Garlic - immunity enhancer
"Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food."
- Greek physician Hippocrates -
Garlic comes from Old English garleac, meaning "spear leek" and is part of the lily family, and closely related to onions, scallions, chives, leeks, and shallots. It is also referred to as "Russian penicillin."
One of the earliest documented plants used by humans for the treatment of diseases and maintenance of health.
Garlic possess antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal properties allowing it to stand against all infections.
The Ancient Egyptians recommended it for 22 ailments. In a papyrus dated 1500BC, the labourers who built the pyramids ate it to increase their stamina and keep them healthy.
In ancient Greece, during the first Olympic Games, garlic was taken by athletes before they competed to enhance performance.
Hippocrates, used garlic therapeutically for pulmonary complaints, as a cleansing or purgative agent, and for abdominal growths.
In ancient Rome, the chief physician of Nero’s army recommended garlic to “clean the arteries” improving cardiovascular health.
Other uses were for gastrointestinal tract disorder, alleviation of joint disease, seizures, respiratory ailments and for parasites.
In the Middle Ages, garlic was used as a treatment for the great Plagues.
In the The Renaissance era, a leading physician of the 16th Century, Dr. Pietro Mattioli of Siena, prescribed garlic for digestive disorders, kidney stones and expelling afterbirth.
Medical books from 1660s described it as an excellent cure for plague and small pox.
In 1721, during a widespread plague in Marseilles, four condemned criminals were recruited to bury the dead. The gravediggers proved to be immune to the disease. Their secret was a concoction they drank, consisting of macerated garlic in wine. This became known vinaigre des quatre voleurs - four thieves vinegar. It is still available in France today.
Louis Pasteur noted in 1858 that bacteria died when they were doused with garlic. Because of these findings, garlic was used extensively as an antiseptic and dysentery cure during both World Wars.
The sulphur-containing compound, Allicin, found in fresh, crushed or chewed garlic has antibacterial and antifungal properties.
Garlic builds the immunity against common cold and prevents heart ailments by clearing up blocked arteries, and keeping the digestive and lymphatic systems clean by flushing out toxins.
It has shown to lower total cholesterol and raise HDL (good cholesterol).
One particular substance found in garlic called ajoene has been used to help prevent infections with the yeast Candida albicans. It also contains germanium, which intensifies the activity of natural killer (NK) cells, that can stop cancer cells.
Cancer.gov’s National Cancer Intitute FactSheet:
Several population studies show an association between increased intake of garlic and reduced risk of certain cancers, including cancers of the stomach ach, colon, esophagus, pancreas, and breast.
Organo-sulfur compounds found in garlic have been identified as effective in destroying the cells in glioblastomas, a type of deadly brain tumor.
Scientists at the Medical University of South Carolina reported in the journal Cancer that three pure organo-sulfur compounds from garlic - DAS, DADS, and DATS - "demonstrated efficacy in eradicating brain cancer cells, but DATS proved to be the most effective."
A team at King's College London and the University of East Anglia, both in England, reported in the journal BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, that women whose diets were rich in allium vegetables had lower levels of osteoarthritis.
According to a study published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, Diallyl sulfide, a compound in garlic, was 100 times more effective than two popular antibiotics in fighting the Campylobacter bacterium, which is one of the most common causes of intestinal infections.
Doctors at the Department of Urology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China, carried out a study evaluating the relationship between Allium vegetable consumption and prostate cancer risk. They concluded, "Allium vegetables, especially garlic intake, are related to a decreased risk of prostate cancer."
Garlic is a blood thinner that makes blood platelets less sticky, so they won't clump together to form harmful blood clots. One of it's components is methyl allyl trisulfide, which dilates blood vessels and lowers blood pressure.
It would be a good habit to consume garlic daily.
When cooking with garlic, you need to crush or chop the garlic in advance of 15 minutes before using to allow optimal time for enzyme reactions that boost the healthy compounds in garlic. In addition, never cook garlic at high heat. Besides taking away the optimal benefits, it makes it taste,bitter.
Consuming garlic with parsley or mint counters garlic’s odorous smell.
If you are combating a cold or flu, take a spoonful of freshly minced garlic with raw honey.
Caution: for some, raw garlic can cause an upset stomach.
Garlic oil can be helpful for earaches. Put a split clove or two into a jar of olive oil and mullein oil. Let sit for a while and then add several drops of this into the ear.
I hope this was beneficial to you. My goal is to help provide the information that you need to make wise lifestyle choices.
Ramona