Health Benefits of Garlic

Did you know that garlic does so much more than just give you bad breath? Love it or hate it, the humble garlic clove has been credited as another one of those wondrous natural remedies that can cure everything from heart disease to the plague.

So not only can garlic ward off vampires, it can aid and cure a great number of common ailments and here are just a few of them:

Acne
While not an acne cure on it’s own, garlic has blood cleansing and antibacterial properties thought to be able to help with the condition.

Allergies
Garlic is known to have antiviral properties which helps the body fight against allergies.

Anti-Bacterial
Garlic has 1% of the potency of penicillin and can ward off a number of bacteria such as Listeria, Salmonella, E. coli, Cryptococcal meningitis, Candida albican and Staphylococcus. The problem with most antibiotics is that bacteria develops resistance to them, however this is not the case with garlic.

These benefits were first realized back in the early 19th century when English priests caught infectious fever. The French priests, who ate garlic everyday, didn’t.

Coughs
Forget about those over the counter cough mixtures. Garlic makes a wonderful treatment for coughs and other throat irritations and could also offer some relief for upper respiratory infections such as sinusitis.

Toothaches
Garlic has antibacterial, analgesic, and anaesthetising properties that can be used to cure a toothache. Simply put some crushed garlic on the affected tooth and surrounding gum for instant relief.

Warts
Garlic’s ability to fight infections and bacteria can make it an ideal remedy for warts and a number of other skin complaints. Simply take a fresh garlic clove and snip off the end with some sharp scissors. Rub the open end of the clove onto the wart and repeat every night (before going to bed) until the wart has gone.

Did you Also know?

• Garlic is most effective when crushed or chopped and when raw.
• One clove a day will improve your health and 2-3 cloves will help prevent a cold.
• When cooking garlic wait until the last 10 minutes of cooking to add the garlic.
• Be careful about taking too much as it can irritate your digestive system.
• Don’t microwave garlic as this kills the active ingredients.
• Don’t take garlic instead of keeping healthy balanced diet.
• Garlic supplements may interact with certain drugs such as anticoagulants.
• Always consult a doctor if you are unsure about anything.

I know that raw garlic can taste far too strong on it’s own so try these two methods to get more garlic into your daily diet.

1. Put one clove of garlic into an oil dispenser and top up with a good quality olive oil. This simple dressing can be drizzled on salads, over soups and it can make a mean garlic bread! You don’t need to throw away the clove, just keep topping up with oil.

2. Roast garlic with vegetables. Take a clove of garlic or two and throw it in a roasting tin (skin and all) with a selection of your favorite vegetables. I use things like peppers, onions, courgettes, and sometimes potato. After about 20 minutes your garlic clove has become soft and you can eat it just as it is. Roasting garlic takes out the bitter taste and makes the cloves sweeter and you won’t have garlic breath the following day.