Please read on and watch the tutorial video and you’ll find out how you can eat more garlic in a way that doesn’t have the side effects of raw garlic. This garlic herbal medicine preparation benefits immunity and can help prevent colds and flu.
Eating too much raw garlic can hurt your stomach, cause you to break out in a sweat, and experience other side effects.
You will use fresh garlic to make this herbal medicine, but the final preparation isn’t harsh like raw garlic can be! AND it’s so tasty, it is hard to believe.
This garlic herbal remedy is handed down to us from Rosemary Gladstar. I made it for the first time when I learned it from her in 1987 and have been making it ever since.
Garlic for Colds and Flu
This recipe has been the #1 best cold and flu prevention remedy for me over the years, yes, EVEN MORE so than elderberry!
Along with the garlic in fire cider, this really is my best garlic herbal remedy.
This has been the #1 best cold and flu prevention remedy for me over the years, yes, EVEN MORE so than elderberry!
I know elderberry medicines are all the rage and elderberry has done me good many times, but this garlic herbal medicine preparation has helped me prevent catching the grunge more than any other remedy.
If I feel a sore throat coming on or if I feel like I might be catching something, I eat 2 or 3 cloves of the garlic that I describe in this recipe and next thing I know, I am not getting sick! And it does not have the potential side effects of raw garlic.
How to Make Garlic Herbal Medicine
So, let’s make it: Tamari Garlic!
Alert: The thing about this recipe is that it takes time to infuse, so get started now. Don’t file this recipe as something to do later; believe me, you want to do this one NOW!
This garlic needs to infuse in the tamari and honey for at LEAST 1 month. Actually, it is best after infusing for 3 months. Store it in the fridge for up to one year.
In the video, I also show you my best garlic peeling hack. Yep, the easiest way to peel garlic!
The recipe also includes star anise, a delicious and medicinal herb that you can purchase at Mountain Rose Herbs.
Garlic Herbal Remedy Benefits
This is a great home apothecary, prevention remedy to help build immunity and fight a virus from taking hold.
One thing to make note of: if you already have the flu or are sick, that is the time to switch gears. Garlic herbal medicine may not be the right remedy for you once you are already sick.
Even though garlic is incredibly antimicrobial, it is also very heating. The energetics of it being hot can make some illnesses worse.
So again, what I am saying here is not to pound this Tamari Garlic down if you are already sick.
Garlic is not only used to fight off colds and flu; it improves cardiovascular health, boosts immunity, is considered anti-aging. The health benefits of garlic fill volumes of books! In Ayurvedic medicine, garlic is called “slayer of monsters”!
And… if you really want to ramp up your herbal kitchen, learn to use garlic and your other kitchen spices to boost your health, come on in to My Herbal Kitchen.
Tamari Garlic
Ingredients
- 8 cups whole garlic cloves
- 8 cups organic tamari
- 4 cups honey
- 2 star anise pods
Instructions
- Sterilize a jar in a water bath.
- Peel the garlic, making sure to leave it in whole form, not minced or chopped.
- Put the garlic in a jar.
- Add the tamari.
- If the honey is not liquified, you can put the honey jar in a double boiler and warm it slightly until it is liquid.
- Add the honey to the garlic and tamari.
- Shake well and add the star anise pods.
- Let sit for 3 months in the refrigerator.
- For the first month, take out of the fridge every few days, open and stir the honey and garlic. This mixes the honey into the tamari and also releases any gas build up.
- You can begin eating the garlic after one month, but it is much better tasting after 3 months. You can eat the garlic and use the honeyed tamari for stir-fries.
- Storage: Store it in fridge for up to a year. Eat garlic within a year and use the leftover tamari as marinade or sauce for stir fry
My ball jar lids are starting to pop out. I have to open them daily to release the build up of gas. Is this normal?
No, the lids should not be popping up.
Any idea as to why this might be happening? I’m at a loss. I learned how to make this 20 years ago and didn’t have the problem then. I used sterilized jars and followed the recipe.
sorry, I cannot really diagnosis this over the internet…
Do you HAVE to put something in the jar to keep the garlic down or is it ok floating around as long as the concoction is shaken or stirred everyday?
Shake it well daily and it will be okay.
A gallon takes up slot of space in refrigerator how long can it be left out on counter
I put it in the fridge the whole time. You could scale down the recipe, if you’d prefer.
What size jar would you recommend using for this recipe? Thank you!
If you watch the video, I use a gallon-size jar. All of my recipes are meant to be played with, go ahead and experiment with a half-gallon!
Will this work with coconut aminos instead of tamari
All of my recipes are meant to be played with, go ahead and experiment!
Thank you so much!
Thank You!!!!
at what point can you take the star anise out, or can you leave them in until the jar is finished?
I just leave them in. You can take them out whenever you wish.
Thanks Kami, I have a gallon of garlic from my garden to use in this recipe, sounds wonderful!
Hi Kami,
What are your thoughts on using coconut aminos? We have a soy allergy bin our family. It would be much sweeter already, maybe alter the amount of honey? I could make a small batch and test, but I was wondering what the energetic balancing aspects would be with the alternative? Would it match the intention of the original recipe?
Namaste,
Chit Ananda
I don’t use coconut aminos for this recipe and can’t guarantee the shelf life if the recipe is changed
Can you use a metal canning lid
Yes, a metal lid is fine
for Costa Rica, yes you can refrigerate the tamari garlic
can i use just normal soy sauce? or is tamari different?
I havent ever made it with normal soy sauce, but you can try it
Made this today, and am so excited! I tried googling RG’s original recipe, and it came up with vinegar added. Curious if she taught you anything with vinegar?
I dont make tamari garlic with vinegar
Wherever do you find such wonderful garlic?! I’ve been buying Christopher’s Garlic at Costco and it has a lot of little cloves. Any place else is at least $1 per head which would make this recipe very expensive.
I buy garlic from my local farmer
Kami, can I use Braggs “liquid aminos” instead of camari?
I have been making this particular recipe for 30 years exactly the way it is. Most recipes I put out, I encourage you to play with the recipes. This one: however, I am inviting people to follow the recipe.
I don’t know the shelf life of this recipe if it is made with braggs, or coconut aminos or any other menstrum than this tamari.
I have never made this recipe with anything other than gluten free, organic tamari which you can purchase online or at most health food stores. https://www.vitacost.com/san-j-organic-reduced-sodium-gluten-free-tamari-soy-sauce?&CSRC=GPF-PA-075810004357-google_pla_pro_medium_food+%26+beverages_NEW2021-&network=g&keywordname=&device=c&adid=92700064421689975&matchtype=&gclick=Cj0KCQjwg7KJBhDyARIsAHrAXaHdE43dNsbtZlyXPYh1zT999Yj9UXhaJeoTx4cKT4R8dRZVuICOwksaAgXdEALw_wcB&ds_agid=58700007167270355&targetid=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwg7KJBhDyARIsAHrAXaHdE43dNsbtZlyXPYh1zT999Yj9UXhaJeoTx4cKT4R8dRZVuICOwksaAgXdEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
Thank you, Kami!
Hi wonder why have to put white lid in the jar ??
I explain it in the video around 13:30 minutes in…it keeps the garlic under the tamari.
Can I reuse the tamari and honey for future batches once the garlic is finished? Or can I replenish the garlic as it gets low?
I don’t do it that way. I make a batch, use the tamari for marinades, it is easy to use it up that way and delicious and then i start fresh
Might be a silly question, but do you chew the cloves or swallow whole?
You chew them up!
Do you think it would work as well if I leave out the tamari? I can’t have soy.
You can also make a recipe with just garlic and honey
you dont need the star anise, and you can add it at any time. The garlic does whatever it wants to do, eventually, it all drops to the bottom
Definitely peel your own garlic. I just watched ROTTEN on Netflix season 1/episode 3 “Garlic Breath”. Ugggh! Grow your own garlic too if possible.
I consume garlic daily. I love the honey fermented garlic but I’m going to make this recipe today. Sounds delicious.
Just made the Tamari garlic. Made a half gallon. Can’t wait for it to be ready in September
OK, I didn’t get enough garlic so I ended up only making a half gallon. Boy did it take a long time to peel all that garlic! While this is infusing, we don’t put it in the fridge, correct? I couldn’t quite tell from the video. Thanks!
Did you see the trick i have in the video for getting the garlic peeled? Otherwise it takes FOREVER! No, you don’t need to keep it in the fridge. Glad you got this remedy made!
When peeling the garlic, is it ok to cut off the “root” at the end? This will also make it easier to peel.
No, i don’t cut off any piece of the garlic. I learned that you leave it whole
How long will it last in the refrigerator?
Thank you so much Kami. What kind of lid do you use?
I use a plastic lid that fits the Mason jar
Do you use a plastic lid or a fermenting cover or wax paper?
Sounds so wonderful. I’m definitely going to make this. Thank you so much Kami.
No wax paper, just a plastic lid
Great remedy! Where do you store this? How, how much and how often should this be used to boost immunity? Thanks 🙂
I store it in the refrigerator. As far as how much you take and how often, it is really a personal preference. I will eat one clove a day for about a week when colds are going around. If i feel run down or like i might catch something, I’ll eat two cloves a day for 3 days.
Kami I allergic to soy can I substitute coconut aminos ?
I am sorry, i just do not have the answer to this. This is one recipe that I have followed exactly and not steered from. Sorry about that
Susan, do you know that soy often contains wheat (and therefore gluten), but almost all tamari product are made without wheat. I am a gluten allergic so I can’t eat soy, but I have no problem with tamari 🙂
I think you meant to write soy SAUCE contains wheat, which is correct, but SOY does not contain wheat, it is its own plant. Soy itself does not trigger gluten allergies. I found a gluten free soy sauce that I use sparingly.