Garlic (allium sativum) Essential Oil
Crushed from bulbs of garlic, it takes between 5 & 10 kilos of garlic bulbs to produce 5 ml of garlic oil. Garlic oil is a highly potent anti-microbial due to the high concentration of secondary metabolites & research has shown it to be, in many cases, as effective as & often more effective than, synthetic antibiotics (eg ampicillin, tetracycline & others).
Very effective against airborne bacteria, it is often chosen by animals alongside clove bud oil. Clove bud oil inhibits bacteria from binding to glucose, thereby starving it of nutrients whilst garlic oil prevents bacteria from making proteins – a natural ‘double-whammy’! These two oils in combination are almost always chosen by animals with pneumonia and other acute & chronic respiratory infections (equine flu, cat flu, bronchitis, lungworm) as well as often being selected for abscesses and puncture wounds.
Garlic oil may also be offered to animals suffering from sweet-itch for its midge-repellent qualities; mud fever and/or rain scald for its effect against dermatophilus congolensis and those suffering from navicular or ringbone for help with circulation where it has been compromised.
Caution: Garlic inhibits blood clotting and is irritating to skin & mucous membranes – mix with fixed or infused oil (selected by the animal) or offer in a bucket of cold water.
NB: Please do not mix with your animal’s feed (as many horse-owners do) – see FAQ.
