Day One Hundred Ten: Secret(ly disgusting) Kitchen Cures

We returned from vacation today.  Along with many wonderful memories, I've brought back a cold.  As I write this, I'm home alone with three sleeping children and no cold medicine.  Since waking them all, putting them in the car, then dragging them into the pharmacy and back home is pretty much out of the question, I desperately looked to Martha for some suggestions.

Not surprisingly, Martha has an entire article on Secret Kitchen Cures. Along with turmeric for pimples and cloves for toothaches, Martha recommends using garlic for treating the common cold.  According to the article, "garlic's strong antimicrobial properties make it effective for fending off and treating the common cold."  The article suggests peeling a couple garlic cloves, dipping in honey and chewing.

Okay, I'm desperate, but not that desperate.    

Since I don't want to add gagging to my list of symptoms, I'm going to try the second suggestion: adding warm water and honey to minced garlic cloves, and swallowing without chewing.  Here's what that looks like:

Never say I don't go the extra mile for this blog.

I actually did manage to eat this...and keep it down.  Surprisingly, I felt marginally better for a while afterwards.  Before I was forced to consider a second dose of garlic, however, I found an expired bottle of Nyquil at the back of the medicine cabinet. That did the trick.

Better living through chemistry.  I'll save the garlic for cooking.