Garlic is a unique remedy for numerous pathologies. It has been used since ancient times. For example, in Greece, garlic was generally considered a real panacea for all diseases. After some time, Europe adopted the oldest medicinal plant and began to actively use it. Garlic in those days helped both from ordinary abrasions and from the terrible plague.
Today, despite the fact that modern medicine has managed to step forward, people still continue to prefer traditional medicine. This vegetable is one of the leaders among the main tools that help fight ARI, SARS and other colds.
It is believed that if you put garlic in your ear at night, then in the morning the symptoms of otitis media will disappear. But before proceeding with such self-medication, it is worth learning more about this natural antibiotic.
The properties of garlic
Garlic has a lot of advantages in treating a wide variety of diseases. If you consider its chemical composition, you can marvel at how many useful components it contains. Thanks to them, garlic has:
- Bactericidal effect. If you cut a clove of garlic or have another mechanical effect on it, then it will start to produce allicin. This substance effectively fights bacteria and even some types of fungi. Phytoncides have the same effect.
- Supporting the performance of the cardiovascular apparatus. It has long been proven that garlic prevents the formation of cholesterol plaques. It is believed that if you use garlic, you can significantly improve the work of the heart muscle.
- Expectorant effect. In folk medicine, this plant is also known as a powerful means for thinning sputum during a strong cough against a cold.
Garlic also helps maintain the immune system. It has an anti-inflammatory effect. Since ancient times, people have put garlic in their ears to get rid of otitis media, inflammation of the nasopharynx, and even during toothache. This folk remedy is used both for the treatment of adults and children. But care must be taken not to harm the body.
Treating children
Hearing why they put garlic in the ear, many parents are glad that now they know which remedy will help with a cold in a child. But you must always remember that you need to use it very carefully. Not all natural ingredients are safe.
For example, do not put garlic in the ears of babies. But even if it is a more adult patient, it is worthwhile to conduct tests first and make sure that the child is not allergic to this natural antibiotic. All treatment activities should be performed according to several recommendations.
Proper preparation
If you decide to prefer the treatment of the ear with garlic, then you need to take a medium-sized clove, thoroughly peel and wash it. After that, it is finely chopped. It should be a homogeneous slurry, but not too thin. It is advisable that each piece of garlic be no larger than a grain of rice.
Speaking about how to treat the ear with garlic, it is worth paying attention that this powerful medicine can not be laid directly on the skin. Therefore, a compress is being prepared. To do this, you need a clean cloth or gauze napkin measuring about 12x12 cm in size. You need to wrap the gruel prepared earlier. After this, you need to twist a kind of swab out of the fabric, which in diameter will correspond to the ear of the child.
Compress treatment
The prepared flagellum must be inserted into the ear, but not very deeply. Before this, some recommend moistening the ear canal with a small amount of baby cream.
At the first introduction of garlic into the ears, the compress should not be kept for a long time. Only 5-10 minutes are enough. After this, you need to remove the flagellum and examine the ear canal of the child. If it is clean and there are no signs of burns, redness or other disturbing signs, then you can repeat the procedure. This time, its duration increases to 15-20 minutes.
It's okay if some time after you put the garlic in the ears of the child, he began to complain about the corresponding taste in the mouth. Hearing organs and nasopharynx are connected, therefore it is not surprising that such an unpleasant effect will appear. But if the child complains of severe burning in the ear, and redness or even a burn is observed in the ear canal, then the procedure should be stopped immediately. Otherwise, it could be harmful!
It is worth paying attention that adults can also use garlic in the ears of colds. They also need to adhere to some recommendations.
Features of the treatment of adults
Adults also need to be careful when using garlic. First of all, the ear should not be inflamed before the procedure. It is also important to conduct a test. First use should not be long. 10 minutes is enough.
If we talk about the methods of using garlic in the treatment of adults, then there are much more of them than in the case of children. Consider the most effective of them.
Treatment methods
In this case, you also need to finely chop a few cloves of garlic and wrap them in a piece of gauze. The resulting pouch is applied to the sore ear. Keep it up to 45 minutes. Therefore, it will be most convenient to fix such a bag with a scarf or hat.
You can also make the so-called oil turundas (a kind of wicks twisted from ordinary cotton wool). Milking this will require mustard, olive or sesame oil. It must be heated to 38 degrees Celsius using a water bath. When the oil is warm, finely chopped garlic is added to it. After that, you need to wait until the oil turns black. When this happens, you need to moisten the turunds in it and gently insert into the ears. It is important to try to act as carefully as possible so that the cotton wool does not touch the mucous membrane or eardrum. Vata is left in the ear for about half an hour.
Possible complications
You need to understand that garlic is not as harmless as it might seem. It is able to provoke a severe skin burn and damage the eardrum. Therefore, before using such methods of traditional medicine, you should first consult a doctor.
If a person has suffered from a burn or allergic reaction, then his illness will only worsen. Other pathologies may develop. Speaking of complications, improper use of garlic can lead to hearing loss.
Contraindications
Although garlic has a very pungent odor, it is not capable of causing serious harm to the entire body. If a person eats garlic, then the burning sensation that he experiences is quickly neutralized by the gastric juice and the components contained in it. Therefore, theoretically, such treatment with garlic is allowed even if a person suffers from an ulcer, gastritis and other pathologies of the gastrointestinal system.
But people with kidney problems should avoid the use of garlic. It can lead to the fact that fluid from the body will be excreted worse. Cases of individual intolerance to garlic are also not uncommon. If the patient suffers from an allergy specifically to him, then in no case should such a treatment be carried out at home.
Finally
In pharmacies, a lot of modern drugs are sold that have no less effectiveness. Therefore, in case of allergies or concerns about the use of garlic, it is better to use professional means.