What is Garlic?
Cloves | |
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
Pyramid | |
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.
Builders of the ancient pyramids were said to eat garlic daily for enhanced endurance and strength.
Garlic was placed by the ancient Greeks on the piles of stones at cross-roads, as a supper for Hecate.
Roman emperors couldn't eat enough of it, as it was considered an
antidote to poisons which were very popular in certain political
circles of the time.
The Spanish have long used garlic as a preservative which helps
to add creadence to it's anti-bacterial properties and whole books have
been devoted to the health benefits of garlic.
The inhabitants of Pelusium in lower Egypt, who worshipped the
onion, are said to have had an aversion to both onions and garlic as
food.
European beliefs once considered garlic a powerful ward against
demons, werewolves, and vampires. To ward off vampires, garlic could be
worn, hung in windows or rubbed on chimneys and keyholes.
Garlic Facts
Garlic has germanium in it. Germanium is an anti-cancer agent,
and garlic has more of it than any other herb. In lab tests, mice fed
garlic showed no cancer development, whereas mice that weren't fed
garlic showed at least some. In fact, garlic has been shown to retard
tumor growth in human subjects in some parts of the world.
Another benefit of garlic is it helps regulate the body's blood pressure. So whether you have problems with low or
high blood pressure, garlic can help equalize it.
Garlic helps strengthen your body's defenses against
allergies; helps loosen plaque from the artery walls; helps regulate your
blood sugar levels; and is the best choice for killing and expelling parasites such as pin worms from the human body.
In addition to all these health benefits, garlic is packed with
vitamins and nutrients. Some of these include protein, potassium,
Vitamins A, B, B2 and C, Calcium, Zinc and many others.
In a 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, allicin
powder was found to reduce the incidence of the common cold by over 50%.
Garlic and onions are toxic to cats and dogs.
Garlic can thin the blood similar to the effect of
aspirin.
Drinking lemon juice or eating a few slices of lemon will stop bad garlic breath.
It is traditional to plant garlic on the shortest day of the year. Whether this is for symbolic or practical reasons is unclear.
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 helps platelet stickiness or aggregation to help reduce blood coagulation, and promote heart health.
The antioxidant properties of garlic help scavenge harmful free
radicals, which can damage LDL (bad) cholesterol in the blood stream.
Garlic also promotes increased bile production to help reduce
levels of fat in the liver. Garlic pills also help ward off coughs and
colds.
Garlic and Your Heart.
The positive effect of garlic on your circulatory system is extremely well documented and it has been proved to:
lower blood pressure
decrease platelet aggregation
lower serum triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol ( the bad type) levels
increase serum HDL-cholesterol (the good type) and fibrinolysis (the process through which the body breaks up blood clots.)
Plus it stimulates the production of nitric oxide in the lining of blood vessel walls, a substance that helps them to relax.
As a result of these beneficial actions garlic helps to prevent
arteriosclerosis and thereby reduces the risk of heart attack or
stroke.
Two or three cloves a day have cut the risk of subsequent heart attacks in half in heart patients.
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
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.
The Iowa Women's Health Study discovered that women who included garlic in their daily diet had lower risks for
colon cancer.
Meat cooked at high temperatures (well done to burnt) can produce
carcinogenic (cancer producing) chemicals and research has recently
discovered that when meat is cooked with garlic this effect is limited.
The ten best groups of anti-cancer foods include: berries and
citrus fruits, cruciferous vegetables, garlic and onions, green tea,
omega 3 essential fatty acids, olive oil, tomatoes, soy products, red wine and dark chocolate.
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 is an invaluable medicine for asthma, hoarseness, coughs,
difficulty of breathing, and most other disorders of the lungs, being of
particular virtue in
chronic bronchitis, on account of its powers of promoting expectoration.
An older remedy for asthma, that was most popular, is a syrup of
Garlic, made by boiling the garlic bulbs till soft and adding an equal
quantity of vinegar to the water in which they have been boiled, and
then sugared and boiled down to a syrup. The syrup is then poured over
the boiled garlic bulbs, which have been allowed to dry meanwhile, and
kept in a jar. Each morning a bulb or two should be taken, with a
spoonful of the syrup.
For ear infections: Wrap a small piece of garlic in some
tissue, and insert it into the ear. Leave it there overnight if
possible. Pain is almost immediately removed and the infection tends to
start clearing up overnight. See our full article
Garlic can Fight and Cure Ear Infections
For scratchy throats: Put a small slice of garlic in your
mouth and suck on it for 10-15 minutes. You can put it between your
teeth and cheek, then scratch it with your teeth a little to help
stimulate juice from the garlic slice. This juice slides down your
throat and removes the pain.
Garlic can heal the pain caused by insect bites like those of
scorpions and centipedes. The juice of fresh garlic mixed with salt can
be applied to bruises, sprains and
ringworms.
At the first sign of a cold, chop up 4 cloves of raw garlic and eat or use it as a garnish in soups etc.
Cut raw garlic and rub the cut edge on the tooth and gums a couple of times a day to stop
toothache.
Take fresh garlic cloves and crush them, apply to
warts until they disappear.
Crush a clove or two onto a dessert spoon then add olive oil and
down the hatch. you get the benefits of raw garlic with none of the
breath issues.
Garlic to clear sinuses. Melt some butter and add minced garlic cloves, spread on toast and eat.
Garlic for
herpes.
Take a garlic clove and cut in half. Eat one half and take the other
half and rub into the affected areas. (may sting a little)
Use raw garlic juice on rashes and bug bites, it stops the itching immediately.
8 to 10 of garlic juice mixed with 2 TBLS of honey four times a day cures a persistent cough.
Garlic for
tonsillitis.
Peel a clove of garlic and cut them in half lengthwise. Boil for a
couple of minutes in about 1.5 cup water and add a pinch of salt,
teaspoon of butter, a pinch of pepper and sprinkle with nutmeg.
Cut a garlic clove into small pieces. Swallow them all in one go
with a little water to cure bloating, stomach cramps and constipation.
10 drops of garlic juice with 2 teaspoon of honey cures asthma.
Garlic in Cooking
Garlic soup | |
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?
Pills | |
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
Growing garlic | |
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 lond 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.
Disabled World - Disability News for all the Family: http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/garlic-benefit.shtml#ixzz2GPPNrkKR
Also:
