Garlic

Just wanted to share about it, as i'm trying to incorporate more n more healtier choices in our diet.
So here it goes.......

Love it or hate it, the garlic can transform a humble dish into a gastronomic delight with its flavour and fragrance. Aromatic and almost bitter, it becomes delicate and sweet when cooked. Garlic is an ancient plant with a long history as a popular culinary ingredient, a healing "wonder food" and also as a protective charm.

Garlic (Allium sativum) is a versatile and savory ingredient originally native to Asia that is now enjoyed world-wide. Prized as a medicinal, magical, and culinary plant, garlic is related to the onion and takes on many different personalities depending on how it is cooked. From mellow to pungent, garlic offers a variety of flavor to devotees of the “stinking rose”.


The Physiological Effects of Garlic

Studies by competent multi-degreed scientists have shown beyond any reasonable doubt that consuming garlic generally has the following physical effects:

Garlic lowers blood pressure a little.
Garlic lowers LDL Cholesterol a little. (more effective in women than in men)
Garlic helps reduce atherosclerotic buildup (plaque) within the arterial system. One recent study shows this effect too to be greater in women than men.
Garlic lowers or helps to regulate 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).
Garlic helps to prevent cancer, especially of the digestive system, prevents certain tumors from growing larger and reduces the size of certain tumors.
Garlic helps to remove 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.
Garlic has anti-fungal and anti-viral properties.
Garlic dramatically reduces yeast infections due to Candida species.
Garlic has anti-oxidant properties and is a source of selenium.
Garlic can improve claudication (leg muscle cramps on exertion)
Garlic also can reduce or cure the fungal infection of Athlete's foot, and reverse some middle ear inflammation.
Garlic is generally regarded as a preventive measure for colds and flu.

At some time or other during its long history, garlic has also been used to treat such afflictions as acne, altitude sickness, animal bites, bee stings, athlete's foot, asthma, constipation, greying hair, toothache and headaches.

It has been, in fact, probably the most studied herbal product, with about 1,200 medical and pharmacological reports, and an additional 700 or so chemical studies, now published.

Garlic's role in cancer seems to be more to prevent it than to cure it, at least based on the ways we now use it. Garlic eaters just get less cancer than non-garlic eaters, according to demographic surveys. Using garlic in various ways inhibits cancer cells from reproducing, that is, it slows down the process and may actually reverse it in the early stages.

It is best to let crushed raw garlic set for 7 or 14 minutes before using so that it can form the maximum amount of allicin in order to have greater antibacterial properties.Also, chopping or crushing garlic and waiting and then baking it or microwaving it increases the amount of DADS and DATS in the cooked residue - same with boiling it in an enclosed pot or in milk. The water or milk in which the garlic is boiled is also rich in DADS and DATS - drink it.

Rubbing crushed fresh garlic on the skin will get more of garlics compounds into your system faster than eating it, it stands to reason that you could do the same thing by rubbing garlic-laced booze or oil directly on the skin and absorb it through diffusion

Crushed raw garlic is a very powerful antibiotic, but it must be applied to the site of the infection, including Staph and Strep, to be effective. It will burn like fire for a minute or two but it is the best way I know of to kill staph without a prescription medicine.

If there's a piece of meat that's not fresh , but you're going to cook it and eat it anyway, rub crushed garlic all over it and the garlic will kill most if not all exposed bacteria

Water stabilizes allicin, the active ingredient in garlic for a while and its half-life in water is 28 days, during which time is still possesses antibiotic properties, according to Dr. Larry Lawson (Lawson & Wang, 1994). That's important to remember. Conversely, crushed garlic left alone at room temp loses allicin rapidly the first day and gradually each day and after a week or ten days, there's little allicin left. If you only have a little, putting the crushed garlic in water will keep it useable much longer than if you just set it on a saucer.

Raw garlic(mixed with white vinegar)is used by some to treat the symptoms of acne. This treatment uses the antibiotic, antifungal, antiseptic and germicidal properties of garlic to fight the acne while its antioxidants help repair and protect the skin from free radical damage and help draw out infections. The vinegar balances your skin’s pH levels.

CAUTION: Garlic must be used with caution by people who have a bleeding disorder, or are on blood thinning medication such as aspirin or warfarin, because it is a powerful blood thinner. Other side effects include bad breath, body odor, heartburn, upset stomach, and allergic reactions.

So, is garlic beneficial to your health? Most likely it is, if we can learn anything from its long medicinal history. But, remember that the vast majority of positive observations of the past were based on the consumption of fresh whole garlic and plenty of it, at that! So if Garlic is still not a part of your daily diet, now is the time to incorporate it! It will not only make your food taste better, but will also make you a more healthy person. And if you hate the smell it leaves in your mouth, you can easily use the garlic capsules available in the stores. Great health and no Bad Breath.

Posted by Neha

Labels: health food, healthy