Garlic and its Facts

I was watching at Global Korea TV channel through satellite few days ago and found this interesting and very useful information about Garlic. Garlic, I'm 100% sure everyone knows about it and it is so often used in daily preparation of meals. But do you realise how much benefits would you get from this small little plant despite of its strong pungent smell?



Garlic has long been known as a herbal wonder drug, with its reputation in folklore for preventing various diseases ranged from common cold flu to grave disease like plague. It was worshipped by the ancient Egyptians, as a snack chewed by Greek Olympian athletes and thought to be 'essential' for keeping vampires at bay!

Garlic brings indisputable benefits not only to our health but also to medical fields nowadays due to its therapeutic effects. Really, it has play an very important role in our life that its uses are just too many to be mentioned so I'll just share its beneficial uses in the following list:

1. Antibacterial effect -- probably the ONLY antibiotic that can actually kill infecting bacteria and at the same time protect the body from the poisons that are causing the infection. The most sensitive bacterium to garlic is the deadly Bacillus anthrax which produces the poison anthrax. Besides that, tuberculosis cases treated with garlic are shown very successfully as the invading organism Mycobacterium tuberculosis is sensitive to several of the sulphur components found in garlic.

2. Natural mosquito repellent

3. Decrease cholesterol level -- Garlic is lipid lowering agent. The largest study so far was conducted in Germany where 261 patients from 30 general practices were given either garlic powder tablets or a placebo. After a 12 week treatment period mean serum cholesterol levels dropped by 12% in the garlic treated group and triglycerides dropped by 17% compared to the placebo group.

4. Impotence -- Believe or not?! Garlic has been known as an aphrodisiac (substance that can arouse sexual desire)! Well, fact is that an enzyme called nitric oxide synthase (NOS) is primarily responsible for the mechanism of erection. Studies have recently shown that garlic in certain forms can stimulate the production of NOS particularly in individuals who have low levels of this enzyme.

5. Circulation -- from a medical point of view it can improve blood circulation significantly.

6. Pregnancy -- Data taken from research carried out by O&G department in Chelsea and Westminster hospital, London, showing that garlic can cut down the risk of pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure and retained protein in urine). It can boost as well the birth-weight of babies destined to be small.

7. Powerful Antioxidant -- Antioxidants help to protect the body against damaging free radicals.

8. Fast cure for common cough and cold

9. Anti-cancer properties

10. Useful in Diabetic patients

11. As a cardioprotective agent

12. Garlic festival? -- yes! Gilroy is a small town in California and for many years now Gilroy and garlic have been synonymous, but it wasn't until Gilroy's annual Garlic Festival began in 1979 did the community embrace the local garlic industry. Today, Gilroy is best known as "The Garlic Capital of the World" and is world renown for its annual Gilroy Garlic Festival where thousands of flock to see, touch and yes, eat garlic.
Garlic however is popular all over America and there are many festivals held during the year - another big event is the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival in Saugerties, New York. At most of these events you will find garlic flavour in virtually everything from wine to soap, ice-cream, candy, meat and cakes!

13. It has synergistic effect with other health food supplements.

And many others! Well, you might wonder what is the component inside the garlic that make it so useful and beneficial. I got this info from TV as well, ya, ALLICIN is the key component of garlic!

I'll share more about Allicin in the coming post. Actually, I wanna share in this post about the way of making a good meal purely from garlic! 3 dishes in a meal, simple and easy And most important of these all 3 dishes, Garlic is the main ingredient! So let's call it as Garlic meal! ^^ Proven delicious and of course the healthy ones! But before all these, I wanna let all know about it benefits and uses, then you'd appreciate it way much more than just its good taste =)

So, do keep tune with following post about which I'm gonna share this recipe.

Have a great day!



By BlueStar

*Sources partly taken from Garlic Information Center, mistral.co.uk.