Contributed by Angela Cleveland

As winter approaches, so does the cold and flu season. Soon sniffling, sneezing, and coughing will surround us. What better way to fight off seasonal illness than with garlic. Garlic is one of our oldest and most delicious cultivated plants and has been used to prevent and cure acute problems such as toothaches and colds, to more chronic problems such as high cholesterol and cancer. One active ingredient in garlic is allicin, which is a sulfur-containing compound that gives it the pungent aroma. This compound, along with hundreds of others found in garlic, gives it antibacterial, antiviral, and expectorant qualities.

Throughout the winter season, we can use garlic to fight off common illnesses. To get the full cold and flu fighting benefits, fresh garlic cloves work best. For example, some doctors recommend four to eight raw garlic cloves a day. However, many people can’t handle the pungent flavour of garlic. If you are one of those people, try adding it to plain yogurt or cottage cheese. If you must cook it, do so lightly. One trick is to cut the garlic and let it sit for 10 minutes before cooking. This will give the disease-fighting compounds in the garlic a chance to develop.

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