The Health Benefits of Garlic

I want to discuss just how healing garlic is. It is in the onion family and has several biological compounds that make it so effective in helping us. The way to maximize the health benefits is to press it or freshly cut it and leave it out for a 45 minutes before cooking which allows the allicin to form. If you cook the garlic first, you will lose many of the healing properties. It has been recommended to have 2 to 4 raw cloves a day by the University of Maryland Medical Center. Garlic contains Manganese, B1, B6, Vitamin C, Copper, Selenium, Phosphorus. Potassium, Iron, Fiber, Calcium and has been said to have trace amounts of several agents we need. People with bleeding disorders must be careful about their garlic intake.

Let me talk about some of the health benefits of garlic:

1. It helps to lower blood pressure. There are polysulfides in garlic which allow our bodies to produce hydrogen sulfide (H2S). H2S helps our blood vessel to expand thus keeping our heart rate in check. Keep in mind that garlic extracts do not do this as well as real garlic does.
2. Garlic helps prevent blood clots from forming in our blood vessels through ajoene a sulfur compound.
3. Garlic is a wonderful anti-inflammatory. It has the 1,2 Vinyldithin which keeps our fibroblastic cells from converting into adipocytes (fat cells).
4. Garlic has antioxidants which may help prevent neuronal degeneration in brain. Problems such as Dementia may be helped with regular healthy intakes of garlic. The selenium is a cofactor for glutathione peroxidase, a huge player in our body's antioxidant enzymes.
5. Garlic has been found to promote physical performance in people with heart disease. Ancient Grecians utilized it for their Olympic athletes: in addition, it was used to reduce fatigue in labourers.
6. Basic Clinical Pharmacology Toxicology reported a study in 2012 that revealed Garlic helped to lower heavy metals in the blood by 19%. It also reduced symptoms such as headaches and blood pressure.
7. The Journal of Dietary Supplements also had a study in 2012 that showed garlic reduced the Tumor Necrosis Factor by 47% in 44 postmenopausal women. This helps to reduce estrogen deficiency and could potentially affect our bones.
8. External use of garlic can help with ear infections and fungal infections. For example, Mullein garlic gets placed inside the ear to help with ear infections as soon as symptoms have shown up.
9. It helps to ward of colds and the flu. There is some research that shows fresh (not aged) garlic helps ward off Pseudomonas aeroginosa (burn victims), Escherichia coli (the unhealthy strain in your gut), antibiotic resistant Staphylococcus aureus (skin infections) , Enterococcus enteriditis (intestional infections), Varicella (herpes), Candida albicans (yeast infections), Mycobacterium (tuberculosis), and HIV. Research still needs to be validated with Helicobacter Pylorum one of the causative agents which causes gastic ulcers then gastric cancer.
10. Garlic has been said to fight out cancers such as brain, lung, breast, and pancreatic: however, complete validation is still under study. I am going to take my chances and crush fresh garlic as much as I can! It is under the recommendatin of AICR (American Institute for Cancer Research) to take garlic daily. It is the American Cancer Society that still wants to validate the claims.
I know this list is nowhere near all inclusive but hopefully I've convinced you to add garlic to your everyday life and helped contribute to your lifelong health!

Have a wonderful evening!