Garlic Health Benefits
Garlic Health Benefits.. As one of the most valuable and versatile foods on the planet, garlic is a native to Central Asia and has been used throughout history for culinary and medicinal purposes.
It has long been considered a herbal “wonder drug”, with a reputation in folklore for preventing everything from the common cold and flu to the plague! Today garlic is a widely recognized health enhancing supplement.
Garlic Facts:
• Garlic is a member of the onion family which also includes leeks and shallots.
• It is actually considered both a vegetable and a herb.
• It can be grown all year round in mild climates.
• Builders of the ancient pyramids were said to eat garlic daily for enhanced endurance and strength.
• 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.
• Garlic can thin the blood , just like aspirin.
• Garlic and onions are toxic to cats and dogs.
• Drinking lemon juice or eating a few slices of lemon will stop bad garlic breath.
Garlic Health Benefits:
• Garlic’s primary and well-known health benefit is its ability to enhance the body’s immune cell activity. Antioxidants in garlic can protect the body against all types of bacterial and viral attacks.
• Garlic is a potent antibiotic, even against strains that have become resistant to many drugs.
• Garlic is said to have around 1 percent of the power of penicillin against certain bacteria. For example: Candida or yeast infections are successfully inhibited with garlic.
• One of the main reasons for garlic’s benefits may be its ability to lessen the amount of free radicals present in the bloodstream.
• It lowers blood cholesterol levels and reduces the buildup of plaque in the arteries.
• It is an excellent source of manganese, a very good source of vitamin B6 and vitamin C and a good source of selenium.
• Selenium provides help for protection against cancer and heavy metal toxicity.
• Making garlic and onions a big part of your healthy diet may greatly lower your risk of several common cancers, especially breast, stomach, prostate and bladder cancer.
• Garlic lowers or helps to regulate blood sugar.
• Eating garlic can give you an enhanced sense of well-being.
• Garlic is helpful for men dealing with impotence: It aids in blood circulation and keeps veins and arteries youthful, it also stimulates the production of nitric oxide enzyme necessary to obtain an erection.
• Garlic’s antibacterial, analgesic, and anesthetizing properties can help cure toothaches. Try putting a piece of crushed garlic clove directly onto the affected tooth and the gum for instant relief.
Garlic Side Effects:
Raw garlic is very strong and it is not free of side effects, so eating too much could produce problems. Side effects of garlic include: bad breath and body odor, mouth burning and irritation, gas, nausea and vomiting.
If you experience vomiting of blood, red blood in the stool, vision or speech change, weakness or numbness in an arm or a leg and any unusal bleeding or bruising, please contact your doctor.
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Garlic Health Benefits- References:
Loy MH, Rivlin RS. Garlic and cardiovascular disease. Nutr Clin Care. 2000;3(3):146-151.
Silagy CA, Neil AW. A meta-analysis of the effect of garlic on blood pressure. J Hypertens. 1994;12:463-468.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garlic.
http://www.garlic-central.com/ garlic health benefits .html
Galeone C, Pelucchi C, Levi F, Negri E, Franceschi S, Talamini R, Giacosa A, La Vecchia C. Onion and garlic use and human cancer. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Nov;84(5):1027-32. 2006.
