3 Reasons to Love Garlic

Garlic has a long history in medicine in civilizations all over the world, from ancient Egypt, China, and Greece to World War II, when it earned the name “Russian penicillin”. Also called stinking rose, nectar of the gods, and prince of herbs, garlic has been used since time immemorial for a myriad of health problems. In fact, an Indian proverb claims that “garlic is as good as ten mothers”, referring to its ability to treat a wide range of diseases. Here are three important reasons to include garlic in your regular diet:

Garlic boosts the immune system
Perhaps the most well known use for garlic is to help your immune system to fight infections. Evidence shows that taking a daily garlic supplement can help prevent the common cold and quicken recovery if sickness does occur. Not only does garlic fight bacteria and viruses, it also helps to kill fungi and parasites, so you can use garlic for virtually any kind of infection in the body.

Garlic benefits heart health 
Eating garlic positively impacts cardiovascular health in a variety of ways. A meta-analysis of studies on garlic reveals that supplementation with garlic decreases total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels in the blood. Another study shows that garlic can treat atherosclerosis by preventing plaque formation in the arteries and removing already-existing plaque. Garlic may also help to lower blood pressure in those with hypertension.

Garlic protects against cancer
Studies show that consuming garlic is associated with a reduction in the risk of cancers of the breast, pancreas, stomach, colon, and esophagus. The sulphur compounds in garlic help to prevent cancer through a variety of mechanisms, which may include: antioxidant action to reduce cell damage, increased DNA repair, inhibition of the formation and activation of cancer-causing substances, and induced death of cancerous cells.

​Garlic is best eaten after it has been chopped or crushed. This is because exposure to air releases alliinase, a chemical that converts alliin to allicin, which is responsible for most of garlic’s beneficial effects. There is also evidence that it is preferable to consume raw garlic rather than cook it because heat prevents alliinase from forming allicin and reduces the health benefits of garlic. One study showed that the heat during cooking prevented the inhibitory effects of garlic on cancer cells. However, crushing the garlic and exposing it to air for ten minutes before cooking completely recovered its anticancer properties. If you must cook your garlic, make sure to chop it up or crush it first and let it stand for a few minutes to allow the alliinase to have an effect before the heat inactivates it. Raw garlic can be added to your cooked meal, crushed into homemade salad dressing, added to guacamole and pesto, mixed with butter to make garlic toast, or chopped up into “pill” form and swallowed as is.