Garlic is good for you

Garlic (Allium sativum) is a bulbous plant native to central Asia. It has been used by humans for 7000 years. Over the ages garlic has been attributed with many healing properties. According to various folk tales garlic can cure everything from common cold to plague. Although many of these claims are far from truth, garlic still has many health benefits.

Author: Rebecca Siegel; File source: Flickr

Published under Creative Commons

The two primary ingredients with medicinal properties are allicin and diallyl sulphides. These latter sulfurous compounds are what gives the garlic its smell. Those cultivars of garlic with very little smell have very little of these healthy compounds. In other words, stinky garlic is a lot better.

Studies have shown that consumption of garlic reduces accumulation of cholesterol on vascular walls of animals and in humans. Also, garlic reduces aortic plaques. Another benefit of eating garlic is reduced platelet aggregation and garlic helps with hyperlipidemia.

Garlic may not be able to cure common cold or flu, but it is a powerful natural antibiotic. What’s more important, the bacteria don’t seem to develop resistance to the garlic, so, unlike antibiotics garlic is not a temporary solution that breeds superbugs.

Garlic, especially the aged one has powerful antioxidative effects. Antioxidants are important because they help our body protect itself against free radicals. Allegedly, garlic can help with the regulation of blood sugar, but people who take insulin should not consume large amounts of garlic without consulting their doctors.

With all these health benefits in mind it is obvious that we should eat more garlic, if only our culture wasn’t so obsessed with garlic breath. Personally, I don’t mind if person I’m talking to has just eaten a pound of garlic, I just don’t find this smell displeasing. In fact, I would say that garlic breath is a lot nicer than some perfumes. I hope that there are more people like me.