Uses Of Garlic

Uses Of Garlic. Graphic © herbshealthhappiness.com. Background images – Pixabay (PD).

Garlic is an aromatic culinary ingredient with a surprisingly wide range of touted health benefit. They say an apple a day keep the doctor – but we say a clove of garlic. Below are some of the purported health benefits of garlic.

⦁ Respiratory Health: Garlic extract has been shown to reduce the symptoms and occurrences of bronchitis and general respiratory health. ^[1][2]

⦁ Gastrointestinal Health: Suffering from poor digestion? The daily intake of garlic cloves helps with several digestive problems including diarrhea, inflammation and colitis. It also improves oral health and alleviates tooth aches. ^[3]

⦁ Low energy: Garlic is “performance enhancing” substance capable of improving work capacity and reducing fatigue. ^[4]

⦁ Increased absorption of iron and zinc

⦁ Help Fight Cancer: Early clinical studies suggest a link between dietary intake of garlic and prevention of certain types of cancer. ^[5]

⦁ Help Control Diabetes: Diabetes is a serious condition associated with high levels of blood glucose, blood pressure, cholesterol, obesity, and genetic factors. Research shows that garlic might help control blood sugar, reduce insulin resistance, and lower cholesterol levels. ^[6]

⦁ Regulate cholesterol: A study published in the Journal of Nutrition concluded, “the results of our studies indicate that the cholesterol-lowering effects of garlic extract.” ^[7]

⦁ Antioxidant Properties: Garlic contains potent compounds that counteract the harmful effects of oxidative stress and promote the activities of body’s antioxidant enzymes. ^[8][9]

⦁ Antibiotic Properties: Some studies show that garlic is a potent antibiotic against yeast infections, parasites, cold and flu, fungal infections, and certain strains of bacteria. ^{[10][12][12][13][14]} It also helps enhance the immune system. ^[15]

Please note that this content should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinicians.

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Health Benefits Of Eating Garlic On An Empty Stomach

Health Benefits Of Eating Garlic On An Empty Stomach. Graphic © herbshealthhappiness.com. Photo © enterlinedesign – fotolia.com

Garlic has proven time and time again how healthy it is for the human body. A large number of scientific studies on garlic have revealed how it improves heart health and even has chemopreventive effects. The next time you take a crack at cooking, a garlic dish will do wonders for your health – and your loved ones too!

It’s a known fact that cooking garlic (and other fruits and vegetables) can deactivate the substances in garlic that make it most beneficial to health, so taking raw garlic is the way to go. When you eat garlic on an empty stomach, it can further potentiate its effects since no other food that can interact with it.

Garlic is one of nature’s most potent antibiotics, which explains why it has been used since old times as an herbal remedy for fighting pathogenic bacteria. If you take garlic on an empty stomach, the effect is more concentrated.

Other health benefits of garlic:

1 – Garlic is an antioxidant

A study by Zakarova in 2014 revealed that garlic (specifically sprouted garlic) could stimulate the production of phytochemicals in the body, which promote antioxidant activities. Through this, there is reduced oxidative stress in the body (due to the lack of free radicals) and reduced risk for chronic diseases of the heart and liver. ^[1]

2 – Garlic can help fight cancer

Another 2014 study, this time conducted by Trio, et. al. as population and preclinical investigations suggest that garlic could decrease the risk for a number of cancers – specifically esophageal, stomach, and prostate cancer. These characteristics can be attributed to garlic organosulfur compounds (OSCs), which become degraded through cooking and processing, further solidifying the concept that the best way to receive the health benefits of garlic is to eat it raw. ^[2]

3 – Garlic oil reduces cholesterol and heart damage

Too much cholesterol in the body can damage the heart, causing a condition called cardiac hypertrophy. Low-density lipoprotein, “bad cholesterol”, easily damages the blood vessels and tissues, which can cause inflammation and damage. Hsieh, et. al.’s study showed that garlic oil was able to reduce cardiac hypertrophy and cholesterol levels significantly. ^[3]

4 – Garlic can protect you from lung damage and cancer

Two recent studies were published on the protective effects of garlic on the respiratory system. Jeong, et. al. revealed in 2012 that red garlic extract was able to reduce the damage to the lungs done by cigarette smoke. ^[4] A study by Jin, et. al. in 2013 revealed results on how raw garlic in particular was able to reduce the risk for lung cancer. ^[5]

5 – Garlic can fight the effects of Schistosomiasis

Schistosomiasis affects more than 200 million people worldwide. Its most dangerous effect on the body is the destruction of the liver caused by the deposition of eggs and worms by the parasite. A study in 2011 used garlic extracts on two groups, one control and one experimental. The group who consumed garlic extracts manifested reduced symptoms of the Schistosomiasis infection. ^[6]

Special Tip: Crush Garlic For Best Health Effects – According to the Oregon State University, chopping or crushing garlic (shortly before eating) causes the release of alliinase – a substance that promotes the maximum production and release of beneficial organosulfur compounds. ^[7]

Learn More – check out our full herbal page on garlic.

Scientists Find Garlic To Be 100x More Effective Than Antibiotics Against Food Poisoning Bacteria

Scientists Find Garlic To Be 100x More Effective Than Antibiotics Against Food Poisoning Bacteria. Graphic © herbshealthhappiness.com. Garlic background image – JJ Harrison (wikipedia) – lic under CC 3.0

A team of scientists has discovered that garlic concentrates and garlic-derived compound diallyl sulfide worked better than 2 commonly used antibiotics (erythromycin and ciprofloxacin) against bacteria that cause foodborne illness. In addition to being way more effective, the garlic-derived compound was also much quicker in its action.

The researchers have also published research indicating the effectiveness of diallyl sulfide against Listeria and E. Coli bacteria.

This is great news for fans of natural products, because it means that adding garlic appears to be able to make other foods safer to eat. The researchers also claimed that diallyl sulfide could be used for cleaning and food preparation purposes.

In the study, garlic was tested against Campylobacter jejuni, which causes an estimated 2.4 million cases of sickness per year in the USA alone.

Garlic has been used as an antibacterial since ancient times. A slice of garlic has been placed on an open wound in order to stave off infection. And good old Louis Pasteur noted that garlic killed bacteria. It’s a shame that it has taken so long for these “natural antibiotics” to return to the fore – as antibiotics have been found to cause a number of problems, including the development of “superbugs” and other side effects such as the damage to “friendly” bacteria in the gut.

It seems that garlic’s ability to “ward off evil” has been vindicated and it makes we curious as to whether the old medicinal use of the plant has some connection to the popular myth. Food for a new research! 🙂

Once again, the herbs have come out victorious in a showdown against “modern” treatments. 🙂 Nature knows best! Thanks to the scientists for their years of dedicated work. These brilliant people are at the top of their field, working for years with little public recognition in order to help the world become a better place.

Anyway here is the link to the original post where I discovered this great news:

https://preventdisease.com/news/12/050212_Garlic-Proven-100-Time-More-Effective-Than-Antibiotics.shtml

I’ve also dug up the links to the scientific papers, here you go:

Lu X, Rasco BA, Jabal JM, Aston DE, Lin M, Konkel ME: “Investigating antibacterial effects of garlic (Allium sativum) concentrate and garlic-derived organosulfur compounds on Campylobacter jejuni by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and electron microscopy.” (2011) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21642409

Lu X, Samuelson DR, Rasco BA, Konkel ME: “Antimicrobial effect of diallyl sulphide on Campylobacter jejuni biofilms.” (2012) https://jac.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2012/04/27/jac.dks138.abstract

Lu X, Rasco BA, Kang D, Jabal JM, Aston DE, Konkel ME: “Infrared and Raman Spectroscopic Studies of the Antimicrobial Effects of Garlic Concentrates and Diallyl Constituents on Foodborne Pathogens” (2011) https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3433400/