“Let food be your medicine and the medicine be your food.” These were the words of Hippocrates, a Greek physician who is considered the father of medicine. He stressed on prescribing herbs and simple food items used in the kitchen as a medicine for curing several ailments ranging from common cold to depression. He used garlic for the treatment of a broad range of medical conditions affecting several systems and organs in the body. Here is the list of disorders that respond well to garlic and the health benefits provided by this herb:
Garlic is a highly nutritious herb that is also very low in calories. A one ounce serving of garlic can provide almost 23% of the daily requirement of Manganese and 17% of the daily requirement of vitamin B6. [1] It also contains 15% of the daily requirement of vitamin C and 6% of the daily requirement of Selenium. Besides these, it also contains some other nutrients like Calcium, Potassium, Copper, Phosphorus, Vitamin B1and Iron in decent amounts. And this amazing nutritional content comes with just 42 calories! So, the bottom line is it is the best food for those who want to lose weight. Garlic can help a person to lose weight steadily without compromising on the nutritional status of the body. The high nutritional content also makes it a valuable addition to the medicine kit of a household as a daily supplement for children and aged people.
Garlic in its raw, crushed form and as a supplementation can relieve the symptoms of common cold and flu by boosting the functions of the immune system. [2] It enhances the response of the fighter cells in the immune system to the infection-causing germs and allergens like dirt. This, in turn, reduces the symptoms of inflammation such as redness and watering of the nose, congestion in the nose and headache. It is found that people who use garlic supplements daily for 12 weeks have 63% less chance of getting common cold that those who do not.
Even the average duration of the cold symptoms reduces from 5 days to just one and a half days when garlic supplements are regularly used. Hence, patients who develop recurrent attacks of cold due to allergies or any other reason are advised to consume garlic regularly.
Cardiac diseases like heart attacks and heart failure are the most common causes of sudden death. High blood pressure is an important driver for these diseases. Some studies have concluded that garlic supplementation can have a significant effect on the blood pressure of patients with hypertension. It keeps the blood pressure within normal limits and reduces the risk of life-threatening diseases like a heart attack. Garlic is found to be as effective as Atenolol, a commonly prescribed drug for hypertension. However, garlic has an advantage over atenolol and other antihypertensive drugs in that it causes no side effects.
High level of cholesterol is another common precursor of heart diseases like heart attack and even hypertension. Garlic can lower the risk of these diseases by reducing bad cholesterol in the blood. Garlic supplementations appear to reduce the cholesterol by almost 10-15%. Hence, patients suffering from high cholesterol and those at a risk of developing hypertension and heart attack due to factors like obesity and family history are advised to eat raw garlic daily or use its supplements.
Alzheimer’s disease is an age-related disorder that causes loss of memory, also called dementia. Though dementia can also occur due to some other illnesses, it is predominantly considered a symptom of Alzheimer’s disease. Though this disease usually occurs in the older people, it may affect younger people due to the oxidative damage caused by free radicals. Garlic can help in controlling this process or even reverse the progression of the disease by destroying the free radicals. It contains antioxidants, which support the protective mechanisms of the immune system against the oxidative damage caused by free radicals. High doses of garlic supplements may be needed for people who have a family history of Alzheimer’s disease as this disease is known to run in families. It can help them in preventing this condition.
Garlic is an effective “performance enhancing” substance. In fact, it is among one of the earliest substances that were proved to possess this quality. It was used in ancient cultures for reducing fatigue and enhancing the stamina and work capacity of laborers. It was also administered to the Olympic athletes in the ancient Greece. Garlic improves the ability of a person to exercise for a longer duration by increasing his or her endurance and strength. It can also allow the patients with heart diseases to exercise safely. It had been found that such patients, when given garlic supplements, had a lower peak heart rate and a better exercise capacity. The lower heart rate during exercise is a significant factor in preventing the complications caused by the extra strain on the heart due to the strenuous activities.
When used in high doses, garlic can protect the organs from the damage caused by heavy metal toxicity. This benefit of garlic can be attributed to the Sulphur compounds present in this herb. A four-week study conducted in the people exposed to high levels of lead has concluded that garlic can help reduce the levels of lead in the blood by almost 19%. It can also reduce the clinical signs of toxicity, such as high blood pressure and headache.
Osteoporosis is a disorder caused by low bone density, which makes the bones weak, brittle and prone to fractures. This condition is commonly seen in menopausal women. Garlic can minimize the loss of bone by increasing estrogen in women. It has been found that eating about 2 grams of raw garlic every day or using dry garlic extract can reduce the marker for estrogen deficiency significantly thereby minimizing the loss of bone tissues. This suggests the importance of garlic supplements for the menopausal women. Garlic is also useful for relieving the pain and discomfort in the bones caused due to osteoarthritis.
Given the strong taste and smell of garlic, many people find it hard to believe that it can be used for treating skin disorders as skin is a very delicate organ of the body. However, this herb has been found to work effectively in treating blemishes. Allicin, the compound in garlic, has an ability to minimize the harmful effects of free radicals and bacteria on the skin. Allicin, when in its decomposed form called sulfenic acid, also produces a strong action on the free radicals, making garlic a valuable herb for reducing acne, scars and skin allergies. [3]
Garlic has a very high content of sulfur, which helps in the production of keratin. Keratin is a protein that makes up the hair. A high level of keratin stimulates the fortification and growth of hair. It has been found that the use of garlic gel can add to the therapeutic efficacy of the commonly used topical agents like betamethasone valerate for inducing hair regrowth. [3]
Garlic is a powerful natural antibiotic. It contains Diallyl sulfide, a compound that is much more powerful than the commonly used antibiotics. It is specifically effective against Campylobacter bacterium, which is a very common cause of infections in the intestine.
The effect of any substance on the longevity of human life is impossible to prove. However, given the immense medicinal effects of garlic on the important risk factors for heart attack, stroke, and cancer, it makes sense that this herb does help a person to live healthier and longer. The fact that garlic can also fight the infectious diseases is also a factor in prolonging life, especially in the children, elderly people and the patients with dysfunctional immune systems.
So, it is clear that Garlic is more than just a magical substance that can ward off vampires; it’s also a superfood that works as a great health aid. Hippocrates was very right in advising people to use this food as a medicine. He knew that the nature has hidden a treasure of medicines in different parts of the plants; sometime in their leaves, sometimes in the flowers, sometimes in the roots, sometimes in the stem and even in the bulb as in garlic. It is up to us to find out this hidden treasure and make use of them to our advantage to get rid of diseases like cancer, high cholesterol, heart problems and depression for which the modern science is yet to find a cure that is free from side effects.
There is no medicine in the conventional treatment that is devoid of any side effects. And this is the greatest advantage of using herbs. The herbs like garlic are not only as effective as the allopathic drugs for relieving the ailments but are also completely safe to use. Patients suffering from the disorders mentioned above are advised to give garlic a try so that they can free themselves from the disturbing symptoms.
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