Then add garlic and let boil until it appears to want to boil over.
(This does not take too long and over boiling will kill the efficacy of the tea, because we are trying to extract volatile compounds here and ginger has a particular  taste if boiled too long)

5.    Pour and drink the tea as soon as is practical.

Understanding the remedy.
 - Like all teas of this sort, the temperature at which you ingest the tea is important. The hotter the better.
-  The tea should be covered to keep the compounds from escaping into the atmosphere and drank as quickly as possible for maximum strength.
 - The use of sweeteners is vehemently discouraged, and while the tea does not itself taste of garlic, children may require it.
 - It often is the best way of giving natural antibiotics to children which assist their immune system to cope with “normal” infections , without the side effects of  antibiotic drugs, including drug resistance.
 - As with all other things in life: knowledge is the key.
 - Use wisely, it is not meant to hurt, but to help.
 - Be observant, you can tell if it is working after 8 hours or so.
 - It is the strength of the tea that is important, a balance betwixt weak and strong.
 - Research. Research. Research.

————————————————————DISCLAIMER—————————-

The intellectual property in this tea was developed exclusively in Jamaica, by Jamaicans, is part of the Jamaican National Identity and is intrinsically Jamaican in the way that Champagne can only be  French from the Champagne region of France.

This document is based in part on a document created in 2010 and may be accessed at: http://wp.me/pBHDh-f

©2011 krishna singh reynolds ALL RIGHTS RESERVED