Garlic Facts, Remedies, and Health Benefits

Topic: Herbalism and Herbs
- Content Writer/Editor for Disabled World
Published: 2017/12/20 - Updated: 2020/04/20
Contents: Summary - Introduction - Main Item - Related Topics

Synopsis: Facts and information on garlic including health benefits home remedies using garlic and how to grow your own garlic at home. Garlic promotes the well-being of the heart and immune systems with antioxidant properties and helps maintain healthy blood circulation. Garlic has germanium in it. Germanium is an anti-cancer agent, and garlic has more of it than any other herb.

Introduction

Facts and information on garlic including health beneifits home remedies using garlic and how to grow your own garlic at home.

Main Item

What is Garlic?

Garlic, Latin name Allium sativum, belongs to the onion family Alliaceae including shallots, and leek. Garlic has been used throughout recorded history for both medicinal and culinary purposes. The garlic bulb is divided into sections called cloves.

Elephant garlic or Russian garlic is a variant of the species leek and not considered a true garlic. It has a tall, solid, flowering stalk and broad, flat leaves much like those of the leek, but forms a bulb consisting of very large, garlic like cloves.

Is Garlic Good for You?

Garlic is one of the most valuable and versatile foods on the planet. Garlic belongs to the Allium family of vegetables which also includes onions, chives, shallots and leeks.

Today garlic is a widely recognized health enhancing supplement. Garlic promotes the well-being of the heart and immune systems with antioxidant properties and helps maintain healthy blood circulation. One of garlic's most potent health benefits includes the ability to enhance the body's immune cell activity.

The active component in garlic is the sulfur compound called allicin. Allicin is the chemical produced when garlic is chopped, chewed, or bruised. Allicin is quite powerful as an antibiotic and a potent agent that helps the body to inhibit the ability of germs to grow and reproduce. In fact, it's said that 1 milligram of allicin has a potency of 15 standard units of penicillin.

There are now over 12 studies published around the world that confirm that garlic can reduce cholesterol.

Recently researchers in Oxford and America have published some summaries of all the good data on garlic. Garlic is known to stimulate T-lymphocyte and macrophage action, promote interleukin-1 levels, and support natural killer cells. Strong activity of these key cells promotes healthy immune system function, and strengthens the body's defenses.

History of Garlic

Continued below image.
Pile of fresh bulbs of garlic in basket container.
Pile of fresh bulbs of garlic in basket container.
Continued...

Garlic was rare in traditional English cuisine (though it is said to have been grown in England before 1548), and has been a much more common ingredient in Mediterranean Europe.

Garlic Facts

Garlic for Health

Today, we know garlic is an excellent herb for creating and maintaining overall health, but it also has many lesser known, but powerful qualities. For example, many people don't know that it's a naturally powerful antibiotic. This natural antibiotic is effective against toxic bacteria, viruses, and fungus. Available in pills, capsules, liquid and actual raw cloves, garlic is one of the most popular healthy herbs around today.

Garlic and Your Heart

The positive effect of garlic on your circulatory system is extremely well documented and it has been proved to:

One reason for these beneficial effects may be garlic's ability to reduce the amount of free radicals in the bloodstream. According to a study published in Life Sciences, a daily dose of 1 ml/kg body weight of garlic extract for a period of 6 months resulted in a significant reduction in oxidant (free radical) stress in the blood of arteriosclerosis patients. It's positive effect on the circulatory system improves blood flow throughout the body so has even been hailed as a cure for impotence!

Garlic and Cancer

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Garlic bulb with seperated cloves segments in forground.
Garlic bulb with seperated cloves segments in forground.
Continued...

Current research has shown that a number of readily available foods such as garlic and onions that make up a healthy diet, actually have a major impact on cancer prevention. The protective effect of garlic seems to be greater than that of onions, even though onion consumption has been shown to reduce the risk of stomach cancer. These cancer fighting foods seem to have the ability to interfere with the development of cancerous tumors.

The October 2000 issue of the American Journal of Nutrition had a summary of a number epidemiologic studies which showed that people who consumed cooked or raw garlic on a regular basis compared to those that ate little or none had about half the risk of stomach cancer and one-third less risk of colorectal cancer.

This remarkable little bulb now tops the American National Cancer Institute's list of potential cancer-preventative foods. It contains multiple anticancer compounds and antioxidants, more than 30 at the last count, which such powerful compounds as quercetin, diallyl sulphide,allin and ajoene. These have the ability to block cancer causing agents such as nitrosamine and aflatoxin which have been specifically linked to stomach, lung and liver cancer. Garlic's ajoene and allicin have also been shown to retard cancer cells as a type of natural chemotherapy.

Garlic and the Immune System.

Not surprisingly the presence of all these antioxidants in garlic have a very positive effect on the immune system in general and can therefore protect the body against all types of bacterial and viral attacks. Research has recently even shown it to have an inhibiting effect on MSRA which is currently reeking such havoc in U.K. hospitals.

Garlic also acts as a good cold medication, decongestant and expectorant. It is a surprisingly good source of vitamins C, B6 and the minerals selenium and manganese all of which have long been associated with immune system boosting as well as other benefits.

Garlic-Promotes Weight Control.

Allicin is the most potent substance found in garlic and this has been shown to not only lower blood pressure, insulin and triglyceride levels in laboratory animals fed a sugar rich diet, but also to prevent weight gain.

A study published in the American Journal of Hypertension reported that animals who developed high insulin levels, high blood pressure, and high triglycerides were given either allicin or served as a control.

Although all of the animals consumed the same amount of food, weight rose only in the control group whereas the animals who were being supplemented with allicin maintained stable weight or a slight decrease was actually noticed.

The researchers concluded that allicin may be of practical value for weight control.

Garlic Home Remedies

Garlic in Cooking

Garlic is known for its distinct taste and smell whenever it's cooked and added to various dishes.

Garlic has a long history as a culinary spice and medicinal herb. Its Latin name comes from "al" which means burning, and "sativum" which means harvested. Its most widely used part is the head, which is used in cooking to give its distinct taste. Its head is made of 4 - 20 cloves.

Because of its distinct taste and aroma, it is a commonly used spice that is mixed with other herbs like ginger and onions in preparing various dishes. Depending on the flavor desired, the method of cooking it could either be mellow or intense. In Northern European cuisine for example, garlic is used in little amounts and is cooked for a long time to diminish its taste. Try and cook some roasted garlic for extra health benefits.

Do odorless garlic pills work?

The more popular version of garlic unfortunately tends to be the "odorless" pills and capsules found in health food stores. Odorless garlic as an antibiotic or general health promotion herb is useless if it doesn't have its smell. Garlic oil and powder supplements are produced by distilling fresh garlic, and then diluting it with other substances. This process destroys the majority of allicin in garlic. Therefore, the supplements rely on the human stomach to convert some of the remaining garlic components into allicin. Although a few garlic powder supplements are able to generate some allicin within the stomach, the amount converted, if any is converted at all, is dependant upon optimal stomach conditions.

British scientists have developed a proprietary process through which the naturally occurring allicin in garlic is extracted, stabilized and concentrated. The end result is the extremely potent and effective product: Alli-C. Alli-C garlic pills contain enough allicin to be medicinally effective. Each capsule of Alli-C contains 270 milligrams of allicin powder, plus 60 milligrams of vitamin C, and 40 milligrams of bioflavonoids which is the equivalent to 20 to 30 cloves of fresh, crushed garlic!

Research indicates that just one capsule of Alli-C, taken each day with a little cold liquid during your main meal, will provide enough allicin to support good general health and well-being.

Growing Garlic at Home

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Garlic plants pulled from ground showing the garlic bulbs with protruding roots and onion like above ground green stems.
Garlic plants pulled from ground showing the garlic bulbs with protruding roots and onion like above ground green stems.
Continued...

Garlic can be grown all year round in mild climates.

In cold climates, cloves can be planted in the ground about six weeks before the soil freezes, and harvested in late spring.

Garlic plants can be grown close together and even in small pots indoors as long as you leave enough room for the bulbs to mature.

Simply prepare a light soil mix and stick a garlic clove (the bigger the clove the better) in the ground for every bulb you want to dig up.

As garlic reaches maturity the leaves will turn brown in color then die away. This is the time to harvest your home grown garlic crop. If you harvest too early the cloves will be very small, too late and the bulb will have split.

Eat Garlic in Moderation

2 to 4 grams of fresh, minced garlic can be eaten each day. However, when eaten excessively, it can leave a distinct odor on the skin and breath, can cause heartburn, upset stomach and allergic reactions.

Garlic can also thin the blood so caution is advised to people with blood disorders, to those who will have surgery, and to those who will deliver a baby, about consuming it either fresh or in supplement form.

Side effects from taking garlic supplements include headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, muscle aches and dizziness.

Ginger goes well with garlic when cooking - Learn some Ginger Facts and Health Benefits.

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Cite This Page (APA): Langtree, I. C. (2017, December 20 - Last revised: 2020, April 20). Garlic Facts, Remedies, and Health Benefits. Disabled World. Retrieved October 16, 2024 from www.disabled-world.com/medical/alternative/herbal/garlic.php

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