18 Health Benefits of Garlic
What is Garlic?
Garlic belongs to the Onion Family and is closely related to Onion, Chives, Shallot, and Leek.
It has been there through times and is found to be centuries old.
Well-preserved garlic was found in the tomb of Tutankhamen which was then consumed by soldiers and sailors.
Garlic is an old vegetable and its name has even been mentioned in Bible.
We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. -Numbers 11:5
It was used by Ancient Egyptians, Romans, Babylonians, and Greeks.
Garlic was stringed and hung over doors or as a necklace with garlic strewn together to ward off evil spirits and vampires.
It has a distinctive flavor and odor which is contributed by different Sulphur compounds.
It has a number of medicinal benefits.
It has been used as a seasoning, spice in dried form, and in herbal medications.
China is the biggest exporter of garlic worldwide. It produces nearly 80% of the world’s total garlic supply.
What does the word Garlic mean?
The word Garlic is derived from Old English Gar and Leac which stands for Spear and Leek respectively meaning a Spear-shaped Leek.
Garlic comes in the form of 10-20 Cloves closely packed in a bulb covered by a thin sheath.
Bees, Moths, Butterflies, and many other insects help in Garlic’s pollination.
Why does one smell ‘garlicky’ after eating a lot of garlic?
When a person eats a lot of garlic, the smell is evident in his breath and sweat. It is because garlic has Sulphur-compounds that are metabolized to form Allyl Methyl Sulfide-AMS which cannot be digested. AMS enters into the blood and then in the lungs and then through the skin, it is excreted out.
Bottom-Line: Do Not have a lot of garlic before going to a meeting, party, or your Big Day.
A Quick Fix for Garlic Breath?
Chew on a sprig of Mint or Mint-flavored gum, Fennel seeds, or Parsley.
Why does a Garlic turn Green when cut?
It’s not envying that turns Garlic Green, rather the sulfur compounds present in garlic react with amino acids contributing to the distinctive color change.
It does not mean that the garlic turned bad.
Calories in Garlic
A Whole Garlic has only “4 Calories”.
A single clove of garlic is subjected to almost no calories.
What is the Recommended Daily Dose of Garlic?
Taking 1 to 2 garlic cloves a day is considered to be safe to get out the benefits of garlic.
18 Health Benefits of Garlic
There are innumerable benefits of Garlic but before diving into them let’s get the answer to the question listed below!
What is Allicin?
The Benefits of Garlic are attributed to a compound called “Allicin”.
Allicin is an organosulfur compound that is got from garlic when the garlic is chopped or crushed. It is volatile in nature, so it is short-lived.
Its half-life in crushed garlic is 2.5 days at 23 degrees Celsius.
It’s poorly miscible in water.
Garlic not just gives you a ‘Rotten Rose’ smell but It has a number of benefits which are listed below.
1. Garlic for shunning off pests
Garlic plants are helpful to repel Moles, Mosquitoes, Rabbits, and Slugs.
Allicin is a defense mechanism against the attack of pests on a garlic plant.
2. Garlic Full of Nutrients
Garlic is packed with Nutrients.
It has Calcium, Copper, Iron, Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), Vitamin C, Manganese, Selenium, Potassium, and Phosphorus.
3. Garlic is Good for Heart
One of the benefits of garlic is that it is a superfood when it comes to heart health.
Garlic can help prevent heart attacks.
Garlic has proved to unclog arteries, reducing blood pressure.
It also helps to reduce Total Cholesterol and LDL also called Bad Cholesterol.
There is a Super Tonic used in Herbal Medication which has a number of health benefits and one of its main constituents is Garlic.
Click here for Super Tonic’s Recipe
4. Garlic and its Antioxidant Effects
Garlic has a number of antioxidants namely alliin, allicin, allyl disulfide, and allyl cysteine.
5. Garlic is used for Detoxification
Allicin in garlic helps in purifying the blood hence working as a detoxifying agent.
It works as an Immunity Booster.
It promotes the Leucocyte (White Blood Cells) Generation.
It protects the liver from toxic substances meanwhile detoxifying the blood.
It also helps the organs detoxifying against lead and heavy metal toxicity.
6. Garlic for Clearer Skin
As Allicin in Garlic helps in detoxification, purifying the blood which shows on face and body by giving a clearer skin.
Garlic has Anti-Ageing and Anti-Oxidant properties which help fight free radicals.
Garlic helps remove any wrinkle, age spots, and any other signs of aging from the face. As well as garlic has skin whitening effects and its juice is being used in the different facial masks as a whitening agent.
7. Garlic for Healthy Hair
As Garlic is anti-microbial in nature so it keeps the scalp in good health.
It is rich in nutrients like zinc, selenium, and calcium which are trace minerals contributing to overall hair health.
8. Garlic for Strong Longer Nails
Back in college, once I saw one of my friends (who was a Bride-to-be) sitting in the college garden and rubbing a garlic clove on her nails. I asked her why was she doing so.
“For Strong Longer Nails.” She responded.
Garlic is rich in Selenium which makes the nails grow longer.
Garlic is anti-septic anti-fungal so it kills any fungus or bacteria present around the nail bed, nail, or skin making the nails stronger.
9. Garlic for Weight Loss
Raw Garlic is proved to be beneficial for lowering cholesterol and losing weight by chewing on one clove of garlic (Do not go Overboard!), First thing in the morning.
Garlic helps one in losing weight by increasing the metabolism and suppressing the appetite.
As the metabolism increases, calories are burnt faster leading to weight loss.
Taking garlic helps one to feel full for a longer time, curbing hunger.
10. Garlic is Anti-Bacterial, Anti-Microbial and Anti-Fungal
Allicin has Anti-Bacterial, Anti-Microbial, Anti-Viral, and Anti-Fungal properties.
When Covid-19 Pandemic was hit, messages were flooded across the internet to increase one’s garlic intake.
Although, research is underway on whether garlic is effective in treating or warding off Coronavirus. Nonetheless, it improves one’s immunity.
Allicin inhibits the growth of both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. It impedes the bacteria from synthesizing RNA primarily and DNA and protein formation partially.
Due to its Anti-Fungal effects, it is proved to be good for treating Athlete’ foot which is caused by Ringworm.
11. Garlic for keeping Cancer at Bay
As Garlic is Anti-microbial in nature so it is thought to prove effective to kill cancerous cells also by augmenting genetic repairs
A few studies have supported the view that garlic helps to keep the stomach, esophagus, colon, breast, prostate, and colon cancer at bay.
Garlic has Allicin, Allyl Sulfides, and Flavonoids which help in preventing cancer cell proliferation.
12. Garlic for Stronger Bones
Research has proven that Garlic helps increase the Estrogen levels in the female which in turn helps reduce bone loss.
Taking 1 to 2 cloves of garlic daily will help one get rid of the effects of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.
13. Garlic for Sportsman
Ancient Greek Olympic Athletes used to take garlic before their big tournaments to increase their performance.
Garlic increases athletic performance by increasing the VO2 Max. It increases the antioxidant effects of the Musculoskeletal system.
It is also really good for runners.
14. Garlic for shunning of Cold and Sore Throat
Allicin in garlic is sore-throat causing Streptococci bacteria’s killer due to its Anti-Bacterial nature.
To get a fast action against colds and sore throat, take a garlic clove and chew it raw or suck on it for 10 to 15 minutes but one has to be a He-Man to do so.
15. Garlic for Blood Sugar
Small studies show that Garlic controls blood sugar levels in people with Type 2 Diabetes.
Garlic is very low on carbohydrate content so it is perfect for people with diabetes.
16. Garlic for UTI
It helps fight against multi-drug resistant UTI due to its anti-microbial and anti-bacterial activities.
17. Garlic for Digestion
Garlic helps to improve digestion. When taken on an empty stomach it acts as a strong antibiotic. It helps in killing and getting rid of intestinal worms. It also helps in treating gastritis.
18. Garlic for Memory
One of the benefits of garlic is its role in brain health. Research has proven that its regular use may help in sharpening memory.
It also helps fight Dementia and Alzheimer’s because of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
What happens if one overeats Garlic then the recommended dose?
Overeating garlic may lead to side effects like heartburn, acidity, bloating, upset stomach, diarrhea, nausea, vomit, body odor, bad breath or even it can induce bleeding.
Take-Away Points
Garlic is a very ancient vegetable. It has a strong fragrance and flavor which is characterized by a sulfur compound called Allicin. Garlic when crushed and rubbed releases Allicin.
Most of the benefits which we avail from garlic are due to Allicin.
The leading benefits of garlic are its anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal, and antiseptic in nature.
It is very low in calories and carbs.
Only take 1 to 2 cloves of garlic in a day as overeating may take a toll on one’s health.