Glorious Garlic

Garlic was worshipped by the ancient Egyptians, given to the workers who built the pyramids to keep them strong and healthy, chewed by Greek Olympian athletes and thought to be essential for keeping vampires at bay! It is also good for zapping bacteria, keeping your heart healthy, warding off coughs and colds - and don't worry it needn't give you bad breath!

Chinese texts dating back to 2000 BC speak of the healing potency of garlic. Classical writers such as Chaucer, and Shakespeare mention garlic, and it was present in the diets of early Romans, Greeks, and Egyptians. In Homer's 8th century BC epic poem Ulysses the hero was saved from being turned into a pig, thanks to garlic.

While the origin of this member of the Lily family is unknown, some believe it originated in Siberia, then spread to the Mediterranean area while there are other who attribute its origin to central Asia. However, all we know for certain is that garlic is cultivated and used worldwide now.

Apart from being an excellent herb that enhances the taste of any dish that it is added to, garlic has many healing properties too. Fresh garlic has many active constituents including Alliin, Allicin, Alliinase and unique sulphur compounds. Allicin and the sulphur compounds of garlic are the ingredients primarily responsible for garlic's potency as a medicinal herb. Experiments have shown beyond doubt that consuming garlic has the following health benefits:

• Garlic compounds lower blood pressure by slowing the production of hormones that lead to high blood pressure.
  
• The sulphur containing compounds of garlic stimulate the release of bile from the gall bladder and decrease the production of cholesterol in the liver thereby causing a reduction in LDL cholesterol.
  
• Garlic also has the ability to make your blood thinner and less sticky, which means it helps to prevent the platelets from building plaque up in your arteries. This helps to maintain the flexibility of the arteries in the heart.
  
• It also helps in regulating blood sugar.
  
• Garlic helps to prevent blood clots from forming, thus reducing the possibility of strokes and thromboses (It may not be good for hemophiliacs).
  
• Prevents cancer, tumors from growing larger and reduces the size of certain tumours. A chemical called Allyl-sulfide present in garlic is thought to be responsible for the cancer fighting ability.
  
• Helps in removing heavy metals such as lead and mercury from the body.
  
• Raw garlic is a potent natural antibiotic and while far less strong than modern antibiotics, can still kill some strains of bacteria that have become immune or resistant to modern antibiotics. This is because of Allicin, a strong antibiotic agent that is produced when a fresh garlic clove is crushed or chewed.
  
• It has anti-fungal and anti-viral properties.
  
• Garlic dramatically reduces yeast infections due to Candida species.
  

Garlic’s sulphur compounds are potent antioxidants which protect cell membranes and DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) from damage.

Usage:

So what is the best way to use garlic to get the maximum benefits? Garlic comes in many different forms including fresh herb or clove, liquid, oil, powder and capsules. The best way of course is to have raw or lightly cooked garlic as it contains a potent array of sulphur compounds, which give garlic its healing properties. However, before you use garlic in cooking, be sure to crush it first and set it aside for 10 to 15 minutes to allow its healing properties to develop. Crushing releases the Allicin that is responsible for all the medicinal properties.

When taking garlic pills or capsules make sure that one pill supplies at least 4000 milligrams of Allicin, which is the amount of Allicin provided by one fresh garlic clove. A supplement that gives you 400 to 600 milligrams of garlic per day will help combat colds and flu.

Remedies:

Infections: Garlic oil applied 2 to 3 times a day to skin abrasions is effective in fighting infection. You can apply the juice from crushed garlic cloves to the skin for the same effect but take care when doing this because overuse may cause skin irritation. For infections, such as athlete's foot, skin infections and acne, place a freshly mashed garlic clove in a piece of cotton gauze and rub it over the affected areas.

Acidity:

Eat 7-9 cloves of garlic throughout the day, either with milk or spread on butter. It work as a relaxer and keep the acids calmed down.

Cold:

 Garlic is also essential for helping with colds. Fresh garlic mixed with honey is an effective home remedy for colds, hoarseness and inflammation of the throat. Crush a few pods of of fresh garlic cloves, mix with one cup of honey. Let is sit for one hour to infuse the honey with the garlic's essential oils and then store in a cool place. Take one to two tablespoons at the first signs of a cold and then repeat every hour thereafter.

HIB - Health Advice