Garlic can be consumed fresh, pickled in vinegar or sugar, or brewed as tea. However, in an acidic environment, garlic’s effects increase fourfold, making pickled garlic the best option.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, garlic has a spicy flavor and warming properties, which help to activate energy flow, warm the spleen and stomach, detoxify, and disinfect. Therefore, it is commonly used to treat various ailments such as bloating, indigestion, abdominal pain from cold, edema, diarrhea, dysentery, malaria, whooping cough, skin boils, venomous bites, chronic ulcers, hair loss, fungal infections, and snake bites.
Fresh Garlic: is the easiest form to use and can be eaten raw or mixed into dipping sauces. Raw garlic helps eliminate bacteria in the mouth. It is recommended to consume 2 cloves of garlic daily, with slight variations being acceptable. However, eating too much can irritate the stomach, and the allicin in garlic might cause hemolysis. Nutritionists suggest that consuming about 10 grams of garlic per day is harmless. However, fresh garlic isn’t always readily available, and its strong odor may be undesirable, leading to the preparation of garlic in various other forms.
Pickled Garlic: can be pickled in vinegar or sugar. In an acidic environment, garlic’s effectiveness increases fourfold, making pickled garlic in vinegar very beneficial. Preparation method: Take 50 grams of fresh garlic, peel it, and soak it in 100 ml of rice vinegar; it will be ready to use after about ten days, and even better if left for a full 30 days.
Sugar-Pickled Garlic: Take 50 grams of garlic and soak it in water for 7 days, changing the water once daily. Then peel the garlic, soak it in salt until it drains completely. Dissolve 800 grams of white sugar in a small amount of water, then add the garlic and let it marinate for 1 month before consuming. Sugar-pickled garlic has an interesting salty-sweet flavor and aroma.
Garlic Wine: There are various methods to prepare garlic wine.
– Take 25 grams of peeled garlic, crush it, and soak it in 100 ml of white alcohol. Seal the container and store it in a cool place; it will be ready for use after 7 days, with a recommended daily intake of 1-2 times, each time 25-30 ml.
– Use a narrow-mouthed jar or a wine vessel, fill it with peeled garlic up to about 70% full, layer with crushed rock sugar, and pour in enough white alcohol to cover the garlic. Seal the container, store it in a cool place, and it will be ready in 30 days; the longer it is stored, the better. Consume twice daily, with 25 ml each time.
Garlic Tea: can be prepared in two ways.
– 15 grams of garlic, 30 grams of hawthorn, and 10 grams of cassia seeds. Peel and wash the garlic, slice it thinly, and brew it with boiling water in a sealed container along with hawthorn and cassia seeds. It will be ready to drink after 20 minutes, serving as a substitute for tea during the day. Benefits: lowers blood lipids, prevents obesity, aids digestion.
– 10 grams of purple-skinned garlic, 6 grams of honeysuckle flower, 3 grams of green tea, and 2 grams of licorice. Peel and crush the garlic, then brew with boiling water in a sealed container along with honeysuckle, green tea, and licorice. It will be ready to drink after 15 minutes, serving as a substitute for tea throughout the day. Benefits: clears heat and detoxifies, reduces dampness.
Garlic in Dishes and Remedies
Recipe 1: 30 grams of garlic and 1 pigeon. Clean the pigeon, remove feathers and organs, wash thoroughly, and place it in a bowl with peeled garlic. Add seasoning, a little wine, and water, then steam and serve hot. Benefits: nourishes qi and blood, enhances kidney essence.
Recipe 2: 50 grams of garlic and 250 grams of lean goat meat. Wash the goat meat, cut into pieces, season, and crush the garlic. Heat vegetable oil in a pan, stir-fry the goat meat until slightly cooked, then add garlic and sufficient seasoning, cooking for a short while longer. Serve hot. Benefits: warms the kidneys, strengthens yang, nourishes qi and essence.
Recipe 3: 30 grams of garlic and 250 grams of turtle plastron meat. Clean the turtle plastron, cut into pieces, boil several times, then fry. Peel the garlic and fry it until golden, then add the turtle meat along with ginger, scallions, salt, sugar, a bit of wine, and enough water, simmering on low heat for 30 minutes. Benefits: nourishes yin and strengthens the kidneys.
Recipe 4: 100 grams of garlic, 1 pig’s stomach, and 3 grams of cardamom. Clean the pig’s stomach, stuff it with peeled garlic and cardamom, sew it closed, place it in a pot, add wine, salt, and enough water, then simmer until tender. Add a little monosodium glutamate and serve hot. Benefits: strengthens deficiencies, aids spleen and stomach.
