One of the most popular healthy plants around, garlic is now commonly used in our cooking and for medicinal benefits. But how many of you actually know what health benefits garlic has?
1. Garlic for Allergies
The antiviral properties in garlic help the body fight against various allergies and hay fever. Garlic, which is high in vitamin C, is also known to reduce histamine release and break down histamine, which is often involved in allergic reactions. Start taking a little bit of garlic every day for 2 or 3 weeks before your allergies play up.
2. Garlic as an Antibiotic
The active ingredient in garlic, allicin, which is formed when the garlic cloves are chopped or crushed (see more about this in this article), is a very powerful antibiotic. It also helps inhibit the growth and reproduction of germs. Just 1mg of allicin is said to have a potency of 15 standard units of penicillin.
3. Garlic for Asthma and Difficulty Breathing
If you suffer from asthma, difficulty breathing, hoarseness, dry or chesty cough, or another lung disorder, then you should include garlic in your diet. Its ability to hinder histamine release is also beneficial for asthma sufferers, as histamine is known to promote inflammation in people with asthma. A couple of popular recipes for asthma sufferers include drinking warm garlic milk (garlic brewed in milk) to relieve discomfort, or garlic and ginger tea to prevent coughing.
4. Garlic for Blocked Sinuses
Garlic is great for clearing sinuses. As well as consume garlic you can also try infusing a few chopped cloves of garlic in hot water for a few minutes, then inhaling the steam. The steam will open the blocked sinuses and drain the mucus, while the garlic will help rid the body of bacterial and fungal infections. You can do this 2 or 3 times a day.
5. Garlic for Bloating, Cramps and Constipation
Chopped raw garlic can help to cure bloating, stomach cramps and constipation. Too much garlic can have the opposite effect (diarrhea).
6. Garlic as a Blood Thinner
If you have problems with clotting then you might want to try this natural method. Garlic can help thin the blood in the same way that aspirin does. Try adding garlic to your meals. Fish oil is also good for thinning blood. Be careful about taking garlic if you are also taking a blood thinning medication such as Warfarin.
7. Garlic for Chronic Bronchitis
Garlic is known to be particularly good at treating chronic bronchitis. Garlic is particularly good at encouraging the body to clear out the lungs and chest by coughing and spitting up mucous.
8. Garlic for Colds and Flu
The powerful antioxidants in garlic are great news for your immune system and subsequently protect your body from cold and flu, as are its antibacterial and antiviral properties. Garlic also helps your body recover, with high levels of vitamin C, vitamin B6, selenium and manganese. Garlic also relieves coughs, migraines, and works as a decongestant and expectorant. As soon as the cold symptoms hit, add a few cloves of garlic to soup or meals, drink it in a tea, or eat it raw.
9. Garlic for Coughing
As we have already mentioned a couple of times, the antibacterial properties in garlic make it an excellent treatment for coughs, as well as other throat irritations. It can even help get rid of mouth ulcers. Just rub a clove of garlic directly onto the ulcer.
10. Garlic for Diabetes
Garlic is also known to help regulate your blood sugar levels. It works by increasing the amount of insulin released in people with diabetes. This helps to lower blood sugar levels. If you are a diabetic, you might want to consider taking garlic on top of your normal routine.
11. Garlic for Ear Infections
Garlic is also incredibly effective against ear infections, largely thanks to its antibacterial properties. In order to treat the ear infection, and for immediate relief, wrap a small piece of garlic in some tissue and insert it into the ear, leave overnight (unless dealing with children).
12. Garlic for Heart Health
Garlic is widely known to help with heart health by reducing blood coagulation, lowering blood pressure, decreasing platelet aggregation, lowering serum triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol levels, increasing serum HDL-cholesterol, and increasing fibrinolysis, which break up blood clots in the body. A recent study found that just 2 to 3 garlic cloves a day cut the risk of subsequent heart attacks in half of the patients.
13. Garlic for Herpes
Use garlic as a topical treatment for herpes. Just cut a garlic clove in half and apply it directly to the affected area. Also incorporate garlic in your diet daily.
14. Garlic for High or Low Blood Pressure
Garlic helps regulate blood pressure. Taking garlic daily was found to equalise the person’s blood pressure (lower it in people with high blood pressure and raise it in people with low blood pressure). The treatment was found to be as effective as prescription blood pressure drugs, but without the nasty side effects.
15. Garlic for High Cholesterol
Taking garlic daily has also been found to lower levels of harmful cholesterol, as well as reduce arterial plaque formation by 5% to18%.
16. Garlic for Impotence
Garlic is great at helping with circulation and improving blood flow. This is great for people with arteriosclerosis (daily doses of garlic extract were found to significantly reduce oxidant stress in their blood), but has also been found to cure impotence by getting the blood to where it’s needed!
17. Garlic for Insect Bites, Fungal Infections and Bruises
Garlic has been found to heal the pain caused by insect bites, even those caused by scorpions and centipedes. It can also help treat bruises, sprains and fungal infections such as ringworm. Mix the juice of fresh garlic with salt and apply directly to the area.
18. Garlic for Itching and Rashes
In order to stop the itching caused by insect bites or rashes, apply raw garlic juice directly to the affected area.
19. Garlic for Parasites
Eating 2 cloves of garlic a day will help rid the body of nasty parasites, killing them before they have a chance to do more damage and then expelling them from your system.
20. Garlic Prevents Cancer
Garlic and onions have been found to have a huge impact on preventing cancer. Garlic is considered the more potent of the two, reducing the risk of stomach, oesophageal, lung, liver, breast and colon cancer. The foods are also able to interfere with the development of cancerous tumours, and work as a natural chemotherapy by impeding cancer cells. Regularly incorporating cooked or raw garlic into your diet seems to do the trick. When cooked with meat, garlic can even limit the effect of carcinogenic chemicals produced in the meat when it is cooked for a long time.
21. Garlic for Sore throats
To help relieve the pain and discomfort of sore and scratchy throats, suck on a small slice of garlic for 10-15 minutes. You can chew it on slightly to help release the juices.
22. Garlic for Tonsillitis
Garlic can be great natural cure for tonsillitis, and be used along with a range of other natural treatments to clear up tonsillitis infections and even prevent people from having to have their tonsils removed. Crush a clove of garlic in water and boil into a tea, or add to a soup with other herbs high in vitamin C.
23. Garlic for Toothaches
Garlic is a great painkiller and its antibacterial, analgesic and anesthetizing properties have been found to incredibly beneficial in curing toothaches. Place a piece of crushed garlic or garlic oil onto the affected tooth and gum a couple of times a day.
24. Garlic for Warts and Other Skin Problems
Garlic has even been found to naturally cure warts and other skin problems by fighting the wart causing infection and bacteria. Cut the tip off a clove of garlic and rub the clove directly onto the wart for a few seconds. Repeat this method every night before going to bed until the wart disappears. Simply rinse your skin with water if you experience any burning or irritation.
25. Garlic for Weight Control
The active compound in garlic, allicin, has been found to prevent weight gain (and might even help some people lose weight) as well as lower insulin levels, blood pressure and triglycerides, which are common problems in overweight people.
Garlic Side Effects and Contraindications
It is important to note that the anti-clotting and blood thinning properties in garlic might cause a negative reaction in people who are taking anti-coagulant drugs or who are about to have surgery. In those cases you should check with your doctor before taking garlic supplements.
Posted By: Siebra Muhammad
Tuesday, May 27th 2014 at 12:08PM
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