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You may love the flavor of garlic in your favorite dish but may be unaware of its proven medicinal benefits, especially for children. The benefits of garlic for kids are numerous as it may be used as a home remedy to provide relief from various problems such as an upset stomach, earache, cold, and cough. In addition, including an appropriate dose of garlic in your child’s diet promotes their overall digestive health.
Continue reading this post to learn more about the various health benefits of this medicinal herb and how to give garlic to your children to prevent any complications due to excessive consumption.
What Is Garlic?
Garlic, scientifically known as Allium sativum, is a medicinal herb that is popular for its pungent smell and unique taste. Garlic has been cultivated for more than 3,000 years. The herb contains a natural compound popular alliciniOily component present in garlic with a pungent smell and antibacterial properties. , which imparts several medicinal qualities to the herb. Garlic is rich in essential nutrients and minerals such as calcium, potassium, iron, and zinc, offering your kids many health benefits and curative effects.
Health Benefits Of Garlic For Kids
1. Treats intestinal problems
Garlic helps treat several intestinal troubles, such as colitisiBowel disease causing inflammation of the lining of the colon due to an infection or as an autoimmune reaction. , dysentery, and diarrhea in children.
The herb effectively kills harmful worms present in the intestine without affecting the functioning and activity of useful microbes in the intestine. So, when cooking your child’s meals, add an appropriate amount of garlic juice to eliminate harmful intestinal bacteria that cause intestinal problems in kids.
2. Relieves Earaches
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Garlic possesses antifungal, antibiotic, antioxidant, and antiviral properties, so it plays a vital role in curing earaches in kids. You can use garlic oil, mix it with olive oil, and use the oil mixture to treat earaches (1).
Point to consider3. Treats hypertension
Garlic serves as an effective herbal cure for hypertension in kids. Allicin, a sulfur compound present in the herb, relaxes the blood vessels and may help reduce the effects of hypertension in children by helping lower blood pressure. Also, garlic helps minimize aggregation of platelets and combats thrombosisiin kids. thrombosisiFormation of the blood clot in blood vessels. in kids.
4. Treats eye infections
Garlic contains good amounts of nutrients, such as quercetin, vitamin C, and selenium, which are quite effective in treating eye infections and reducing swelling of eyes in kids. Consult your physician regarding appropriate application of garlic for children to treat eye infections.
5. Relieves cold and cough
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Raw garlic possesses many medicinal properties that help cure a cold or cough.
Georgia-based dietitian Trista Best says, “Garlic acts as an expectorant, meaning it can help loosen mucus and facilitate its expulsion from the airways, making coughs more productive and lessening throat irritation. Whether raw, cooked or in supplement form, incorporating garlic into one’s diet or remedies may relieve cough symptoms.”
Once you notice symptoms of cold, give your child two freshly crushed cloves of garlic to mitigate the symptoms. Your kid will get relief shortly.
Meagan Visser, a natural lifestyle blogger and mother of four, discusses her experience using garlic honey for her children on her blog. She says, “I personally use garlic honey anytime we come down with some sort of viral or bacterial illness that could potentially lead to an infection. If my kids come down with a cough or some sort of respiratory illness, if they complain of their ears or throat hurting, or if they have some sort of cut or wound that could potentially develop into something worse, we use garlic honey internally. Garlic honey has been a large part of our herbal therapy when we’ve dealt with strep throat, whooping cough, and even ingrown toenails (ⅰ).’’
6. Promotes digestion
Adding garlic as a spice to your child’s regular diet prevents the risk of digestive troubles. Garlic supports the smooth functioning of small and large intestines, thereby supporting the smooth and effective functioning of the digestive system. Garlic also treats irritation and inflammation of the gastric canal in kids and promotes digestion.
7. Cures skin rashes
Garlic acts as a natural skin cleanser. The herb possesses antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties that help soothe skin rashes in children (2).
Caution8. Treats asthma
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Boiled garlic cloves can relieve your kid’s asthma. Give your kid a glass of milk containing three boiled garlic cloves every night before he goes to sleep. Garlic also helps regulate asthma attacks in kids (3).
9. Boosts the immune system
Garlic contains allicin, a potent antibiotic. Besides, it is known to have antiseptic, antibacterial, and antifungal agents. Hence, garlic intake may help the body resist or destroy microorganisms and boost the immune system. Research has also shown that aged garlic contains several compounds that help improve the immune system’s functioning by modulating the production levels of cytokine (proteins that control inflammation in the body) (4).
10. Improves cardiovascular health
Consumption of garlic may also have beneficial effects on the cardiovascular health of children in the long run. Studies have shown that garlic helps reduce lipid levels, which prevents cardiovascular diseases. The heart-protective effects of garlic are often attributed to its main active ingredient, allicin (5).
11. Improves appetite
Studies have shown that garlic’s smell might stimulate the brain’s appetite center, increasing one’s inclination toward food. However, more research is warranted to validate garlic’s effect on appetite (6).
Is Garlic Good For Kids?
Yes, garlic is safe for kids but have a watch on quantity. Excessive doses in the form of flavoring may enhance skin irritation and rashes, create diarrhea, and even prevent blood clotting. This may lead to excessive bleeding in case of severe injury.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How should I serve garlic to kids?
You may add finely chopped garlic while preparing various meals for your child, such as soups, sauces, spreads, fries, pasta, lasagne, and curries (7).
2. Can I give raw garlic to my baby?
It is not recommended to serve raw garlic to babies below six months. Nevertheless, you may incorporate various flavors and textures of foods such as garlic (finely chopped) for older babies as a part of their weaning diet after seeking the approval of your child’s pediatrician (7).
3. Can a child take garlic pills?
Although garlic has been known for preventing many ailments for a long time in adults, there is a lack of research-backed information regarding the safety and efficacy of garlic pills and supplements in children (8).
The consumption of garlic for kids is excellent for them in the long run. It provides relief from digestive problems and colds. And apart from those, garlic is also known to cure eye infections and earaches. However, it should be consumed in a well-monitored quantity to avoid adverse effects on the child’s health. Therefore, try to avoid extra dosage to prevent skin irritation and the generation of excessive heat within the body. Ensure to consume garlic consistently, and to seek maximum benefit, you must be patient with its use.
Infographic: Benefits And Side Effects Of Garlic
Garlic is known for its unique taste that enhances the flavor of a dish. While it is known for its antimicrobial and other healthy properties, garlic may also cause side effects in case of underlying conditions or when taken in excess. This infographic will help you understand both sides of this herbal vegetable.
Illustration: Momjunction Design Team
Key Pointers
- Garlic is an herb with a natural compound called allicin, known for its medicinal properties.
- It has numerous health benefits for children, including relief from digestive problems, earaches, colds and coughs, eye infections, and skin rashes.
- Garlic also helps regulate hypertension, promotes digestion, and treats asthma in children.
- When consumed in moderation, garlic is considered safe for children.
Illustration: Amazing Health Benefits Of Garlic For Kids
Image: Stable Diffusion/MomJunction Design Team
Personal Experience: Source
MomJunction articles include first-hand experiences to provide you with better insights through real-life narratives. Here are the sources of personal accounts referenced in this article.
ⅰ. How to make and use garlic honey (or syrup).https://growingupherbal.com/garlic-honey/
References
- Home Remedies with Garlic Quickly Relieve Ear Aches and Ear Infections Natural News.
https://www.naturalnews.com/028946_ear_infections_garlic.html - Sohail Ejaz et al.; (2009); Effect of aged garlic extract on wound healing: a new frontier in wound management.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19538015/ - Nader Pazyar; Amir Feily; (2011); Garlic in dermatology.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4211483/ - Johura Ansary et al.; (2020); Potential Health Benefit of Garlic Based on Human Intervention Studies: A Brief Overview.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7402177/ - Waris Qidwai and Tabinda Ashfaq; (2013); Role of Garlic Usage in Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: An Evidence-Based Approach.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3652202/ - The effect of garlic odor on appetite center.
https://www.endocrine-abstracts.org/ea/0011/ea0011p588 - Caring for Children Birth to 5 years.
https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/heal/Publications/caring-for-children-manual.pdf - Use of Natural Products by Children: What the Science Says.
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/providers/digest/use-of-natural-products-by-children-science - 3 Home Remedies for an Ear Infection.
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/home-remedies-for-ear-infection - Nader Pazyar and Amir Feily; Garlic in dermatology.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4211483/
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Trista Best is a registered dietitian at Balance One Supplements, Environmental Health Specialist, and Adjunct Nutrition Professor. She completed her Masters of Public Health Nutrition from Liberty University and BS Dietetics from the University of Alabama before getting Dietitian Registration in 2018.Trista Best is a registered dietitian at Balance One Supplements, Environmental Health Specialist, and Adjunct Nutrition Professor. She completed her Masters of Public Health Nutrition from Liberty University and BS Dietetics from the University of Alabama before getting Dietitian Registration in 2018.
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