Garlic in pregnancy at early and late terms: for colds, runny nose

There is no such top list of the most useful products for the human body that does not mention garlic. At the same time, it almost always occupies the first lines. This plant contains a whole vitamin-mineral complex synthesized by Mother Nature, and not by a pharmaceutical company. And, in addition, enzymatic substances, glycosides, phytoncides, organic acids and other useful things. Its only and serious drawback is a persistent smell, which is not easy to get rid of after tasting this useful product in all respects. It is recommended to deodorize the breath by chewing a slice of lemon, a root or parsley greens.

Can you eat garlic during pregnancy?

There is a clear answer to this question: "Yes". Especially if you want it, and pregnant women usually want it squared or don't want it just as much. Therefore, if you are drawn to garlic during pregnancy - eat it to your health. It means that your body needs it. It is very doubtful that even with a strong desire, a woman will be able to eat a large amount of garlic at one time, and a clove or two from time to time (if there are no contraindications for this product) will not hurt anyone.

Garlic owes its specific smell to its main active ingredient, diallyl dithiosulfinate (allicin), which is formed as soon as we bite or cut a clove of garlic. A whole, undamaged clove has no smell, and the components of this miraculous substance are separated from each other in the garlic cell by a membrane. Only when the integrity of the cells is damaged does the synthesis of allicin begin.

The benefits of garlic during pregnancy are determined by the biological properties of allicin and are supplemented by other components, which this plant is rich in. First of all, phytoncides. Garlic has always been noted for its pronounced antimicrobial properties - it prevents the growth and development of microorganisms, is active against yeast fungi, staphylococci, and pathogens of diphtheria and dysentery. This natural antibiotic destroys pathogenic microorganisms when taken internally, tones and disinfects the mucous membranes of the respiratory system, and helps to thin and remove phlegm. Allicin prevents viral infections by blocking the production of enzymes that open the gates for viruses to enter the body.

Garlic has a positive effect on the immune system, increasing the body's defenses. When applied externally, it has a disinfecting and regenerating effect on damaged epithelial surfaces. For a pregnant woman, it is a wonderful therapeutic and preventive remedy for colds, fungal and bacterial skin lesions.

All of a woman's organs operate under increased load during pregnancy. Garlic's ability to tone the heart muscle, normalizing the heart rhythm, and to have an antispasmodic and hypotensive effect will facilitate the functioning of the cardiovascular system. Eating garlic prevents vascular constriction and thrombosis, preventing the formation of cholesterol plaques on their walls and thinning the blood. This vegetable is useful for the digestive organs, activating the synthesis of enzymes that break down proteins, fats, and carbohydrates and promoting the outflow of bile.

Garlic is a source of vitamins and minerals, it helps to maintain strength and increase stress resistance. This vegetable has antioxidant properties, as it promotes the natural synthesis of hydrogen sulfide in the body, high concentrations of which are toxic. However, it also determines many useful qualities - in addition to antioxidant capacity, hydrogen sulfide normalizes blood circulation and has a relaxing effect on blood vessels.

Garlic contains vitamin B9 (folic acid), vitamin B6, iron – hemoglobin-forming components necessary for both mother and child for the formation of hematopoiesis, the immune and nervous systems.

Experts' opinions on the question of how necessary garlic is for pregnant women are ambiguous and often diametrically opposed: from statements about the advisability of moderate consumption of this spice during pregnancy to the danger of its use, especially in the second half of pregnancy due to the likelihood of bleeding. At the same time, the vast majority of experts, speaking publicly, adhere to neutrality on this issue and advocate moderation. Knowing about the undeniable benefits of garlic, usually even opponents of its use during pregnancy summarize their arguments with conclusions like: "If you can't, but really want to - then you can!"

Harm of garlic during pregnancy

So, there is no definite harm from consuming moderate amounts of garlic by a pregnant woman. However, garlic is classified as a hot spice, which slightly increases the tone of the uterus. However, there have been no cases of miscarriages caused by consuming garlic. You simply can't eat that much of it.

Garlic, as a spice with a rich taste and aroma, is a strong allergen. This fact should make a pregnant woman be careful with it, especially if she has had allergic reactions to some foods before.

In addition to allergic reactions, garlic can provoke heartburn or epigastric pain. The expectant mother is advised to be very careful with products that irritate the mucous membrane, so when tasting dishes that smell strongly of garlic, you need to be careful. In general, it is a good idea to listen to your body. If the smell of garlic causes you to feel uneasy, then perhaps you should not try this dish.

It is also necessary to take into account the fact that garlic reduces blood viscosity. Therefore, if a woman has a tendency to nosebleeds, then during pregnancy she should not press on it. In the third trimester of pregnancy, it is not recommended to get carried away with garlic due to its ability to thin the blood and possible bleeding during childbirth. And women with poor blood clotting should not use it at all.

Eating garlic and dishes generously seasoned with garlic makes you thirsty and can cause swelling, and in overweight pregnant women it increases the feeling of hunger and improves appetite, which is absolutely not what they need.

It is curious, but some women noticed that their unborn babies did not like it when their mother ate garlic. They began to behave very restlessly immediately after eating fresh garlic. And although the child will not be able to feel its taste in utero, because the food comes to him through the blood completely digested, and its taste qualities are completely leveled, nevertheless, cases of such an exciting effect are confirmed by practical observations. In this case, it is better to refuse garlic.

Garlic contains toxic substances and therefore should not be consumed in large quantities every day, but it is quite possible to grate it on toast or eat 1-2 cloves if desired.

Use of garlic during pregnancy

During pregnancy, the choice between garlic or medicine for health problems should be made in favor of garlic, if there is no intolerance to it. In the off-season, when it is easy to catch a viral infection in transport, at work, in a supermarket, for the purpose of prevention it is recommended to eat 2-3 cloves of this vegetable every day. You can place garlic cloves cut into several pieces in different places of the apartment, especially if there is a sick person in the house.

Medicinal and prophylactic sandwich butter: chop two lemons in any way (scald the peel with boiling water beforehand) and a head of garlic, mix with a 200-gram pack of butter at room temperature (beat with a mixer), put in the refrigerator. Spread on sandwiches with herbal tea.

Garlic during pregnancy for colds, sore throat, bronchitis, wet cough is used with milk:

• pour a glass of yogurt over five crushed cloves of garlic, stir and let stand for about half an hour, consume a teaspoon, slightly warmed, several times a day;
• add a teaspoon of garlic juice to a glass of whey (yogurt, milk) and drink throughout the day;
• At the first signs of illness, mix crushed garlic with the same amount of honey and consume one teaspoon an hour later.

Garlic syrup is used to treat colds, sore throats, and flu: take a clean jar and put in there peeled and crushed cloves of ten heads of garlic in thin layers, sprinkling with thin layers of granulated sugar, leave for two days, strain, and use like any cough mixture.

Colds and viral infections are not complete without a runny nose. You can put garlic in your nose during pregnancy: measure out a few drops of freshly squeezed juice with a pipette, the same amount of carrot juice, mix them with the same number of drops of vegetable oil, place in a small clean bottle, put in your nose, shaking the bottle before use. Or even easier - crush one or two garlic cloves on a garlic press, squeeze the juice out of this mass and add ten times more water.

Garlic for a runny nose during pregnancy can be used in the following way:

• take a small bottle and put two or three cloves crushed with a garlic press into it, inhale the vapors deeply, holding the bottle with the garlic gruel right under your nose;
• take an old teapot, cut five cloves of garlic into it, each into 3-4 pieces, pour boiling water over it, breathe from the spout of one nostril, holding the other and exhaling through the mouth, then the other.

For a sore throat or tonsillitis, gargle - crush a large clove of garlic or two smaller ones and pour a glass of hot water, leave for 60 minutes, strain and gargle.

For local use, a paste of garlic is mixed with oil and applied to the pustule or inflamed area.

A pregnant woman may have pinworms or roundworms. Medicinal anthelmintics are very toxic and have a lot of side effects that are not at all suitable for the body during this period. Garlic for worms during pregnancy is just a lifesaver. With garlic, microclysters are done every night for the whole night for a week. It is advisable to start the procedures with half a portion (the whole one is one glass). If everything goes well, the following enemas can be done in full. But before this procedure, it is imperative to consult a doctor, since an enema can pose a risk of pregnancy complications. The enema solution is prepared according to the following recipes:

• boil a large head of garlic, peeled from the top layer of the husk, until soft in 250 ml of milk, strain after it cools;
• Measure out 10g of peeled garlic cloves, chop, pour in a glass of boiling water, milk or whey, let cool, strain.

It is good to do this oral procedure every day: drink some warm milk on an empty stomach in the morning, then eat it with a few cloves of garlic.

You can squeeze 15-20 drops of garlic juice into a glass of boiled milk and drink it in three doses during the day. This procedure can be used independently if the doctor does not allow an enema, or reinforced with an enema in the evening.

Garlic oil from the pharmacy is also used for worms, by putting one drop on a piece of bread during meals. It is also used to strengthen the immune system, adding 3-4 drops to a glass of milk or vegetable juice.

Garlic is especially relevant as a preventive measure during early pregnancy, when immunity is reduced, and it is undesirable to get sick - all the main organs and systems of the future child are being laid. Medicines are strictly contraindicated during this period, and garlic and its fellow onion are available fresh all year round.
Garlic during late pregnancy is less desirable for the reasons described above, but it is still safer than any synthetic antibiotic, if there are no contraindications to its use.
Onions and garlic during pregnancy in small portions are very useful - they are natural vitamin and mineral complexes. Moreover, young stalks of green onions are superior in usefulness to the onion itself, the same applies to garlic. In addition, young garlic and onions, less spicy and pungent, have a milder effect on the mucous membranes of the digestive organs. If everything is not clear with regard to garlic, then a pregnant woman can and should eat onions. Contraindications to the use of onions include intolerance to them, as well as inflammatory and ulcerative diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

If you are intolerant to garlic, onions can easily replace it for medicinal and preventive purposes.

Beetroot with garlic during pregnancy is a very useful combination. This healthy vegetable is very rich in vitamins and minerals, and also contains fiber, which is absent in garlic. Beetroot salad with garlic can be made in any variations, both with raw beets and with boiled or baked. When heat treated, beets do not lose their valuable properties. This vegetable increases intestinal peristalsis, sanitizes the gastrointestinal tract by destroying putrefactive bacteria. A future mother who regularly eats beets cannot have anemia. It has diuretic properties, gives energy, and is low in calories. When combined with garlic, the effect of these vegetables is enhanced, the irritating and toxic effect of garlic is reduced, and the beetroot snack becomes spicy and piquant. Such a salad normalizes blood pressure, digestion, heart activity, saturates the body with useful substances and does not burden it with extra calories.
However, it often happens that a woman simply feels sick from the smell of garlic during pregnancy. At the same time, she has no contraindications to the use of this product. All the same, if the body of the expectant mother reacts to the smell of garlic in this way, then it should not be consumed. Herbalists, gynecologists, and nutritionists are unanimous in this opinion.

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Indications

Prevention of infectious and viral diseases and their treatment; helminthic invasions; candidiasis and bacterial infections of the skin and mucous membranes, in particular, and the vagina; prevention of varicose veins; strengthening the cardiovascular system, immunity; reducing blood glucose and blood pressure - this product is quite capable of handling these tasks, both independently and in combination with medications.

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Contraindications

This spicy vegetable is not recommended for use in cases of inflammation of the gastric mucosa, ulcerative lesions of the stomach and duodenum, hepatitis, inflammation of the gallbladder or pancreas, chronic kidney disease, epilepsy, exacerbation of hemorrhoids, blood clotting disorders, and increased uterine tone.

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