Garlic is a versatile herb commonly used as a food flavoring agent, also sold as a concentrated nutritional supplement. Raw garlic contains numerous compounds such as allicin, ajoene, S-allylcysteine and sulfyhdryl, which have health-promoting and healing properties. Raw garlic is considered more medicinally effective than cooked garlic because heat can destroy the beneficial compounds and nutrients found in garlic.
Nutrients
Garlic contains vitamins A and C as well as selenium. It is also contains a compound called sulfhydryl, which works as a chelating agent. Chelation is the process of binding to and removing toxic substances such as heavy metals from the body. The sulfyhdryl in garlic also has antioxidant properties and it can help prevent free radical induced damage to your cells and DNA, states Phyllis and James Balch, M.D., in their book "Prescription for Nutritional Healing." In addition, garlic has immune-boosting, diuretic, stimulant, aphrodisiac and stress-relieving properties; it also helps enhance circulation, fight fatigue and to maintain healthy liver function.
Benefits
Garlic enhances immune function and can help prevent and treat bacterial, viral and fungal infections. As such, it is commonly used for the prevention and treatment of colds, fever, flu, traveler's diarrhea, tuberculosis, ringworm, whooping cough and other acute infectious disorders. Other purported uses for garlic include the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia, earaches, diabetes, osteoarthritis, allergic rhinitis, chronic fatigue syndrome and menstrual disorders. However, many of these uses are based on anecdotal reports, not solid scientific evidence.
Cardiovascular Health
Garlic helps promote cardiovascular health and is used to prevent blood clots and lower the risk of heart attacks, as well as treat coronary heart disease, according to the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. Consuming garlic regularly may also promote aortic elasticity and thereby help prevent atherosclerosis, a condition characterized by hardening of the arteries. In addition, studies have found that garlic helps lower blood pressure in patients with hypertension; however, garlic powder formulations and aged garlic extracts were used in the studies, not raw garlic.
Cancer
Garlic is used to help prevent numerous types of cancer, including colorectal, breast and lung. Evidence from population studies suggests that increasing dietary garlic consumption helps reduce the risk of developing gastric and colon cancer. In addition, garlic purportedly helps treat prostate cancer and bladder cancer. More research is necessary to confirm the efficacy of garlic as an anti-cancer aid however.
References
- "Prescription for Nutritional Healing"; Phyllis Balch and James Balch, M.D.; 2003
- Drugs: Garlic
- "Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database"; Therapeutic Research Faculty; 2011
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