Millions of people around the world eat garlic every day, but not many of them know that it actually has very strong medicinal properties. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Babylonians, and Chinese knew about the health benefits of garlic and used it extensively. It is also a potent remedy to various illnesses and conditions according to Ayurveda in India, although it is mentioned it has some side effects as well. So, you can continue using garlic in your pizzas and pastas, but you can also use it as an actual medicine when you get sick. Here are 7 reasons to use garlic for your health.
Cold and flu
Garlic is a powerful immunity booster and will help your body deal with cold or flu in no time due to the sulphur compounds that form when you crush, cut, or chew a fresh garlic clove. This means that you can reap the most benefits from consuming raw garlic. To battle the seasonal flu take a few raw cloves of garlic or make a garlic tea with addition of some ginger and honey to make the taste more bearable. This will boost your immunity and relieve cold symptoms.
Nutrients
Garlic is chock-full of vitamins and minerals that are essential for your overall well-being. It has high levels of Vitamin C, copper, iron, selenium, magnesium and vitamin B6. The latter two are known to be responsible for cognitive functions, brain health, and good mood. Garlic is low on calories, which makes it a perfect food supplement to boost your health.
Anti-parasitic
For thousands of years our predecessors have been using garlic to fight various infections, ward off parasites, and flush out toxins. You can also say good-bye to bad bacteria and yeast infections. A mouth wash made from garlic will clear all the cavity-causing bacteria from your mouth, although it’s not the most freshening remedy. Prolonged intake of garlic and certain herbal mixes will free your body from all kinds of parasites.
Normalize blood pressure
High blood pressure is the cause of various heart diseases. Not only does garlic help regulate blood pressure, it also balances out cholesterol levels and lowers blood sugar. All this happens to the sulphuric compound Allicin that is present in freshly cut, crushed, or pressed garlic. This means that you will get the most benefits by consuming un-cooked garlic as it loses most of its medicinal properties once you add it as an ingredient to your meals.
Youthful skin
One of the main reasons our skin looks tired and old is the lack of collagen, which happens due to inappropriate diet, inadequate sleep cycle, and stress. All these factors lead to more wrinkles, making you look older than you care. Garlic helps retain collagen and it can also be used topically to treat various skin conditions and fungal infections.
Healthy hair
You might have heard that onion can somewhat restore your damaged hair – well, garlic can also provide some beautifying effect. If you have thin bristle hair and you feel that you’re losing too much of it, take some garlic extract (from raw crushed garlic) and rub it gently into your scalp. As you probably know, all hair problems lead either to your diet or to your scalp. You need to keep them both healthy! You can also try some garlic-infused oils and massage your head at least once a week. Your hair will become much stronger.
How to use it
Now that you know that garlic is pretty amazing, especially when consumed raw, you might want to include it into your diet. Make a tangy salad dressing by crushing a clove of garlic and mixing it with some olive or sunflower oil. You can also make a healthy, although a bit smelly, spread for a toast – just mash one garlic clove and mix it with some ghee for a better taste. If raw garlic isn’t for you, just use it to spice up your veggies, soups, and smoothies. There are also supplements you can take that have no odour whatsoever!