**Today we’re making a garlic oxymel to help support our immune system as well as combat inflammation**

*Come learn about this medicine with its roots in ancient Greece!*

Garlic Oxymel: An Immune System Support

This post may contain links but they are not affiliate links. I am not in any sort of affiliate program at this time. They are links to things I actually use

Today we’re going to be talking about a not so well known herbal preparation that is far from new, Oxymels. In a world that is constantly on the go, we can too often forget to just get back to the basics.

We don’t need our herbal medicines to be the biggest, boldest & baddest they can be.

Instead we can go back to the simplicity that some of these forgotten & not so popular remedies & allow them to nourish the mind, body & soul, just like they did with our ancestors.

What is an oxymel?

An oxymel is a mixture of Acid (oxy) & Honey (mel). These herbal preparations have been in use since about 400 BCE.

The acid from the vinegar & the honey work as carriers for other herbal infusions suck as decoctions, concentrates & tinctures. This particular oxymel is a decoction, but always feel free to experiment with your own preparations to find what works best for you & your bodily constitution.

I like to use raw apple cider vinegar with the mother when making my oxymels, but any type of vinegar should work. If you don’t have raw apple cider vinegar but you do have plain white vinegar, use what you have. Try to use raw as opposed to pasteurized when possible, but don’t allow that to be a deal breaker if you don’t have raw vinegar.

You’re the one in charge of your medicine making & if you stray too far from a recipe, don’t worry the herbal medicine making police aren’t going to show up & take away your medicine making privileges. Experiment, take plenty of notes, be sure to follow the instructions of your soul & see where it takes you.

According to Hippocrates, Greek physician & philosopher of antiquity, he says:

Why use an oxymel?

These are a great way to take herbal medications that are considered to be more pungent in nature & difficult to ingest on their own.

They do have some benefits that have been found through various studies

Cleansing properties, helping to support healthy bacteria in the body
Antioxidant properties, helping protect the body against oxidative stress & free radical damage
Metabolic properties, helping to support & maintain several aspects of the body’s metabolic functions
Digestive properties, helping to support a healthy digestive tract
Respiratory properties, helping to supposed a healthy respiratory tract

Another reason to reach for an oxymel is they are alcohol free, so this may be something to consider if wanting to use this medicine on a child or even someone who is just wanting to avoid alcohol for whatever reasons, that honestly are none of our business. One thing to remember, this does contain raw honey so it is to be avoided by children under 12 months of age

What benefits can I expect from this oxymel?

While I can’t guarantee any sort of results I can tell you some things that might happen.

You may notice you’re sick less
You may notice when you are sick you recover quicker
You may notice inflammation decreasing

One thing to mention before we get to the rest of the information, if you are in an active inflammation you may want to test it out & watch how your body responds. Depending on the nature of your inflammation this oxymel may make the inflammation hotter or it may decrease it.

Herbal medicines can work on a sympathetic (like treats like) or anti-pathetic (opposites heal) levels. Some herbs even work sympathetically & anti-pathetically in the body depending on the application.

But always remember, we aren’t jars with labels we are all individuals with our own innate constitutions & planetary rulers so something that works to decrease my inflammation may increase yours & vice versa

I will be covering the concept of sympathy & antipathy in a future blog post so I don’t end up overwhelming you. Info-dumping is one of my love languages after all but even I know it can be a bit much at times, oh the joys of autism.

Enough about that, let's’ start talking about our herbal allies that are going in this oxymel

You may have guessed it by the name, our first ingredient is Garlic!

Common Name: Garlic

Latin Name: Allium Sativum

Herbal Actions & Bodily Affinities:

Cardiovascular system has been used as a treatment of high blood pressure & to improve overall cardiovascular health. Garlic helps increase the speed that red blood cells travel which can help to bring oxygen & nutrients to the cells & remove waste products
Digestive system has been used for a multitude of digestive ailments as well as the ability to modulate the gut microbiome. It does so by enriching the beneficial gut bacteria, lactobacillus strain of bacteria.
Antiparasitic & Antifungal actions & may show some improvement for Candida overgrowth
Respiratory affinity as garlic is very therapeutic on the lungs & can help increase arterial oxygen levels. It is an herb you might want to consider for the treatment of chronic respiratory diseases & lung infections
Antioxidant effects helping to improve cellular function
Diuretic & antiseptic properties helping in cases of rheumatism, gout, arthritis & edema

Energetics: Warming, Drying & Stimulating

Contraindications & Precautions:

Avoid garlic 10 days prior to any surgical operation as there are some reports of prolonged or increased bleeding
It may interact with blood thinning & blood pressure lowering medications
Use with caution in people with hot or dry bodily constitutions or people who are experiencing active inflammations

Ruling planet: Mars

Garlic Oxymel: An Immune System Support

Common Name: Caraway seeds

Latin Name: Carum carvi

Herbal Actions & Bodily Affinities:

Digestive system: Carminative properties helping to stimulate digestive enzymes, helping to reduce gas, bloating & indigestion & improve overall digestion.
Respiratory system it works as a lung tonic due to some inflammation modulating & expectorant properties helping to soothe the airways
Antimicrobial properties as can help the body fight off infection, especially in the digestive tract
Spasmolytic properties specifically in the gi tract which means it may be beneficial for those who experience IBS symptoms
Inflammation modulating properties also help reduce the inflammation experienced with arthritic conditions
Antioxidant rich helping to protect the body from oxidative stress reducing the risk of chronic disease

Energetics: Warming & Relaxing

Contraindications & Precautions

Avoid if you have gastritis or stomach ulcers in an acute stage as caraway might aggravate it more
Avoid in pregnancy as it does have some emmenagogue effects
May increase the absorption of iron which depending on if you have too much or a deficiency of iron that may be a benefit or a detriment

Ruling planet: Mercury

Common Name: Fennel seeds

Latin Name: Foeniculum vulgare

Herbal Actions & Bodily Affinities:

Carminative properties helping with tension in the lower bowels
Spasmolytic properties helping address tension in the digestive tract & lungs
Expectorant properties helping with a range of respiratory conditions & can be used in congestive or productive coughs
Nervous system helping to address nervous tension created by muscular spasm. It helps relieve spasm specifically in the digestive tract, lungs & womb. It also helps tonify the brain & nervous system
Urinary tract it can be used to treat cystitis & difficult or burning urination
It is an herb specific for inguinal hernias & lower abdominal pain

Energetics: Warming, Drying & Tonifying

Contraindications & Precautions

Avoid in pregnancy due to some emmenagogue effects

Ruling planet: Mercury

As the names Acid & Honey suggests our final two ingredients are raw apple cider vinegar, with the mother & raw local honey.

The recipe I’m using was originally from the Late Dr. John Christopher & it can be found in the book The Herbal Medicine Maker’s Handbook by James Green. If you are interested in learning more about making different herbal preparations be sure to grab a copy of the book. It has proven to be an invaluable resource in my herbal medicine making adventures.

Equipment:

Stove or hot plate
Pot
Herb grinder or mortar & pestle
Garlic press
Spoon for stirring
Strainer for straining
Bottle or jar for storage

Recipe:

8 oz raw apple cider vinegar, with the mother

¼ oz crushed caraway seeds

¼ oz crushed fennel seeds

1 ½ oz fresh pressed garlic

10 oz honey

Instructions:

Measure 8 oz (250 ml) vinegar into a pot
Add crushed caraway seeds & crushed fennel seeds
Bring mixture to a boil & simmer for 15 minutes
Remove from the heat & add 1 ½ oz pressed garlic
Let it sit until it's cool
Press & strain the liquid
Add 10 oz of raw honey
Place on low heat & simmer to the consistency of syrup
Bottle & refrigerate

Dosage:

Dilute a small portion to use as a gargle & take 2 Tbsp internally daily
As this recipe has plenty of raw honey in it, it is not to be given to a child under 1 year of age.

Notes:

This oxymel will have a shelf life of at least 6 months
It is best stored in the refrigerator
You could use this oxymel as a replacement for vinegar in homemade vinaigrettes & salad dressings

Comment down below & let me know how do you like to give your immune system a boost? Did you try this oxymel? How did it work for you? I’d love to hear about it!