Garlic: Top 10 Proven Health Booster Benefits
Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.
Hippocrates ‧ The Greek physician often called the father of Western medicine
For thousands of years, they believed garlic to have medicinal properties. Early men of medicine such as Hippocrates, Pliny and Aristotle encouraged several therapeutic uses for this botanical.
We generally use it as a flavouring ingredient in recipes rather than as the key ingredient itself. An exception to this is roasted garlic, which can be eaten as a spread or condiment.
As you may know, before it became a prominent ingredient, they used it for its invaluable properties for thousands of years to both treat and prevent illness. Here are proven 10 health benefits of garlic that are supported by human research studies.
#1. Potent Medical Properties
Garlic contains a compound called allicin, which has potent medicinal properties. It is a plant in the onion family, grown for its cooking properties and health effects. It is high in a sulphur compound which is believed to bring most of the health benefits.
#2. Highly Nutritious, Low On Calories
This lily family plant is highly nutritious, but has very few calories. It is low in calories and very rich in vitamin C, vitamin B6 and manganese. It also contains trace amounts of various other nutrients.
FACT: Garlic contains a compound called allicin, which has potent medicinal properties.
#3. Combats Sickness
It can combat sickness, including the common cold. Garlic supplementation helps to prevent and reduce the severity of common illnesses like the flu and common cold.
#4. Can Reduce Blood Pressure
The active compounds in garlic can reduce blood pressure. High doses of garlic appear to improve the blood pressure of those with known high blood pressure (also known as hypertension). Sometimes supplementation can be as effective as regular medications.
#5. Improves Cholesterol Levels
It improves cholesterol levels, which may lower the risk of heart disease. Garlic supplementation seems to reduce total and LDL cholesterol, particularly in those who have high cholesterol. HDL cholesterol and triglycerides do not seem to be affected.
Eat Garlic Every Day?
FACT: Garlic contains antioxidants that protect against cell damage and ageing. It may reduce the risk of some diseases.
#6. Protects Against Cell Damage
This flowering plant contains antioxidants that may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Garlic contains antioxidants that protect against cell damage and ageing. It may reduce the risk of some diseases.
#7. Helps To Live Longer
Garlic may help you live longer. It has known beneficial effects on common causes of chronic disease, so it makes perfect sense it could help you live longer. Some researchers in China have called it the key to a longevity.
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#8. Performance Enhancer
We can improve athletic performance with garlic supplementation. This vegetable was one of the earliest 'performance enhancing' substances.
It was traditionally used in ancient cultures to reduce fatigue and enhance the work capacity of labourers. It can improve physical performance in lab animals and people with heart disease. However, benefits in healthy people are not yet conclusive.
#9. Protects Against Organ Damage
Eating garlic can help detoxify heavy metals in the body. At high doses, it has shown the sulphur compounds in it to protect against organ damage from heavy metal toxicity. Garlic was shown to significantly reduce lead toxicity and related symptoms in one study.
TIP: To get the full effect of garlic’s health benefits, do not add it to food or cook with it immediately.
#10. Improves Bone Health
Finally, garlic may improve bone health. It appears to have some benefits for bone health by increasing oestrogen levels in females, but more human studies are needed.
However, keep in mind that there are some downsides to garlic, such as the bad breath. There are also some people allergic to it. If you have a bleeding disorder or are taking blood-thinning medications, then talk to your doctor before increasing your garlic consumption.
The Best Practise
Garlic has gained a reputation over the years as being used only for its strong taste, although in reality it is a remarkable health supplement. It has proven garlic to promote cardiovascular stability, boost the immune system, and reduce the risk of certain forms of cancer. While garlic benefits are now widely accepted among many medical experts, more research is being conducted to determine the true health effects of garlic consumption.
To get the full effect of garlic’s health benefits, do not add it to food or cook with it immediately. Cutting, crushing or mincing garlic releases the healthy compound found in the vegetable. But heating it or adding it to other ingredients prevents the release of this healthy compound. So cut or crush or mince the garlic and let it rest by itself for a few minutes.
The Bottom Line
The active compound allicin only forms when garlic is crushed or cleaved when it is raw. If you cook it before crushing it, then it won’t have the same health effects. Therefore, the best way to consume it is raw, or to crush and cut it and leave it out for a while before you add it to your recipes.
Medical research has linked garlic to many health benefits. However, some studies suggest that raw garlic may be more effective than cooked garlic, with garlic supplements being the most effective. Garlic tea preserves the health benefits of raw garlic as long as it is properly prepared: the most important thing is to cook the crushed garlic for no more than 3 minutes.
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FAQ
The minimum effective dose for raw garlic is one segment (clove) eaten two to three times per day. You can also take an aged garlic supplement. In that case, a normal dose is 600 to 1,200 mg per day.
Eating raw garlic first thing in the morning stimulates digestion and appetite. A smoother digestion, amongst other things, also aids effective weight loss.
High in an ingredient called allicin, garlic can help stimulate circulation and blood flow to sexual organs in both men and women. However, because of garlic's mood-killing smell, eat it in moderation.
To maximise the health benefits, you should crush the garlic at room temperature and allow it to sit for about 15 minutes. That triggers an enzyme reaction that boosts the healthy compounds in garlic. Garlic can cause indigestion, but for many, the bigger concern is that it can make your breath and sweat smell like.
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