Garlic and Honey: The Ancient Remedy Backed by Modern Science

Garlic and honey have been combined in traditional medicine for thousands of years. In Ayurvedic practice, ancient Egyptian remedies, and folk medicine across the Mediterranean and Middle East. 

The combination has lasted so many years because the individual ingredients are genuinely effective, and together they help remedy several problems.

Today, modern research has caught up with a lot of what traditional healers already knew. Garlic's active compound, allicin, has documented antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. Raw honey brings its own antibacterial activity and antioxidants. 

In this blog, we will cover what each ingredient brings, the proven garlic and honey benefits, and how to use them.

• What Makes Garlic and Honey Benefits Actually Work

• Health Benefits of Garlic and Honey

• How to Get the Most Out of Garlic and Honey Benefits

What Makes Garlic and Honey Benefits Actually Work

The reason why garlic and honey benefits have worked for so long is that both ingredients have real benefits

Garlic's Active Compound: Allicin

Crushing or chopping garlic releases allicin, the compound behind most of its medicinal power. Allicin is antimicrobial, antifungal, and antiviral. It is also unstable, as heat breaks allicin down quickly. This is why raw garlic is significantly more potent than cooked. 

Studies have shown allicin inhibits the growth of bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli. It also interferes with several of the mechanisms viruses use to replicate. That means the traditional use of garlic as a first line of defence against illness is actually based on evidence.

What Raw Honey Adds

Raw honey produces hydrogen peroxide through enzymatic activity. It also contains defensin-1, a protein with documented antibacterial properties. Along with this, raw honey brings a range of polyphenols and flavonoids with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

Honey's high sugar content and low moisture create conditions most bacteria just can't survive in. This is what gives raw honey its natural preservation ability and contributes to its antibacterial activity on wounds and in the digestive system.

Together, garlic and honey target bacteria and viruses through different mechanisms, which may be part of why the combination has been used so consistently across cultures.

Health Benefits of Garlic and Honey

According to research and different cultures, raw honey and garlic are often taken for these health benefits:

Immune Support

Both garlic and honey stimulate immune function. Garlic has been shown to increase the activity of natural killer cells and T-lymphocytes, which are central to the body's immune response. A widely referenced clinical study found that garlic supplementation reduced the frequency of colds by 63% compared to a placebo. 

Raw honey supports immunity partly through its antibacterial properties and partly through its antioxidant content.

Cardiovascular Health

Garlic has one of the stronger evidence bases in natural medicine for cardiovascular benefits. Regular consumption of garlic has been linked to lower blood pressure and reduced LDL cholesterol. 

Raw honey also has similar effects. Its antioxidant content reduces oxidative stress, which is a driver of arterial damage over time. As a dietary habit, the combination can really help maintain heart and cardiovascular health.

Anti-Inflammatory Effects

Chronic low-grade inflammation is the reason behind many common conditions, from joint pain to metabolic issues. People have used garlic and honey to calm inflammation for centuries, and science backs up the reasoning. 

Garlic is packed with organosulfur compounds that slow down prostaglandins, the chemicals your body makes during an inflammatory response. Raw monofloral honey brings its own benefit through phenolic compounds, which studies tie to lower inflammation too.

Gut Health

Garlic acts as a prebiotic, feeding beneficial gut bacteria. Raw honey has oligosaccharides that do pretty much the same thing. Put them together, and they help keep your gut microbiome more balanced.

Garlic is a bit choosy with its antimicrobial power too, going after harmful bacteria more than the good ones. This sets it apart from antibiotics, which tend to disrupt the entire gut microbiome in the process.

How to Get the Most Out of Garlic and Honey Benefits

The most effective and traditional preparation is fermented garlic in honey, and it is pretty simple to make.

Fermented Garlic in Honey

• Peel a full head of garlic and place the cloves in a clean jar

• Cover completely with raw honey

• Leave the jar loosely covered at room temperature for at least a week, ideally a month

• The garlic will soften and mellow in flavour, and the honey will thin and darken

• Take one or two cloves daily, or a teaspoon of the infused honey

The fermentation process makes the garlic easier to digest and may make some of its compounds easier for the body to absorb. The honey acts as both a preservative and a medium to take the garlic in.

Other Ways to Use Them Together

• A clove of raw garlic with a teaspoon of honey in the morning can be a simple daily habit

• Mixed into salad dressings or marinades with olive oil and lemon

• Stirred into warm water with ginger as a cold remedy

• Applied as a topical paste for minor skin irritation, though this is more of a traditional remedy and doesn’t have much research to back it

It’s important to use raw garlic and not cook it, and raw honey rather than processed. Both lose their most active compounds when exposed to high heat.

Conclusion

Garlic and honey are one of those combinations where traditional use and modern research both agree with the benefits. Both have individual benefits and also work really well when taken together.

But for the combination to work, the honey needs to be raw and unprocessed. At Geohoney, we source 100% pure raw honey from verified beekeepers across 53 countries and 155 farms worldwide. 

Explore our collection and bring home honey you can actually trust.