The many medicinal gifts of garlic

The old saying “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” credited to the Greek physician Hippocrates (circa. 460-370 B.C.), also considered the “father of medicine,” seems to have really practiced what he preached.  He once prescribed a certain food substance for nearly everything from poor digestion, fatigue, respiratory issues, and parasites. This same food was even given to the first Olympic athletes in Ancient Greece to aid in their athletic performance.

Hippocrates’ tried and true remedy was garlic which has managed over the centuries to this day in maintaining its reputation as a well-respected and powerful healthy substance.  

Getting to know garlic

Garlic, known universally as the stinking rose, is an edible bulb widely used as a flavoring component in cooking.  Like onions, shallots, and chives, it is a member of the lily family coming from the genus Allium. The word allium is the Latin word for garlic.

The fresh garlic you buy at the grocery store is the garlic bulb, while each segment is called a clove.  A single bulb has about 10-20 cloves.  Buying fresh garlic bulbs is preferred over prepeeled or prechopped bulbs.  While understandably convenient, prepeeled garlic will have lost some of its flavor due to the blanching process used to remove the skin.  Store garlic in a cool, dark place like a pantry keeping them in a mesh or wire basket or paper bag with good air circulation.  Avoid storing fresh garlic bulbs in plastic bags or sealed containers which can cause them to mold and sprout.

Garlic can be eaten raw or cooked with other foods. It can be dried or powdered and used in tablets and capsules.  Oils and liquid extracts can be made from raw garlic cloves.

Garlic’s nutritional muscle

What is it garlic possesses making it widely regarded as a healthy, therapeutic substance to use in our diet frequently? Garlic has been blessed with very powerful active agents called organosulfur compounds or allyl sulfide compounds.  Whenever you chop or crush garlic, this releases an enzyme called alliinase causing the formation of allicin.  Allicin is a pungent oily liquid with antibacterial properties and is garlic’s potent medicinal weapon providing numerous health benefits. 

In order to activate allicin, garlic must be either finely chopped or crushed.  The finer the chopping and the greater the intensity of crushing, the more allicin is activated leading to a stronger medicinal effect.   All that chopping and crushing breaks down cell walls beginning a flow of chemical reactions, including its characteristic smell, which leads to desired sulfides.

Once garlic has been chopped or crushed, don’t be tempted to toss it in hot oil or a cooking dish just yet.  Let it rest for about 10 to 15 minutes allowing the compounds a chance to form.  If you toss in garlic right after chopping it will still give the desired taste but not have quite the medicinal power.

How garlic can work for you

Here are some potential health advantages you may gain using garlic:

·Reduce cancer risk

Using raw or cooked garlic - not supplements – appear to have a positive effect on cancer reduction.  The Iowa’s Women’s Health Study, involving 41,000 women found those who routinely consumed garlic, fruits and vegetables experienced a 35% reduction in colon cancer risk.  A 2013 study in the Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention found that allium vegetables, particularly garlic, to be related to a decreased risk of prostate cancer. 

·Reduces cardiovascular risk

There appears to be strong evidence garlic plays an important role in heart health.  A 2016 study found aged garlic extract, which was well tolerated, was effective in reducing hypertension and has the potential to improve arterial stiffness and inflammation.                             It’s also believed sulfur in garlic is turned into hydrogen sulfide gas by red blood cells helping expand blood vessels helping regulate blood pressure better.  The size of one large clove or about 4 grams of garlic daily is recommended by the German Commission E, similar to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

·Boosts the immune system

The antioxidants contained in garlic may help ward off colds and flu.  It was once used to cure gangrene during the world wars due to its antioxidant potency.

·Reduces inflammation

The sulphuric compound found in garlic, appear to have anti-inflammatory properties.  This could mean real improvements in autoimmune conditions when more garlic is added to the diet.

·Gets rid of athletes foot

If soaking your feet in garlic doesn’t sound very appealing, you may reconsider if you suffer from athlete’s foot.  Garlic possesses anti-fungal capabilities that can help give relief to this condition.  Soaking your feet in garlic water may do just the trick to get rid of it.

·Prevents food poisoning

Adding garlic to food may help prevent potential serious and unpleasant cases of food poisoning.   Research has shown garlic’s anti-bacterial properties might help prevent this by killing bacteria like E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella.  However don’t rely on adding garlic to a dish as a proven way to avoid food poisoning.  Proper sanitation, food handling and food temperatures are still mainstays to preventing food poisoning.   

Giving garlic a try

Many claims have been made of garlic’s health advantages.  Keep in mind, what works for one person may not work for another.  But garlic is still a proven substance offering a wide nutritional portfolio we should all try out.  Using fresh garlic cloves as opposed to garlic supplements, is the best way to obtain the very best nutritional power garlic has to offer.