New TikTok ‘Medicine’ Trend Could Potentially Lead To Botulism

TikTok has a new trend that might land some in the hospital.

Content creators on the platform have been pushing the idea that honey mixed with fermented garlic will somehow replace antiviral and antibiotic medicines. The claim is that they boost the immune system, acting as a sort of super compound. This is not only false, but can backfire on those who consume the mixture.

“The recipes used can promote the growth of Clostridium botulinum. This bacterium is deadly and is commonly found in both ingredients,” according to Scientific American.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) defines botulism as “a rare but serious illness caused by a toxin that attacks the body’s nerves.”

According to the National Botulism Surveillance Network, there were 243 confirmed botulism cases and 30 additional probable cases recorded in 2021. 

These videos have more than a few likes, views, messages, and shares. While garlic can be good for you and honey has a myriad of benefits, the simple fact of the matter is that it’s not just another harmless trend, but one that can cause real harm.

The bacteria is not just painful, but deadly, as Joy Gail Waite-Cusic, a professor of food safety at Oregon State University explained, “It’s not ‘I’m gonna vomit for a few hours and get better.’ It’s ‘No, if you don’t get to a hospital and get the antidote, you’re dead.'”

The Hearth Side Haven explains how the interaction between the two works, “Honey, for instance, can harbor the spores of the botulinum bacteria, which can survive in the honey even after processing…Garlic, on the other hand, can create an anaerobic environment that fosters the growth of these bacteria.”

One food brings out the worst in the other, so to speak, becoming worse than the sum of their parts.  Attempting to treat serious illnesses with homemade remedies is very dangerous.

As the National Library of Health warned, there’s this common idea that manufactured medicines are inherently dangerous. The “natural” seeming drugs are not precluded from being unsafe as well.