What are the health benefits of garlic? Why is this one herb so important for your diet?
Health Benefits of Garlic
There’s been a lot of talk about natural health and wellness lately. It seems like a day doesn’t pass that we don’t hear about a new “super” food or some crucial nutrient that you aren’t getting enough of. It starts to make you question what really works and what is just part of this all-natural craze?
Don’t get me wrong, I believe in using mother nature to heal and prevent illness, but you won’t catch me running off to the store to pay a fortune for the latest exotic fruit that some quack just decided will keep you from aging.
I’m a little bit more old school than that. Natural medicine and remedies have been around a lot longer than this current fad, and there are some tried and true ways to hack your health without going to the drug store.
One of the most popular ingredients for home health is garlic, and for good reason. A study from Washington State University shows that garlic is 100 times more effective than two popular antibiotics at fighting disease-causing bacteria commonly responsible for food-borne illness. Talk about healing power.
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Garlic And Your Immune System
Common Benefits
Garlic has many primary and secondary health benefits and applications, including:
- Mosquito repellant
- Natural antibiotic
- Antiseptic
- Increase in antioxidant levels
- Immune booster
- Anti-spasmodic
- Heart disease
- Anthelmintic
- Blood pressure
- Vitamins and nutrients
However, not all of these benefits can be found in the raw bulb. When you cut into a bulb, you are initiating a biochemical reaction that produces the compound, Allicin. Leaving the bulbs then to sit for a day or two at room temperature enables the Allicin to start forming other medicinal compounds.
Soaking raw garlic in various mediums may also bring out different aspects of its healing capabilities. Soaking it in alcohol or water are best for pulling out the Allicin, a powerful antibiotic. Crushed garlic in oil releases ajoenes and dithiins – blood-thinners, which don’t exist in raw garlic, but are produced from the Allicin after the clove is cut/crushed.
This infographic reveals some surprising facts about garlic:
Next time you feel something coming on, grab some garlic and reveal those hidden powers.
Great information !!!! I love garlic but I now know how to prep it for the most benefit. Gonna grow some in my garden. Thank you so much .