Eating garlic and honey on an empty stomach for 7 days is one of the most shared home remedies online. We are beekeepers, so we asked a simple question: what does the evidence actually say will happen? Here is the honest answer, plus the one thing most recipes get wrong: how to make the mixture without creating a food safety risk.
The short version, if you are in a hurry
No study has tested a 7-day garlic and honey routine, and the research on garlic alone is thin and mixed. It is a tasty traditional mixture, not a treatment. If you make it, crush the garlic and eat it fresh, or follow a tested hot-infusion method: raw garlic left in honey at room temperature is not considered safe.
What you will find here
Where the garlic and honey remedy comes from
The remedy usually arrives wrapped in a famous line: «let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food», attributed to Hippocrates. It makes a good headline, but the phrase does not appear in the Hippocratic writings. A 2013 review in the e-SPEN Journal traced it as a misquotation and showed that Hippocratic medicine kept food and medicine as separate ideas.
What is real is the tradition. Garlic and honey have been kitchen companions for centuries, both keep well and both have strong flavours that people link with winter and colds. That cultural weight is precisely why the claims around them deserve a careful look rather than a quick share.
What actually happens after 7 days
The honest answer is that nobody knows, because no published trial has tested garlic and honey taken on an empty stomach for 7 days. The claims that travel with the recipe come from studies on garlic supplements, often at concentrated doses, which is a different thing from a spoonful from a jar.
The table below sets each popular claim against what the best available sources say today.
| Popular claim | What the evidence says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| «Cuts colds by 63 %» | Comes from a single trial of 146 adults taking a garlic supplement for 12 weeks: 24 colds in the garlic group, 65 with placebo. The reviewers judged the evidence insufficient to recommend garlic for colds. | Cochrane review, 2014 |
| «Lowers cholesterol» | Garlic supplements may reduce total and LDL cholesterol to a small extent. Not tested for garlic honey, and not in 7 days. | NCCIH, 2025 |
| «Prevents clots and varicose veins» | No evidence of prevention. The documented effect runs the other way: garlic supplements may increase bleeding risk. | NCCIH, 2025 |
| «Anticancer» | Garlic does not seem to reduce stomach cancer risk; its effect on colorectal cancer is uncertain. | NCCIH, 2025 |
| «Detoxifies the blood» | Not a measurable outcome. No study supports it. | None found |
| «Works best on an empty stomach» | No study compares timing. Raw garlic on an empty stomach is a common cause of stomach upset. | NCCIH, 2025 |
So what will you notice after a week? Most likely, garlic breath and a pleasant ritual. That is not nothing, but it is a long way from the promises that usually come with the recipe.
What garlic brings to the jar
The compound everyone mentions is allicin, but an intact clove barely contains it. Garlic stores a precursor called alliin and, separately, an enzyme called alliinase. Only when you crush or chop the clove do the two meet, and allicin forms within seconds.
That detail changes the recipe. Whole, half-peeled cloves dropped into honey, as many versions suggest, release very little. The Linus Pauling Institute recommends letting crushed garlic stand for about 10 minutes before heating it, because heat inactivates alliinase.
As food, garlic adds flavour with very few calories. In the amounts anyone actually eats, a clove or two weighing a few grams, its contribution of vitamins and minerals to the day is small.
What honey brings, and what it does not
Honey is mostly sugars and a little water. The international Codex standard sets a maximum of 20 % moisture for most honeys, and that low level of available water is what lets honey keep for so long. Minerals, enzymes and aromatic compounds are there too, but in small quantities.
We will not tell you honey boosts immunity or lowers cholesterol. In the European Union, where we work, no health claim has been authorised for honey: the European Food Safety Authority assessed the proposals in 2010 and none passed. If you want the full picture with its level of evidence, read our guide to the 15 benefits and virtues of honey (in Spanish).
What we can tell you is how to choose it. The Codex standard says honey must not be heated or processed so far that its composition changes, and it uses two lab markers to check: diastase, an enzyme that heat destroys, and HMF, a compound that heat and age create. Raw honey from a known beekeeper is the simplest way to avoid both problems.
Whether honey stays raw is decided at the hive, not on the label
When to harvest, how dry the frames are, how the honey is extracted and stored: that is where quality is won or lost. Our online beekeeping course walks you through a full season at your own pace, with a tutor who stays with you after you finish. The course is taught in Spanish and has trained more than 5,000 people in 26 countries since 2013.
How to make garlic honey safely
This is the part most recipes get wrong, including the version we published on this page years ago. The classic method fills a jar with raw garlic cloves, covers them with honey and leaves it in the cupboard for weeks or months. Food safety specialists advise against it.
Why raw garlic in honey is a risk.
Honey can naturally contain spores of Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium behind botulism. On its own, honey is too dry for them to grow. Fresh garlic is moist and low in acid, and where it touches the honey the conditions can change enough for those spores to wake up.
Oregon State University Extension classes fresh garlic as a high-moisture, low-acid ingredient that should only go into hot infusions. Its food safety specialist has also said there is no data showing that fermented garlic honey is consistently safe.
Option 1: make it fresh and eat it straight away
This is the simplest way and keeps the garlic raw, which is the whole point for most people. Nothing is stored, so nothing has time to grow.
- Peel one clove and crush it or chop it finely.
- Let it stand for about 10 minutes so the allicin can form.
- Mix it with a teaspoon of raw honey to soften the bite.
- Eat it at once, ideally with some food rather than on an empty stomach.
Option 2: a hot infusion you can store
If you want a jar that keeps, follow the tested method published by Oregon State University Extension in 2026. The garlic flavours the honey and is then removed.
- Weigh it: fresh garlic should be no more than 15 % of the total weight of the infusion.
- Warm the honey and garlic together and hold them at 60 °C (140 °F) or above for between 10 minutes and two hours, stirring now and then.
- Strain out every piece of garlic through a fine sieve or several layers of cheesecloth.
- Store the honey in a clean food-grade jar with a tight lid.
- If it ever bubbles or smells sour, it has fermented: throw it away.
A beekeeper’s note on the trade-off: heating honey is exactly what the Codex markers are designed to detect, and it lowers its enzyme activity. Option 2 buys safety and shelf life at the cost of some of what makes raw honey special. For daily use, option 1 is the better deal.
Who should skip garlic and honey
A kitchen mixture is still food, and some people should leave it out or ask their doctor first.
- Babies under 12 months. Never give them honey in any form: their gut cannot yet stop botulism spores from growing.
- People on blood thinners or aspirin, or before surgery. Garlic may increase bleeding risk.
- People prone to heartburn or stomach upset. Raw garlic, especially on an empty stomach, is a common trigger.
- Anyone watching their sugar intake. Honey is a sugar and counts as one.
Frequently asked questions about garlic and honey
No study has tested it. Research on garlic supplements shows small and uncertain effects, and none of it used honey. The most likely result after a week is garlic breath and, for some people, an upset stomach.
Food safety specialists advise against it. Fresh garlic adds moisture and is low in acid, which can let botulism spores naturally present in honey grow. Eat the mixture fresh or use a tested hot-infusion method and strain out the garlic.
There is no data showing that fermented garlic honey is consistently safe, according to food safety specialists at Oregon State University Extension. If any garlic honey bubbles or smells sour, throw it away.
There is not enough evidence to say so. A Cochrane review found only one suitable trial, using a garlic supplement rather than raw garlic or honey, and concluded more studies are needed.
Never give honey to babies under 12 months because of the risk of infant botulism. For older children, ask your paediatrician before using any home remedy.
From kitchen remedy to your own hive
If this jar made you curious about where honey really comes from, the next step is to learn it at the source. Start before the next flowering season and you will harvest your first honey knowing exactly what is in it. Our online course is taught in Spanish, with lifetime tutoring.
Live in Spain? You can also adopt a hive near you and receive honey from a beekeeper you know by name.
Keep reading
- How bees make honey and why it never expires (in Spanish): the chemistry behind the low moisture that keeps honey safe, and why adding fresh ingredients changes it.
- How to tell if your honey is pure or adulterated (in Spanish): which home tests work, which are myths, and what only a lab can tell you.
- 15 benefits and virtues of honey (in Spanish): every popular claim about honey, graded by the strength of the evidence behind it.
Sources
- Lissiman E, Bhasale AL, Cohen M. Garlic for the common cold. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2014; Issue 11: CD006206. DOI 10.1002/14651858.CD006206.pub4
- US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Garlic. Fact sheet, updated February 2025. nccih.nih.gov
- Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University. Garlic. Micronutrient Information Center, updated January 2026. lpi.oregonstate.edu
- Hibbard-Swanson J, Waite-Cusic J. Infusing honey safely. Oregon State University Extension, EM 9885, July 2026. extension.oregonstate.edu
- Waite-Cusic J. Fermented honey. Ask Extension, Oregon State University. ask.extension.org
- Codex Alimentarius. Standard for honey. CXS 12-1981, revised 2001. fao.org
- EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies. Scientific opinion on health claims related to honey. EFSA Journal, 2010; 8(2):1484. DOI 10.2903/j.efsa.2010.1484
- Cárdenas D. Let not thy food be confused with thy medicine: the Hippocratic misquotation. e-SPEN Journal, 2013; 8(6):e260–e262. DOI 10.1016/j.clnme.2013.10.002
- Poison Control, National Capital Poison Center. Botulism and honey: don’t feed honey to infants. poison.org
This article is for general information and does not replace advice from a health professional. Reviewed and updated: October 2026.
Autora
Castillo Arias, Marianela. Activista y divulgadora. Creadora de contenidos. Profesora de apicultura y formadora de formadores – Socia de Ecocolmena
25 respuestas
Excellent explanations and useful tips.
Are we eating the garlic and the honey. If so, one clove or two, how much honey?
I eat 2 cloves a day and I take one at a time with a tablespoon of honey and swallow it like a pill. My kids drink just the honey.
One clove and half spoon🥄 honey 🍯
Eat one clove and 1 teaspoon of honey
Please does that also help sperm strong for a pregnance? And should I still have sex in the period of waiting for the results?
Taking this mixture does help the formation of sperms regularly during sex, thank you
I put raw garlic & raw honey togather and I let it sit for 7 days now I take a teaspoon for a day and keep the colds out my system is that ok to do ….
Yeah and it boosts even a man’s sex stamina.
Is it best in the morning or at night
Take it in the morning on an empty stomach, half hour before you eat or drink anything
Teaspoon of chopped raw garlic
Teaspoon of organic &/or raw honey
Every morning on empty stomach for 7days straight
I don’t even have to wear a coat in the snow anymore lol
Teaspoon of chopped raw garlic
Teaspoon of organic &/or raw honey
Every morning on empty stomach for 7 days straight
I don’t even have to wear a coat in the snow anymore lol
I don’t even have to wear a coat in the snow anymore lol I feel so good watch out for 7 day limit thought
Teaspoon of chopped raw garlic
Teaspoon of organic &/or raw honey
Every morning on empty stomach for 7 days straight
I don’t even have to wear a coat in the snow anymore lol I feel so good watch out for 7 day limit thought
Teaspoon of chopped raw garlic
Teaspoon of organic &/or raw honey
Every morning on empty stomach for 7 days straight
After 7 days can one still consume fermented garlic in honey
Oh yes.
In fact, for best health benefits, it is recommended to leave the garlic and honey for 21 days to 1 month for proper infusion/fermentation before consuming.
After which this natural health remedy can be stored for up to a year or more.
Brilliant I love it thank you all so much for your advice keep up the good work God bless you all.
I’m a bit confused with the process. Can I simply just chop the garlic, let it sit for a few minutes and then pour the honey, let that sit for a few minutes and then consume it? I’ve seen people say store it up for 3 months and others to wait a week but some videos just chop it and pour honey and then consume it. Help
For best results:
After ensuring that the garlic is completely immersed in the honey, close and keep in a dry place at room temperature for 21days to 1 month for proper infusion.
Then enjoy the full benefits of infused/fermented garlic honey.
Yes, chop one clove of garlic into 3-4 pieces. Put it in a small bowl and pour 1 tap honey over it to cover. Let it sit for about 3 to 4 minutes. Then the have the entire thing. Important is to chew the garlic pieces well before swallowing. To great health!
How can use garlic and honey to make my sperms strong for pregnant.? In results should I still have sex?
Does it also help sperm count? Strong for pregnant.? Should I still have sex while waiting for the results?
What’s the effect of peeling the first cover of garlic cloves in honey does it have the same effect of not peeling it
Can I use Manuka honey ?