Garlic Oil for Coughs & Earaches

By September 26, 2012 Natural Health, Parenting 31 Comments

Magic stuff!

When our kids complain about earaches and coughs, we reach for the garlic oil. Garlic has great immune boosting properties but it’s also touted as anti-bacterial and even useful for easing coughs.

Fresh garlic is best because you get more of it’s healing benefits. Plus, it’s already in your pantry!

Here’s what you need to make the oil.

  • knife
  • cutting board
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • Carrier oil like olive or coconut

1. Chop the garlic.

2. Add to 1/4 c oil.

3. Swirl to mix & let it infuse for at least 10 minutes. (Some people heat it, we don’t).

I don’t remove the garlic from the oil & it keeps a  few weeks in cooler temps & probably longer in the fridge.

We used this recently when our infant had a cough.

We also use this for earaches. I just dip a q-tip in the oil to saturate it (no garlic chunks on the cotton!) and place 3- 4 drops in the affected ear.

What natural uses do you have for garlic besides cooking? Share!

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31 Comments

  • Michelle says:

    Thx for the recipe. Can I ask of you mash or press’s the garlic? How fine do you chop it? How much and where do you rub for a baby cough? (I’m Amy’s friend! So glad I found you)

    • Monna says:

      Hi Michelle! We mince the garlic (so, fairly small pieces). I usually smash it into the oil a little with the fork and then swirl the whole mixture around until I can tell the oil is infused with the garlic. Translation: pretty stinky. 😉 For my little guy’s cough, I just wet my fingers a little in the oil and gave him a foot rub while I talked to him and told him what I was doing. To me, that connection is just as much a part of the healing process as the “remedies”. I only use the garlic oil on the feet.
      Thanks for writing!

  • ANGEL FEBRINI LEONARDO says:

    Hi, may i know once you rub baby feet with the garlic oil, you need to wear sock on her? Thank You

  • Haley A says:

    Is this 1/4 cup of oil? Both of my kids have a cough. My 6 month old son has already had antibiotics for perceived pertussis, and we don’t use western medicine if we don’t have to! Thank you so much for this information!

  • jane says:

    can cooking oil be used instead of olive oil or coconut oil?

    • Monna says:

      Good question Jane. I use coconut for its healing properties and both coconut and olive are easily absorbed by the body because they’re in their natural state. I wouldn’t cook with “cooking oil” (usually corn) because it’s highly processed so I probably would not use it in my kids’ ears either.

  • Jamie Harclerode Glunt says:

    Why don't you heat it? Will heating it destroy the healing properties?

  • Esmeralda Albarran says:

    Hi do you rub babies feet at night or morning???

  • Salomi says:

    What about dry cough?

    • Monna says:

      When coughs are dry, I encourage my littles to hydrating and cooling drinks. Lots of fluids but not just water and add honey to the teas. Peppermint tea, watermelon, honeydew, fresh pineapple. It helps to ease the tickling to be hydrated. Also, slippery elm and marshmallow root tea are a bit help in soothing that tickle, as well as mullein with lemon and honey.
      Buckwheat honey either in the tea or on a spoon during a cough has been shown to be more effective than cough syrups.

  • Maryanne says:

    Hi there, do you just rub on the bottom of the feet or over the entire foot/feet?

  • Suzi says:

    Pure olive oil or extra virgin olive oil?

  • Carisa says:

    Do you warm the coconut oil first? I prefer coconut oil, but all mine is solid this time of year.

    • Carisa says:

      I mean to make it in the first place…or do you just mash it into the solid oil? As a rub, I’d use it as just that…a rub with the “solid” oil, but does it have to be liquid state to infuse? Thanks and sorry if that’s confusing!

  • April mackay says:

    What about infants? 4months old?

    • Monna says:

      Hi April, hmmm… When my babies were really small, I’d usually tend toward using breastmilk for earaches rather than garlic oil, which can create some heat for a little person like this. I’d probably focus on making sure there’s enough moisture in my house, and in my little person (lots of nursing) if they were coughing.

    • Monna says:

      Hi April, hmmm… When my babies were really small, I’d usually tend toward using breastmilk for earaches rather than garlic oil, which can create some heat for a little person like this. I’d probably focus on making sure there’s enough moisture in my house, and in my little person -lots of nursing- if they were coughing.

  • Tabz says:

    You can also use mustard oil it’s great ! A natural remedy from ancient India n then
    Massage on the babies chest back neck feet and palms ( same recipe as above)

  • Jocelyn says:

    Can I use garlic mince from a bottle if I don’t have garlic cloves?

    • Monna says:

      My experience is with fresh garlic and I suspect it will be more effective. But feel free to experiment and share your results.

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