6:100 garlic

day 6 of 100 day challenge
topic garlic

i just was gifted a bag of home grown local garlic from friends down the street, who makes it a point to grow ALOT of garlic every year. most of their garden has been dedicated to this wonderful foodstuff. they are tiny nuggets of wonderfulness with an unexpected sweetness.
thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!
so here are some articles from all over on how good it is, what it is touted to help, and how to use it.... enjoy!!

Is Garlic Good for You?

Garlic is one of the most valuable and versatile foods on the planet. Garlic belongs to the Allium family of vegetables which also includes onions, chives, shallots and leeks.

Today garlic is a widely recognized health enhancing supplement. Garlic promotes the well-being of the heart and immune systems with antioxidant properties and helps maintain healthy blood circulation. One of garlic’s most potent health benefits includes the ability to enhance the body’s immune cell activity.

The active component in garlic is the sulfur compound called allicin. Allicin is the chemical produced when garlic is chopped, chewed, or bruised. Allicin is quite powerful as an antibiotic and a potent agent that helps the body to inhibit the ability of germs to grow and reproduce. In fact, it's said that 1 milligram of allicin has a potency of 15 standard units of.

There are now over 12 studies published around the world that confirm that garlic can reduce cholesterol.

Recently researchers in Oxford and America have published some summaries of all the good data on garlic. Garlic is known to stimulate T-lymphocyte and macrophage action, promote interleukin-1 levels, and support natural killer cells. Strong activity of these key cells promotes healthy immune system function, and strengthens the body's defenses.

Garlic for Health

Today, we know garlic is an excellent herb for creating and maintaining overall health, but it also has many lesser known, but powerful qualities. For example, many people don't know that it's a naturally powerful antibiotic. This natural antibiotic is effective against toxic bacteria, viruses, and fungus. Available in pills, capsules, liquid and actual raw cloves, garlic is one of the most popular healthy herbs around today.

Garlic helps platelet stickiness or aggregation to help reduce blood coagulation, and promote heart health.

The antioxidant properties of garlic help scavenge harmful free radicals, which can damage LDL (bad) cholesterol in the blood stream.

Garlic also promotes increased bile production to help reduce levels of fat in the liver. Garlic pills also help ward off coughs and colds.

Garlic and Your Heart.

The positive effect of garlic on your circulatory system is extremely well documented and it has been proved to:

lower blood pressure

decrease platelet aggregation

lower serum triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol ( the bad type) levels

increase serum HDL-cholesterol (the good type) and fibrinolysis (the process through which the body breaks up blood clots.)

Plus it stimulates the production of nitric oxide in the lining of blood vessel walls, a substance that helps them to relax.

As a result of these beneficial actions garlic helps to prevent arteriosclerosis and thereby reduces the risk of heart attack or stroke.

Two or three cloves a day have cut the risk of subsequent heart attacks in half in heart patients.

One reason for these beneficial effects may be garlic's ability to reduce the amount of free radicals in the bloodstream. According to a study published in Life Sciences, a daily dose of 1 ml/kg body weight of garlic extract for a period of 6 months resulted in a significant reduction in oxidant (free radical) stress in the blood of arteriosclerosis patients. It's positive effect on the circulatory system improves blood flow throughout the body so has even been hailed as a cure for impotence!

Garlic and Cancer

Current research has shown that a number of readily available foods such as garlic and onions that make up a healthy diet, actually have a major impact on cancer prevention. The protective effect of garlic seems to be greater than that of onions, even though onion consumption has been shown to reduce the risk of stomach cancer. These cancer fighting foods seem to have the ability to interfere with the development of cancerous tumors.

The October 2000 issue of the American Journal of Nutrition had a summary of a number epidemiologic studies which showed that people who consumed cooked or raw garlic on a regular basis compared to those that ate little or none had about half the risk of stomach cancer and one-third less risk of colorectal cancer.

This remarkable little bulb now tops the American National Cancer Institute's list of potential cancer-preventative foods. It contains multiple anticancer compounds and antioxidants, more than 30 at the last count, which such powerful compounds as quercetin, diallyl sulphide,allin and ajoene. These have the ability to block cancer causing agents such as nitrosamine and aflatoxin which have been specifically linked to stomach, lung and liver cancer. Garlic's ajoene and allicin have also been shown to retard cancer cells as a type of natural chemotherapy.

The Iowa Women's Health Study discovered that women who included garlic in their daily diet had lower risks for colon cancer.

Meat cooked at high temperatures (well done to burnt) can produce carcinogenic (cancer producing) chemicals and research has recently discovered that when meat is cooked with garlic this effect is limited.

The ten best groups of anti-cancer foods include: berries and citrus fruits, cruciferous vegetables, garlic and onions, green tea, omega 3 essential fatty acids, olive oil, tomatoes, soy products, red wine and dark chocolate.

Garlic- and the Immune System.

Not surprisingly the presence of all these antioxidants in garlic have a very positive effect on the immune system in general and can therefore protect the body against all types of bacterial and viral attacks. Research has recently even shown it to have an inhibiting effect on MSRA which is currently reeking such havoc in U.K. hospitals.

Garlic also acts as a good cold medication, decongestant and expectorant. It is a surprisingly good source of vitamins C, B6 and the minerals selenium and manganese all of which have long been associated with immune system boosting as well as other benefits.

Garlic-Promotes Weight Control.

Allicin is the most potent substance found in garlic and this has been shown to not only lower blood pressure, insulin and triglyceride levels in laboratory animals fed a sugar rich diet, but also to prevent weight gain.

A study published in the American Journal of Hypertension reported that animals who developed high insulin levels, high blood pressure, and high triglycerides were given either allicin or served as a control.

Although all of the animals consumed the same amount of food, weight rose only in the control group whereas the animals who were being supplemented with allicin maintained stable weight or a slight decrease was actually noticed.

The researchers concluded that allicin may be of practical value for weight control.

Raw Garlic Benefits

Raw garlic benefits include positive effects on heart health, lowered blood pressure, reduced clotting of the blood, increased resistance to colds and flu, congestion relieving effects and lowered cholesterol. Constituents of garlic that contribute to these benefits are destroyed in the cooking process, and eating garlic raw is the best way to gain the most benefits from this versatile herb.

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Identification

1. Garlic is a species of onion plant known as Allium sativum. The bulb of the garlic plant is the part of the plant that is commonly ingested for health benefits, and each bulb can be separated into garlic clove sections. Raw garlic may either be sliced into tiny pieces with a knife, or a garlic press may be used to crush the cloves and mixed with food for easy ingestion.

Heart and Blood Pressure Health

2. Eating raw garlic is beneficial to heart health and regulating blood pressure. An ingredient in raw garlic, hydrogen sulfide, has effects on blood vessels that cause the vessels to relax; this beneficial effect can help to lower blood pressure and decrease the workload on an overburdened heart. Garlic may also reduce blood clots in the body, which may harm or increase stress to the heart.

Resistance to Cold and Flu

3. Raw garlic is an extremely strong antiviral and antibacterial substance, and this beneficial plant is very useful for warding off the common cold or flu. Recommendations for raw garlic use to avoid colds include eating several garlic cloves throughout the day as soon as cold symptoms appear. Persons who are suffering from congestion cold symptoms may experience relief if they inhale the fumes of raw crushed garlic or if they drink a broth of raw garlic steeped in hot water.

Lowered Cholesterol

4. Consistent ingestion of raw garlic may help to lower raised cholesterol levels or to keep normal cholesterol levels in check. Some of the compounds in garlic that are believed to function much like prescription statins (though to a much lesser effect) are various types of cysteines, which may interfere with the formation of cholesterol in the body.

Cautions and Considerations

5. Garlic is an extremely powerful and strong herbal plant. Persons interested in eating raw garlic should consume small amounts of raw garlic at first (no more than half of a small clove in a 24-hour period) to assess the effects of garlic on their system. Gas and bad breath are frequent side effects of raw garlic ingestion; bad breath may be avoided by chewing gum or fresh mint herbs, and eating fennel seeds along with the raw garlic can help to reduce intestinal gas.

Eating Raw Garlic

Compiled and edited by David J. Stewart

So many people don't even hesitate to run to a doctor when they have health problems. Tragically, doctors kill 250,000 patients each year in the U.S. alone according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. Unbeknownst to many people, there are thousands of natural cures and remedies available, without out all the dangerous side effects of most drugs. Every drug has side effects. In fact, it is the desired good side effect that causes doctors to prescribe a particular drug.

However, many drugs attack the liver, sometimes even causing death. Most drugs do possess potentially serious side effects. My personal opinion is that it's always better to at least TRY a natural home remedy than to risk taking Pharmaceutical drugs that may damage your body or make you one of those 106,000 patients who die EACH year from non-error negative drug effects. You'll hardly ever hear doctors these days recommend a change of diet and lifestyle to better your health. It's almost always more drugs.

Please don't misunderstand me, I thank God for doctors, and we definitely should go to the doctor if we need to. The irony of the 250,000 patients killed each year by drugs and doctors is that many people have also died because they DIDN'T go to a doctor. Many people have died within days of having nothing more than flu-like symptoms. Please keep in mind that I am NOT a doctor.

One road to improved health is including raw garlic in your weekly diet. Garlic has been used as a natural cure for centuries for everything from treating the common cold to fighting skin fungus. Garlic, hot peppers and onions have been used to prevent and treat colds for centuries. Some hot salsa will clear out your sinuses quickly. Some claim that skin fungus can be remedied and prevented by eating a few crushed cloves of fresh raw garlic daily. Fungus doesn't like garlic in your bodies' sweat. Also, cut back on your sugar intake which feeds the fungus. All those sugary donuts and soft drinks are horrible for the body anyway. As you will learn in the articles to follow, there are many claims that garlic may help to prevent cancer, lower cholesterol and kill viral infections. Not too much garlic though, you want to still have friends.

Few people realize just how critical water is to the body. Good health requires an overall effort in all areas, not just in the area of diet. A body needs fresh air, pure water, exercise, sunshine and very importantly... a sound mind to reduce stress. Things which cause stress will NEVER go away, so we must learn to reduce stress.

You are about to learn the fascinating truth about garlic. To reduce the effects of garlic odor on your breath, take the garlic before you go to sleep at night. Also, fresh garlic is potent and should be taken with a meal or else it could upset your stomach. I find that natural fruit juice goes well with garlic. It's important to crush the garlic up in your mouth (or with a spoon) before you swallow it. Don't cook it. Only crush the garlic when you're going to take it... crushed garlic loses it's effectiveness after about one hour. Garlic pills are worthless. Taking garlic once or twice a week is good.

Remember, no one one can take care of your body except you.

Raw garlic tackles cancer

Previous studies suggested a massive amount of garlic was needed

Doctors have suggested how much garlic they think a person would have to eat each day to gain from its anti-cancer properties - half a clove.

It should be served raw to have maximum effect, they said.

Previous studies had suggested that a human would have to eat their own weight in garlic before gaining any benefits.

But the new research suggests half a raw clove would be enough, rising to four and half cloves if cooked.

Established benefits

Although garlic is best known for its ability to stave off heart disease, scientists have also been examining its role in cancer.

They suspect it can counter the effects of particles that cause bowel cancer, but want to know which parts of the plant are actively involved in the process.

Rex and Christine Munday, a husband and wife research team based in New Zealand, were looking at what is thought to be one of the key ingredients - a substance called diallyl disulfide.

It causes the gut to produce enzymes that can clear it of cancer-causing particles.

Their findings are reported in New Scientist magazine and will be published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer.

Traditional Uses and
Health Benefits of Raw Garlic

The health benefits of raw garlic are numerous, as are its uses. Chinese people have been eating garlic and using it in teas and folk remedies for thousands of years.

Garlic is one of nature's most potent immune system boosters. It's also a powerful antibiotic, digestive aid and libido enhancer and, as you'll see below, these are just some of the health and medicinal benefits of garlic.

However, while the uses and health benefits of raw garlic are wide ranging and many, it can also produce certain side effects if you eat too much.

According to Traditional Chinese Dietary Therapy, garlic is warm in nature and a strong stimulant. People with excess heat in their body should eat little garlic or none at all. Excessive heat usually comes from eating too much heating foods and drinks like meat, spices, fried foods, sweet foods, coffee and alcohol. This causes such symptoms as red eyes, bad breath, constipation, hot flushes, yellow urine, yellow tongue moss, a rapid pulse, irritability and acne. If this is you, eliminate or at least greatly reduce the above items from your diet for a couple of weeks before you start eating garlic regularly. Otherwise, the garlic will make your system hotter and the above symptoms worse.

Below are some of the main health and medicinal benefits of garlic. Note: To get the full benefits of eating garlic, it is best taken raw. Commercial garlic pills, tablets, oils and capsules, especially the odorless ones, are often devoid of the active enzymes that provide the benefits. Crushed, raw garlic may be mixed into most meals, or put into gelatin capsules for easy swallowing, or drunk as a tea by crushing 1 or 2 cloves and adding hot water.

Health & Medicinal Benefits of Garlic

• Powerful immune system enhancer
• Increases white blood cell production
• Antibacterial, antiviral
• Antifungal - effective remedy for yeast infections & candida
• Clears boils & infected sores
• Improves appetite
• Digestive aid - add it to meat and other heavy meals
• Increases libido - 1 or 2 raw cloves a day
• Expells intestinal parasites & worms
• Reduces high cholesterol

Health Remedies Using Garlic Cloves

Don't think that to utilize the health benefits of raw garlic you're restricted to just eating it. Here's a range of traditional Chinese health remedies using garlic cloves as the main ingredient.

Garlic Tea: Put 1 or 2 cloves of crushed garlic and 1 or 2 grams of loose-leaf green tea in a teapot. Add a teaspoon or two of unrefined brown sugar if you wish. Pour in boiling water that has been left to cool slightly. Stir the mixture andlet it steep for several minutes before drinking. Afterwards, leave the ingredients in the pot, as you can top it up with more water once or twice throughout the day. This is a common folk remedy for killing germs and resolving toxins in the body.

Garlic Nose Drops: This is a preventative for the common cold and sinus problems. Crush several cloves of garlic to obtain the juice. Mix with warm water at a ratio of two parts water to one part garlic juice. Lie down and use an eye-dropper to place a couple of drops into each nostril as soon as you feel any symptoms coming on. Continue for as long as necessary. If the drops overly irritate your nostrils, stop, or reduce the number of drops.

Garlic Paste: Crush 2 garlic cloves and mix with several drops of pure sesame oil to make a paste for external application toboils,carbuncles and infected sores. Cover then reapply when the paste becomes dry and falls off. If the skin becomes overly irritated discontinue use or wait for a day or two and try again.

Garlic Wash: Boil 2 cups of water and 2 cloves of crushed garlic until 1 cup of liquid remains. Strain the liquid and let it cool. The garlic solution may be used 2-3 times a day as a skin wash, e.g. by women with bacterial infections causing itching, pain and inflammation of the vulva and perineal region.

Maximizing the Health Benefits of Raw Garlic

To get the full health benefits of raw garlic, whether in salads, as tea, or in capsules, it's important you eat less refined, processed and canned foods, and more foods in as close to their natural state as possible - there's little point in eating nutritionally dead, toxin-producing junk foods and trying to improve your health with fresh, raw garlic at the same time!

Garlic

The health benefits of garlic revolve
around its anti-microbial effect,
its antibiotic and immune enhancing
ability and its many anti-oxidants.

Garlic is cultivated and widely used in almost every culture in the world for its myriad medicinal values. The garlic bulb is composed of individual cloves enclosed in a white parchment-like skin. A bulb of garlic generally measures about two inches in height and two inches across in a teardrop shape. Garlic is commonly used in most Chinese cooking, not only to enhance the flavor of foods, but also for its wonderful and endless health benefits

Nutritional Benefits

Garlic is an excellent source of vitamins A, B-complex and C. It provides a good supply of minerals like manganese, phosphorus, calcium, copper, potassium, iron and copper.

It also contains amino acids, essential oils, glycosides, and the rare essential trace minerals like germanium, selenium and tellurium.

The phytochemical in garlic includes anti-oxidant allium, which is also present in onions, leeks, chives and shallots.

Garlic amazingly contains more than 12 types of anti-oxidants. Is it any wonder that it has numerous healing virtues? This is one of the few superfoods that doesn't lose its medicinal properties with cooking. However, garlic in its raw state has its other benefits too.

Health Benefits

The health benefits of garlic revolve around its anti-microbial effect that efficiently combats bacteria, fungi, intestinal parasites, viruses, yeast, etc.

It has natural antibiotic and immune enhancer ability, and is a potent anti-oxidant that helps neutralize the free radicals in the body.

Take two or three cloves daily to see its efficacy in a variety of disorders:

Anti-coagulant: The natural and effective blood-thinning method, safer than taking aspirin which can cause stomach bleeding. This means that it is protective against thrombosis¾blockages of blood flow by clots.

Cancer prevention: Its anti-cancer properties help decrease the risks of cancers, especially stomach and colon cancer.

Common cold: If you feel a cold coming on, take a clove or two of garlic to prevent it. If you have got a cold, take garlic too. It acts as a medication for the cold, helps relieve congestion and aids in speedy recovery.

Cholesterol: Garlic juice significantly reduces the oxidation of the blood cholesterol and the build-up of plaque in arteries, decreasing the risks of heart diseases.

Diabetes: Take one clove of garlic daily to lower blood sugar level.

Encephalitis: Garlic taken in high doses (under doctor's observation) have been known to cure encephalitis, but please read the cautionary note below.

Fungal infections: Raw garlic juice taken internally is effective in treating fungal infections like athlete's foot or ear infections. Also apply the juice directly to the affected area to soothe the itch.

Hypertension: The cleansing of the arterial deposits helps to normalize blood pressure.

Peptic ulcer: Also effective against the bacterial stomach parasite which causes peptic ulcers.

Toxicity: The sulfur compounds in garlic greatly help in detoxifying the blood of toxins, lead and other heavy metals.

Wind: Small amounts of garlic taken can help relieve gas in the stomach.

Consumption Tips

Raw garlic is not easy to eat, it needs getting used to. But understanding all the good things it does, you will eat it. If you still find it difficult, sneak one or two cloves or garlic into the juicer when you juice your favorite juice recipe.

Special Tip!! Before you go to bed at night, prepare this magic potion: Finely chop or use the food blender to chop up two cloves of fresh garlic and let it expose to the air for a few minutes while you wash up your blender or chopping board. The chopping releases the enzyme allinase in the garlic. Gather the chopped garlic on a spoon and swallow it with water. The garlic will travel your entire digestive tract while you sleep and scavenge and neutralize all the toxins, carcinogens, harmful bacteria, fungi, viruses, foreign chemical before they can harm your healthy cells. Swallowing the chopped garlic will not give you garlic breath, as long as you don't chew it. You brush your teeth and rinse your mouth before you go to bed anyway. In the morning, drink a big glass of water. Your first bowel movement will have a strong garlic odor and you will know that the harmful stuff have been eliminated from your body. Try it, especially if you have had a bad eating day.

Learn how to peel garlics in two seconds.

Caution

Garlic is a very potent medicinal herb. Take no more than three cloves a day (especially if taken raw). One or two cloves daily is sufficient for you to enjoy all the health benefits it has to offer.

As garlic has a blood-thinning effect, do not take it with other anti-coagulant drugs. Avoid taking large quantities of garlic. Though rare, high doses of garlic can trigger some health problems in some people, causing anemia, weight loss, excessive gas, diarrhea or asthma.

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with the cold & flu (h1n1) season getting into full swing in this hemisphere
i thought this subject matter may help.
don't forget to add some garlic to your meal today,
good health to you all!

xoxo
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