Health Benefits of Garlic

Garlic is a delicious seasoning, adding great flavor to numerous foods, but it is also anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory. Garlic is composed of a variety of enzymes, flavonoids, antioxidants, and minerals such as calcium, copper, iron, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and selenium. The vitamins it contains are vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6 and vitamin C. Daily consumption of garlic can prevent and even help to cure many health problems. If consumed in small doses, and consumed often, it is an excellent supplement. In history, garlic was considered to be the best medicine. In WW1, even though penicillin had already been discovered, if there was a shortage or lack of penicillin, medics and doctors would use garlic on the wounded to prevent infections and gangrene. It was placed raw on wounds, and may have saved many lives. It was used to cure cancerous tumors and was also put row on wounds; it saved many lives.

Garlic supports a healthy immune system, which is necessary to fight cancer. It appears that it also has the ability to reduce the formation of cancerous cells, and slow the growth of tumor cells. Studies have shown that compounds in garlic slow the rate of growth in the tumor, even reducing the tumor size by half. There are several healthy ingredients in garlic and they are useful to us in ways that we do not even know. Allicin is produced when garlic is finely chopped or crushed. It starts to break down almost immediately, so its medicinal effects decrease quickly as well, but cooking and microwaving also destroy its benefits. Therefore for it to be most effective, you should crush a little and combine it with cooked food shortly before serving. Another benefit of garlic to us is its ability to help control our blood pressure by thinning our blood. The chemical found in garlic, called ajoene, thins the blood and keeps clots from forming. Studies show that in populations where there is more garlic consumed, there is also a reduced incidence of hypertension and heart disease.