Garlic

I'm sick of being sick....but I made it all year from September to February without getting sick! That's a first!!! We drink fresh citrus juices every day in the winter time, eat lots of garlic all year round, and use 100% whole wheat in cooking and baking so I shouldn't be sick. But....I made the mistake of eating fast foods too many days in a row and bam! it hit me hard! The preservatives in prepared box mixes and the sugar in soda...well, duh! Let my guard down for a couple of days (the kids were sick and I was tired from being the nurse) and the germs and coodies sneak in around you. (Not to take all the blame, allergies topped off with asthma are also a major factor since I was outside busily and happily pulling weeds until the sneezing was more productive than the weed pulling!) So here's a remedy my sister has been after me to make for over a year. I'm running to the grocery store to buy some garlic and extra rice vinegar (rice vinegar is a favorite for using on our green salads, we are not fans of creamy dressings, but more of Italian, poppy seed, sesame ginger, or vinegar type dressings - very easy on the oil. For that matter I cut the oil in my dressing recipes by 1/3 or more, same with the sugar, plus leave the seasonings and vinegar at regular strength. If the vinegar is a bit strong I add a bit more sugar, taste test amounts.)
My "old" friend, Joann, dropped a book by for me to read today: Grannies' Remedies by Mai Thomas. If the remedies don't cure me, they will kill me, but I think the Granny techniques and natural medical wisdom combined with the fond memories of my grandma making me fee better when I was sick (coupled with some laughter at the perfectness of the ideas) will heal me quickly.
Here's a favorite (not to do with being sick, unless you are sick of ants):
Soak a sponge in water and wring it near-dry. Sprinkle with sugar and lay on a plate by the ants' haunts. As soon as it is full, plunge it into boiling water. (Well, I've long said attract the ants to where we want them and suck them up in the vacuum...)
This will be a fun read and quick....I sure love my friends who look out for me! Plus Joann and my big sister (the pratical, fast moving, clean, declutter and organize sister) always are teaching me about natural remedies. Not bad stuff to know about, those herbal natural remedies. I don't particularly like the garlic suppository(ouch, ouch, ouch, buuuuuurrrn) for hemmoroids, but the potato suppository has possibilities, hmmmm.....

Make Your Own Chinese Health Tonic with Garlic & Vinegar
July 2007 Articles
By Tom Fung, Dip AC, Dip TCM
Many people are now aware that vinegar and garlic are both good for health. I would like to introduce a very good recipe which combines those two ingredients. It is practical and time-saving. The theory is based on traditional Chinese medicine concepts. It can be used for health maintenance and medical use.
Recipe ingredients proportion: Vinegar 50%, garlic 50%.
In this recipe we are going to work with a one litre bottle of vinegar and 5 heads of garlic. However, the recipe can be cut by half or more for smaller portions, as long as the correct ratios are maintained.
Selection of materials and process:
Garlic - The best garlic is the one with a purple skin.
Vinegar - You may use organic unpasteurized apple cider vinegar from the health food store, or rice vinegar from an Oriental grocery store. The best Chinese vinegar is called Chinkiang Vinegar which got a gold medal in 1985 in France.
1. Peel off the garlic skin and crack the garlic.
2. In a large glass bowl, add the garlic to the vinegar, mix it up, and then pour the concoction into glass jars. Store the mixture in a dark place for at least two weeks. Then it is ready to use.
If you keep this juice in a cool place in a well sealed jar, usually it is good for 20 years or longer, especially if it contains the famous dark Chinese rice vinegar. You may take out the garlic after soaking it for one month and bring the tonic with you when travelling to primitive places with a lot of contagious disease.