The benefit of garlic

Medicine Health Benefits of Garlic (Raw, Supplement)

 

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is a plant that is used for its many powerful medicinal benefits and as a pungent herb in cooking. Raw garlic has been used as a medicine for centuries. Recent scientific research has shown that garlic has many health benefits such as boosting your immune system, improving cardiovascular health, helping to fight colds and flu, and reducing inflammation.

Garlic has a strong anti-bacterial properties. According to a study published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, a compound in garlic named diallyl disulfide is 100 times more powerful than two common types of antibiotics for fighting the bacteria Campylobacter. The garlic compound was able to destroy the bacteria in just a fraction of the time taken by the antibiotics.

You can use raw garlic as a medicine by chopping or crushing cloves from the garlic bulb and eating it. Some people prefer to buy garlic supplements or garlic pills to help boost their health and prevent some of the side effects of consuming raw garlic.

However you choose to supplement your diet with garlic, you will find that garlic benefits your overall health.

In this article, I will look at what science says about how to use garlic as a medicine. You will learn how to use raw or dried garlic to boost your immunity and protect yourself against cold and flu infections.

Nutritional Value of Garlic

Garlic is closely related to onions, shallots, chives and leeks. Each segment of a garlic bulb (or head) is called a clove. There are about 10–12 cloves in a single bulb or head.

Mincing 1 small clove of garlic yields about ½ teaspoon and 1 large clove yields about 1.5 teaspoons.

Garlic is a very nutritious food and is low in calories. In fact, you may be surprised to learn about the nutrition facts of garlic.

Just 3 garlic cloves contain the following vitamins, minerals, and nutrients:

(1) 8 mg vitamin C (5% recommended daily intake)

• 1 mg vitamin B6 (6% RDI)
• 16 mg calcium
• 36 mg potassium
• 13 mg phosphorus
• 8 mg omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 g carbohydrates
• 13 calories

As well as the above nutrients, garlic also contains traces of vitamins A and K, as well as B-group vitamins.

Medicinal Components of Garlic

The health benefits of garlic are mostly due to chemical compounds that have an antioxidant effect in the body.

The main medicinal property of garlic is a compound called allicin. A review of the therapeutic effects of garlic stated that allicin is the principal bioactive chemical in raw garlic. This is a sulfur-based compound that has an anticancer, anti-hypertensive, and antimicrobial effect. Allicin becomes active when garlic bulbs are chopped or crushed. 

(2) Garlic also contains compounds with well-known medicinal properties such as phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and antioxidants.

(3) Garlic bulbs also contain omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. They play a central role in the normal development and functioning of the brain and central nervous system.

Medicinal Health Benefits of Garlic (Raw and Dry)

Let’s look in more detail at science-based research that sheds light on the health benefits of eating raw garlic or taking garlic supplements.

Garlic Can Boost Your Immune System

Consuming fresh garlic gives your immune system a powerful boost. Although many people choose garlic supplements like aged garlic extract to increase immunity, there is evidence that active compounds have the same effect.

A study found that eating a meal containing fresh garlic has an immediate effect in boosting the body’s immune system. volunteers ate a meal that had 5 g crushed garlic (about 2 garlic cloves). 3 hours after consuming the meal, blood tests revealed that taking garlic had a positive impact on the immune system.

Research into the immune-boosting potential of fresh garlic and garlic compounds show that garlic benefits your immune system. Researchers discovered that consuming fresh garlic stimulates the production of T-cells – a type of white blood cell that has an important role in a healthy immune system.

There is even evidence to suggest that the antibacterial properties of fresh garlic also boost the effectiveness of antibiotics.

The health benefits of raw garlic for colds and your immunity come from eating fresh, raw garlic because you get the active compound allicin.

However, if you want to avoid bad breath from garlic, taking high-quality garlic supplements also have a positive effect on your immune system.

When taking garlic to improve immunity you need to avoid these common mistakes.

Garlic Can Help Fight Flu and Cold Infections

Increasing the amount of garlic in your diet can help fight off the common cold and flu infections.

The founder of Omo Osun Herbal Mixture in 2016 found that supplementing your diet with aged garlic extracts (AGE) can help to reduce the severity of cold and flu. During the trial, 120 healthy adults took 2.56 g aged garlic extract supplements for 3 months. He also found that people who took garlic supplements during the “flu season” experienced fewer and less-serious symptoms.

Another examined from Omo Osun is the effect of garlic supplements containing allicin on 146 volunteers. During the months of November to February, people in the group taking the garlic supplements were less likely to get a cold. If they did become ill, the length of the cold or flu infection was shorter.

The reason why garlic helps to prevent cold and flu infections is because garlic extracts could enhance immune cell function. This helps to build up the body’s defenses to lessen the severity of upper respiratory infections such as cold and flu.

Medicinal Compounds in Garlic Help to Lower Blood Pressure

One of the ways that using garlic as a medicine protects your heart is that it helps to lower hypertension (high blood pressure)

A review of 20 trials in using garlic extract supplements for blood pressure found them to be effective. After reviewing the results from over 970 individuals, researchers reported that garlic capsules can help to reduce both systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. In some cases, taking the garlic extracts lowered blood pressure by up to 8.7 mm Hg.

Other studies have shown that combining 20 g fresh garlic (about 6 cloves) with a tablespoon of lemon juice can help to significantly lower cholesterol levels.

There are more ways to reduce cholesterol that you may never have thought of.

Garlic Can Help Reduce Blood Glucose Levels

Regularly taking garlic extract supplements can help to lower blood glucose levels. Taking garlic can also help you manage the symptoms of type 2 diabetes.

A comparison of studies into the antidiabetic effect of garlic found that garlic supplementation helps to reduce blood glucose levels. Taking garlic supplements up to 1.5 g daily helped to lower fasting blood glucose in 1-2 weeks.

Some trials found that tablets of dry garlic powder were effective in controlling diabetes symptoms. Other trials found that garlic capsules enhanced with allicin were also effective in managing type 2 diabetes.

Garlic Has Anti-Inflammatory Properties

Inflammation is connected with many chronic diseases. Science-based research has revealed that aged garlic extracts (AGE) can help to prevent chronic disease due to its anti-inflammatory potential.

Garlic Has Antioxidant Properties That Help Protect Your Liver

The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds in garlic extracts can have a therapeutic effect on the liver.

One trial examined the effect of garlic powder on people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. 110 men and women were divided into 2 groups and one group received 400 mg garlic powder twice a day. The study revealed that taking garlic powder supplements regularly reduced body weight in people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Eat Garlic to Treat Gastric Ulcers

The antibacterial potential of allicin in garlic can help to treat gastric ulcers and other digestive issues.

Most peptic and gastric ulcers are caused by the Helicobacter pylori strain of bacteria. A small clinical trial in 2016 on 15 humans with gastric ulcers found that raw garlic helped to kill off gastrointestinal bacterial infections. The study showed that taking 2 cloves of garlic twice a day has anti bacterial effect against H. pylori infection. 

If you consume garlic supplement, there is a lot of variation among garlic products sold for medicinal purposes. The amount of allicin depends on the method of preparation, and not all garlic supplements contain the same amount of active ingredients, so it is important to read the label carefully.

How can you start eating more raw garlic in your diet to benefit from its therapeutic properties? Here are a few ideas:

• Before eating raw garlic, crush 2 or 3 garlic cloves and allow to sit for 10 minutes. This allows the allicin to become activated.
• Use fresh, raw garlic because cooking can affect some of garlic’s medicine properties.
• Mix fresh crushed garlic with plain yogurt or honey to mask the strong sulfur taste.

Side Effects of Garlic

In general, garlic is safe to take when using a few raw garlic cloves a day. However, raw garlic can cause some unpleasant side effects:

• Bad breath and body odor
• Eating garlic on an empty stomach can cause gastrointestinal upset
• Changes in intestinal flora that result in excess gas, nausea, vomiting or diarea   Thanks to Alhaji Hammed Omo Osun, for more about garlic come to our office address # 1 asimiyu str araromi Alapako, Iledu bus stop Badagry express road Lagos or Call : 08083279020 or 08160677817