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Garlic. From garlic bread, to putting it in tomato sauce, to putting garlic powder on pizza. It’s a delicious food that you’ve likely eaten on your favorite Italian foods. However, garlic isn’t just for eating. It has other uses as well. Did you know garlic can help with your hair? How about using it to fight ailments? And no, fighting off vampires isn’t one of them. Here are five unexpected ways you can use garlic.
Athlete’s Foot
Garlic has been used to help with several different ailments. One thing it can be used for is to cure athlete’s foot. It can be used as a topical remedy for the condition. A study published in Mycoses tested the ability for garlic to cure the condition. Participants applied a trisulfur with garlic called ajoene to their feet as a form of short-term therapy.
The study states, “Ajoene is an alternative, efficient and low-cost antimycotic drug for short-term therapy of tinea pedis. The fact that ajoene can be easily prepared from an alcoholic extract of garlic may make it suitable for Third World public health care.” Healthline reports that to treat athlete’s foot with garlic, crush cloves and rub them to the infected area twice a day.
Cold Sores
Another ailment garlic can be used on is cold sores. According to a study from the February 1999 edition of Microbes Infect, garlic was looked at as a natural medicine. The study reports that garlic contains the ingredient allicin, which can be used to help with ailments.
“Allicin, one of the active principles of freshly crushed garlic homogenates, has a variety of antimicrobial activities. Allicin in its pure form was found to exhibit i) antibacterial activity against a wide range of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, including multidrug-resistant enterotoxigenic strains of Escherichia coli; ii) antifungal activity, particularly against Candida albicans; iii) antiparasitic activity, including some major human intestinal protozoan parasites such as Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia lamblia; and iv) antiviral activity. The main antimicrobial effect of allicin is due to its chemical reaction with thiol groups of various enzymes, e.g. alcohol dehydrogenase, thioredoxin reductase, and RNA polymerase, which can affect essential metabolism of cysteine proteinase activity involved in the virulence of E. histolytica.”
A post from Remedy Grove recommends crushing garlic cloves and squeezing the juice from them, and placing the crushed pieces and juice on the sore, replacing them along the way.
Glass Repair
In addition to using garlic for ailments, garlic can also be used around the house. One thing it can do is repair glass. Garlic contains a sucrose component, which is naturally sticky and leaves a film on things when a clove is cut. Garlic is a natural tool for repairing things.
To repair broken glass, chop a clove in half and rub it on the broken area. The film will not only fix the glass, but it can also prevent future cracks. This can be used to fix chipped car windshields, windows, and glass items.
Hair Benefits
Want better, healthier hair? Eat more garlic. Garlic has been linked to healthier hair. It has a lot of vitamins and minerals that are integral to hair growth and health. Garlic contains Vitamin B-6 and selenium, which are found in hair products.
A study from the Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol tested a garlic gel on alopecia patients, to see if it could help with hair growth. The study found, “That the use of garlic gel significantly added to the therapeutic efficacy of topical betamethasone valerate in alopecia areata and that it can be an effective adjunctive topical therapy for alopecia areata.”
Pesticides
Have a bug problem? Want a pesticide that is all natural? Garlic might be your answer. It can be used to get rid of bugs in plants, without harming them. The Daily Meal recommends mixing garlic in with water, dish soap, and mineral oil. Put the solution on the areas, and the bugs will be dealt with. Placing out dishes of raw garlic can also help, particularly with mosquitos. A study in the National Library of Medicine proved that garlic can be used as an effective mosquito pesticide.
WORDS: Anna Bechtel.