TikTok influencers are promoting a home remedy to boost the immune system that could cause botulism
As flu season approaches, TikTokers are spreading a homemade elixir to supposedly boost the immune system that experts warn could in fact cause the fatal disease botulism.
In dozens of videos, some of which have hundreds of thousands of “likes” and “favorites,” wellness and herbalist influencers tout the benefits of garlic fermented in honey as an all-natural antibiotic and antimicrobial treatment and detoxifying potion. While both honey and garlic do have some antimicrobial benefits, the recipes used can promote the growth of Clostridium botulinum. This bacterium causes deadly botulism and is commonly found in both ingredients.
“Fermenting garlic in unpasteurized honey at room temperature can pose a risk of botulism,” says Karine LeBlanc, a spokesperson for Health Canada, the country’s national health policy organization. “Storing the mixture at room temperature may further increase the risk.”
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The number of foods that carry C. botulinum bacteria is small. The microorganisms grow best in low-oxygen conditions and require specific pH conditions. Both honey and garlic fall into the category of foods in which the bacteria can live, but under normal circumstances, the growth of spores would be inhibited, says Joy Gail Waite-Cusic, a professor of food safety at Oregon State University.
“There’s not enough available water in the honey for any bacteria to grow, and so it keeps, and it doesn’t mold either,” she says.
Combining the two ingredients is where trouble lies. Bacteria in the honey can pull water out of the garlic and then begin to multiply. If the fermentation process doesn’t decrease the mixture’s pH fast enough, this can also accelerate the bacteria’s growth further.
When ingested, the mixture could lead to infection with a bacterium that carries the nerve-attacking toxins that botulism is known for. Depending on how it enters the body, botulism can cause muscle weakness, slurred speech, difficulty breathing, stomach pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. In extreme cases, the infection can cause death.
“If you consume that toxin, then it will exhibit its paralytic effects on you,” Waite-Cusic says. Among the most common targets, she says, are “your diaphragm, and so you stop breathing.”
The disease is rare, with only 243 confirmed cases and 30 additional probable cases recorded in 2021, the most recent year for which data is available, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of the confirmed and probable cases, 181 were in infants, the highest incidence since 1976, when data started being collected.
The reason why the disease is so deadly for babies is that their gut microbiome is yet to develop the defense mechanisms needed to fight off the bacteria—by contrast, an adult’s gut biome and immune system is generally effective in fighting the bacteria when ingested.
“There are a few documented adult intestinal colonization botulism cases (mostly from Canada), where peanut butter was implicated and one infant in 2024” in the UK, says Haydee Dabritz, an epidemiologist with the California Department of Public Health’s Infant Botulism Treatment and Prevention Program.
Still, on rare occasions, it can continue to grow in an adult. While the disease is curable if the infected person seeks medical attention, it can be lethal if left untreated.
“The issue we’re always facing with botulism discussions is it can kill you,” says Waite-Cusic. “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.’”
While nobody wants to get sick during flu season, LeBlanc warns against relying on homemade remedies as a substitute for approved medications.
“If you think you may need an antibiotic or other antimicrobial medication, speak with a health care professional,” she says. “Antimicrobial medications, including antibiotics and antivirals, should only be used when prescribed.”
Waite-Cusic adds that you could see more benefit from garlic and honey by avoiding fermentation and eating them as they are. (Notably, raw honey cannot be given to babies under one year of age because of the potential for botulism.)
“You actually have the best antioxidant potential if they’re both raw,” she says, referring to honey and garlic. “So you just want to eat the clove of garlic that’s now sweeter.”