Quote Originally Posted by Purple Banana
This is in no way a fact. Garlic is not fat-soluble, so it cannot be absorbed through the soles of feet (nor can many fat soluble substances- your feet are VERY thick and tough)

The only way this would induce coughing is if you took the socks off in the morning and took a big whiff.

I am not skeptic of many ancient "remedies" but this one seems like a crock of shit.
It's hard to say, but I know there are many substances out there that can be absorbed through the skin (including psilosybin and lysergic acid, apparently). My mom's a nurse and has huge knowledge of biology (from outside her nursing as well), and said that garlic on the feet thing would be plossible.

But on the note of garlic itself, she's totally right about its medical properties. Besides the fact that I've heard countless testimonials to that fact, I have large concentrated (odorlous) garlic pills that will clear a cold faster than cold FX (and that coldfx is a damn cure for the common cold!). Every time I hit the beginning of a cold now I just take 1 garlic pill in the morning, one in the afternoon or evening, and it's GONE for good. Garlic is an especially effective anti-viral.