Garlic helps against high blood pressure, cancer and protects the liver

Garlic helps against high blood pressure, cancer and protects the liver

Knoblauch ( Allium sativum ) is a plant that is used in the kitchen and in medicine and is particularly known for its distinctive taste and characteristic aroma. Knoblauch is often used as a spice, but is technically a vegetable. As a member of the Allium family, it is a close relative of onions, shallots, leek and chives. The advantages of garlic do not end by giving food taste. It is a legitimate superfood that has been used for thousands of years for an astonishing diversity of medical applications.

history of the garlic

For over 7,000 years, people have been consuming garlic as a kitchen and as a remedy. The plant comes from Central Asia, but their use and its cultivation have spread all over the world. The ancient Egyptians gave the workers who built the pyramids, garlic to increase perseverance and prevent diseases. Olympic athletes chewed garlic in ancient Greece before participating in the games. There are references to garlic in Homers Odyssey , 5,000 year old Indian medical texts and in the Bible. Knoblauch was used in the cultures of the ancient Romans, Chinese, Vikings, Phoenicians, Israelites and Persians as food and medicine.

Now garlic remains a popular food and aroma. It is a staple of Mediterranean, Indian, Middle Eastern, Chinese and Southeast Asian cuisine. The potential medical applications of garlic even affect researchers again.

garlic nutrition profile

At first glance, the diet of garlic may seem puzzling. If you look at the official nutritional information for garlic, a typical portion of garlic (3-9 grams) does not provide a significant amount of the normally listed essential nutrients. It does not contain any significant amount of fiber, proteins, iron, potassium or vitamins A, D, E or most B vitamins.

It is a good source for selenium and contains small amounts of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and vitamins C and B6, but there are better sources for these nutrients. You would have to eat a lot of raw garlic to get a considerable amount of these nutrients, and although it is delicious, I think that very few of us have grown.

What exactly makes garlic in so many different cultures into such a valuable health -promoting tool? Knoblauch owes its healing properties to the presence of several sulfur -containing phytochemical compounds. Fresh garlic contains a sulfoxide compound called Alliin . When fresh garlic is chopped, crushed or damaged, Alliin is converted into Allicin by an enzyme called Alliinase . Allicin is responsible for a large part of the stinging garlic smell. Its actual purpose is to act as a defense mechanism and to protect the plant from pests.

Allicin is unstable and continues to disintegrate into other sulfur -containing compounds, including dallyyldisulfide, dallyyltrisulfide and dallyyl tetrasulfide. In the human body, dallyyldisulfide disintegrates into allylmethylsulfide, the main cause of garlic atem. (Advertising remark: To naturally reduce the garlic atem, try to suck a lemon carving, drink green tea or eat spinach or apple. These foods contain all the substances that mask or dismantle the smell of garlic.)

These are these sulfur -containing compounds that give the garlic its healing ability. The pest -resistant properties of Allicin still work when the connection is in the human body. This makes garlic a surprisingly good defense against harmful organisms such as bacteria, viruses, protozoa and mushrooms.

DIALLYLDISULFID also has antimicrobial properties as well as cancer -fighting and heart -healthy properties. The exact mechanisms behind the health advantages of garlic have not yet been fully clarified, but research has not yet been completed. We know that garlic can be an effective instrument to support a healthy lifestyle. Here are some options for how garlic can help.

Health advantages of garlic

1. Knoblauch supports cardiovascular health

garlic is one of the best foods for heart health. Studies have shown that garlic lowers cholesterol and lowers the lipid content in the blood. Experimental and clinical studies on the cardiovascular advantages of garlic have shown that it has a positive effect on atherosclerosis, hyperlipidemia, high blood pressure and thrombosis. Garlic also seems to have the ability to prevent blood clots. Tests are currently being carried out to examine the mechanism of this effect. (Source)

2. Garlic can help with high blood pressure

3. Knoblauch is nutritional support for cancer

Studies around the world have found a connection between high garlic intake and a reduced risk of cancer. Increased garlic consumption is associated with a reduction in the cancer of the stomach, colon, the esophagus, the pancreas, the prostate and the breast. The United States National Cancer Institute has explained that garlic could be the most effective food for cancer prevention. ((Link removed), (link removed))

4. Knoblauch and Diabetes

garlic can also offer significant advantages for diabetics. Experimental studies have shown that garlic lowers blood sugar levels and this hypoglycemic effect was repeated in animal studies. The treatment of humans is less examined, but looks promising. It was reported that garlic lowers cholesterol in the blood and reduces insulin resistance. However, further studies are required to fully understand the effects of garlic on human blood sugar levels. ((Link removed))

5. Knoblauch offers liver protection

garlic is one of the best foods for cleaning your liver. It can help alleviate the effects of fat liver diseases and offers hepatoprotective effects of certain toxic substances. Studies have shown that garlic can protect liver cells from paracetamol, gentamycin and nitrates. ((Link removed), (link removed))

6. Antimicrobial properties of garlic

For centuries, traditional medicine has been using garlic because of its antimicrobial properties. Modern studies have shown that the antibacterial properties of garlic in salmonella, staphylococcal infections, Clostridium (the cause of botulism), Proteus, Mycobacterium and H. Pylori are effective. Knoblauch was even proposed to treat drug -resistant tuberculosis. ((Link removed))

The effect of garlic against harmful organisms does not stop in bacteria. It is anti -protozoal, antifungal and even antiviral. In-vitro studies have shown that garlic against influenza, cytomegalovirus, rhinovirus (the cause of the cold), viral pneumonia, rotavirus, herpes simplex 1 and 2 and even HIV is effective. Unfortunately, these results are only confirmed in reagent glass studies. It remains to be seen how the active ingredients of the garlic react to viruses in the human system. ((Link removed))

Studies on colds have shown that those who consumed gone blue extract had milder symptoms and a shorter duration of illness than placebo groups, but the exact mechanism behind this phenomenon is still unclear. Further examinations are required to better understand the healing power of garlic. ((Link removed))

7. Garlic is a strong antioxidant

Free radicals are unstable molecules that damage the DNA and lead to poor health. Garlic contains strong antioxidants that combat these free radicals. When Allicin is broken down, an acid that reacts with the free radicals and captures it. Researchers at Queens University in Ontario believe that this is the strongest antioxidant that has ever been discovered. ((Link removed))

ways to consume garlic

There are hundreds, if not thousands of recipes that contain garlic. The best way to absorb the health benefits of garlic is to consume it raw. Raw garlic can be somewhat intense for some, but there are different ways to alleviate the spicy and at the same time get the full health benefits. My favorite is to add a dressing like the lemon-garlic dressing used in this cabbage recipe or the balsamic vinaigrette of this green bean salad raw garlic.

Although it sounds a bit strange for those who have not tried it, they can actually drink garlic. I am happy to prepare a garlic tea for a quick strengthening of the immune system:

classic garlic tea recipe

ingredients

• 1 bio-garlic toe
• ½ lime or lemon, juicy
• 1 tl raw bio honey (PMIMAL)

preparation

Cut
1. 1 organic garlic toe very thinly.
2. Cook a cup of water.
Put
3. in slices sliced ​​garlic in a cup.
4. pour the hot water over the garlic and cover the cup with a small plate.
5. let it rest for 10 minutes.
6. Add the juice of half a lime.
7. add half a spoon of raw bio honey. (optimal)

If you don't like tea, there is another emergency immune amplifier. Finely chop two cloves of garlic, mix and drink with the juice of ten lime. If it is too strong, add some fresh orange juice to alleviate the taste.

Possibly further examinations are required, but it is already clear that garlic is an incredible natural remedy with amazing health advantages. Our ancestors knew that and we are now rediscovering the full power of this sharp vegetables.