The Healing Power of Garlic

How often do you eat garlic? Is it once a week, twice a week, or more often? Health experts recommend eating garlic on a daily basis. Touted as nature’s best antibiotic, this spice boasts antifungal, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties. It also contains sulfur compounds that inhibit tumor growth and help prevent cancer. The old saying “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food,” which belongs to Hippocrates, actually refers to garlic.

What Are the Health Benefits of Garlic?

This humble spice has been subject to over 5,100 studies. Its health benefits are proven by science. Garlic consumption has been shown to prevent four of the major causes of death worldwide, including cancer, stroke, heart disease, and infections. Its beneficial effects are due to the high allicin levels and sulfur compounds, which may lower the risk of squamous cell carcinoma, coronary artery disease, heart attack, and high blood pressure.

Allicin, one of the active compounds in garlic, improves immune function and regulates blood pressure. In a 12-week study, subjects who took garlic supplements had a 70 percent reduction in cold symptoms within one day and a half. The placebo group needed five days to experience the same improvements. Allicin has been also found to lower bad cholesterol levels, prevent metabolic syndrome, and reduce diabetes risk.

Garlic is also a fantastic source of antioxidants that strengthen your natural defense mechanisms and scavenge free radicals. In the long run, it may reduce your risk of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, premature aging, and other conditions triggered by oxidative stress. Eating garlic is also a safe, natural way to eliminate toxins and heavy metals from your system.

How to Use Garlic as a Medicine

If you love garlic, it should be easy to include it in your diet. This spice goes well with most veggies and meats. You can eat it raw, add it to cooked meals, or even use it in green smoothies. Those who dislike its pungent flavor can eat cooked garlic, which has a mild aroma.

Raw garlic appears to have the highest nutritional value. Cooking destroys some of its enzymes and antioxidants. For this reason, it’s recommended to eat raw garlic on an empty stomach or first thing in the morning. Another trick you can use to preserve its nutrients is to crush it and then wait 10 minutes before cooking. Use this spice in soups, stews, homemade snacks, steak, and fish dishes to reap its benefits!