HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

How Much Raw Garic is too much? Is this a herx?

Support Forums
>
Lyme Disease
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 11/13/2014 10:31 PM (GMT 0)
Just wondering if this sounds like a herx? For the past week or so I've been juicing 5 or 6 cloves of raw garlic in my green smoothies. I just mix carrot, celery, apple, spinach, baby kale, 1/2 lemon, and the cloves of garlic.

Today I have bad jaw pain, terrible PVC's, swollen glands, sore throat, and the general feeling of being unwell that accompanies my Lyme symptoms.

Some people have suggested that I am taking too much garlic and that garlic can actually be toxic. I've never heard of it being toxic and in fact read an article that mentioned a woman taking 15 cloves per day when fighting Lyme. I know I couldn't do that much, but how much is too much?

My Naturopath and I are still working on getting together a protocol, so I thought this would be a good start. I'm just very frustrated with not knowing what's ok and what can actually harm me.
Posted 11/13/2014 11:07 PM (GMT 0)
I doubt garlic is toxic for people. I've known people who take that much or more every day, but not Lyme infected people. I take garlic drops and started at 1 drop and worked my way up and had some herxing. It's a concentrated formula. I wonder if it would help if you did the garlic alone and then the green drink later in the day to help detox. Maybe less cloves to start with too. I don't know if garlic would cause all the symptoms you had or if some of your detox pathways aren't working properly or what, but someone else will probably know more about that.

Have you read through the "New to Lyme" thread at the top of the page yet? It has a lot of helpful info.
Posted 11/13/2014 11:18 PM (GMT 0)
So sorry GraceNJ—although herxing means you're getting somewhere.

I'm with Garden Peace. I did months of research before I attempted some serious cleansing protocols and nothing I read suggested that garlic is toxic—to the contrary. And I, too, know people who eat many cloves every day. But it is effective so I like GP's suggestion to separate the garlic and start with a little less, work up slowly. I used to chew a clove before a juice and it burned my mouth a little bit but oh—does it work to address bacteria and clear stuff out.

Another thing I found out when I started doing juices is that your body is not equipped to handle high volumes of concentrated veggies and fruits. I will try to look for sources for you but this ND was recommending no more than 4-6 oz. of juicing at a time, per day. I found this out because I had been drinking two 16 oz juices per day and was feeling worse and worse, diarrhea and weakness was getting worse and worse and couldn't figure out why. I have a DNA mutation that interferes with detoxing so that was certainly part of my problem too.

-p
Posted 11/13/2014 11:46 PM (GMT 0)
P, I think Grace is using a blender, not a juicer, so it has the pulp which helps it not be so concentrated. But moderation is good either way.
Posted 11/14/2014 12:48 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you so much for the replies.

I have been drinking a few small glasses at a time, but I am probably drinking too much. It doesn't taste very good so I just try to gulp it down.

I bought a Vitamix because I just couldn't stand taking the garlic raw without it being blended. My juices have a bit of a garlic kick but most times I don't taste it very much at all.

I got scared when I was told it was toxic. I always second guess myself and since my body is so sensitive, I never know if I'm doing too little or too much.

What's odd is the symptoms I have today are very similar to the flu like feelings I had when I first got sick back in '06.
Posted 11/14/2014 1:24 AM (GMT 0)
Ok, I'd like to try this with Andrew.

Any really good recipes I can get a 16 year old boy to gulp? I have been overloading the veggies and good food, but I'm trying to make it appealing too, so more carbs than he should have...
Posted 11/14/2014 2:55 AM (GMT 0)
Oh right - I guess a smoothie is different than juicing. Including the pulp is great for digestion, too. I suppose I should have tried that instead of the juicing.

-p
Posted 11/14/2014 5:36 AM (GMT 0)
LoveMyChildrenMom - I had a harder time gulping it down when I was just mixing carrot, celery, 1/2 lemon, apple, and garlic (parsley, too, to get rid of garlic odor), but when I added the other greens (I buy Power Greens from Costco in the refrigerated section), the taste actually improved. And I say that as someone that isn't a fan of spinach or kale. You can try adding a banana, maybe? I always think things taste better when they have some banana in them.

Pirouette - I was torn between getting a juicer or a Vitamix but what sold me is the quick cleanup time, and the fact that I can also make hot soups in the Vitamix. I do wish it wasn't so expensive, though. I just started adding a 1/4 cup of water to my juice mixture because the consistency I was getting was terrible at first, a really thick consistency that felt very pulpy, for lack of a better word. Adding the water helped make it thinner and more juce-like instead of so thick.
Posted 11/14/2014 11:53 AM (GMT 0)
GraceNJ—
That is good to know. I might try to dig out my vitamix-like machine I bought a long time ago but didn't use due to lack of space. Veggie soup sounds so good right now. thanks!

-p
Posted 11/14/2014 1:47 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks, I'm at Costco often and always trying new ways to get him better -thank You!
Posted 11/14/2014 9:45 PM (GMT 0)
Pirouette and LovemychildrenMom - You're very welcome! :)
Posted 11/16/2014 8:25 PM (GMT 0)
Grace, are you feeling better now? I assume you cut back the amount of garlic you were using.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply