Benefits of Garlic

Scientific Name: Allium sativum

Biological Background: This bulbous plant is closely related to onions, leeks, chives and is a member of Allium vegetables. Garlic is native to Central Asia, and has been cultivated for at least 5,000 years.

Nutritional Information: Due to its use as a spice, garlic provides insignificant amount of nutrients.

Pharmacological Activity: The healing power of garlic is recognized through Chinese folk traditions dating back thousands of years. Garlic contains multiple compounds and antioxidants including organosulfur compounds (diallyl sulfides), which are believed to be responsible for most of the pharmacological and antimicrobial actions. Garlic is a proven broad-spectrum antibiotic that combats bacterial, intestinal parasites, and viruses. It can lower blood pressure and blood cholesterol, discourage dangerous blood clotting, lower chances of cancers (especially stomach cancer). Garlic is a good cold medicine, acts as a decongestant, expectorant, antispasmodic, and anti-inflammatory agent. It has antidiarrheal, estrogenic, and diuretic activity and appears to lift mood.

Eating Tips: High doses of raw garlic have caused gas, bloating, diarrhea and fever in some. To fight bacteria, raw garlic is better. However cooking does not diminish garlics blood thinning and other cardioprotective capabilities, and in fact, may enhance them by releasing antithrombotic ajoene. As a cancer fighter, raw garlic may be better than cooked ones. Eat garlic both raw and cooked for all around insurance. Eating garlic with parsley may reduce garlic breath.

Free Radicals

Free radicals are oxygen-containing chemicals that have an impaired electron. The impaired electron makes free radicals highly reactive to DNA, proteins, membranes, and other cell machineries, resulting in oxidative damages including DNA mutations, protein dysfunction, and destruction of membrane and other cell structures. These oxidative damages promote aging and increase the risk of age-related diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, immune system declines, brain dysfunction, and cataracts. Known free radicals that are involved in the aging process are superoxide, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), hydroxyl radical (OH), singlet oxygen, lipid epoxides, lipid hydroperoxides, lipid alkoyl, peroxyl radicals, and oxides. They are either produced during our normal metabolisms or introduced into our bodies from outside sources.

The effective way to reduce free radical damage to the body is by eating whole plant foods such as grains, vegetables, and fruits that contain various types of potent antioxidants.