What a wonderful spice garlic is for our health
Manoj Pandey
Garlic needs no introduction, especially in India. It is used as part of the spice-mix for preparing veggies, curries and non-veg dishes in almost all homes.
Garlic is also used in traditional medicine for the treatment of common ailments of the respiratory and digestive systems. Vegetable oils in which garlic is boiled are commonly used for massage of aching joints. It is supposed to be invigorative.
Let us examine whether the healing and invigorative properties are borne out by modern research.
Garlic is a rich mixture of many beneficial compounds. It contains a number of compounds of sulphide, phenole and saponin groups.
These phytochemicals have a strong antioxidant property, which helps in removing the harmful bye-products of metabolism, especially those responsible for various diseases and age-related degeneration.
Some of garlic’s chemicals are anti-inflammatory, thus reducing the harmful effect of swelling in different tissues. Internal swelling is known to disturb the functioning of vital organs including brain and heart.
Besides, garlic compounds have been found to improve fat metabolism. In effect, this leads to increasing the formation of good cholesterol (HDL) while reducing bad cholesterol (LDL). In conjunction with its blood-thinning property, this contributes to better heart health and lowering of atherosclerosis (hardening of blood vessels).
In fact, with its combination of useful bio-active compounds, garlic helps wonderfully well in dealing with ‘metabolic syndrome’- a combination of diseases and symptoms that arise from disturbance in metabolism. These include body pain, swellings, high blood pressure, belly fat, bad lipid profile, even diabetes and heart diseases.
Some compounds of garlic have antimicrobial properties Though it is not a treatment for specific infections, garlic is seen to help in fighting some bacterial, viral and fungal infections internally and externally.
Though human studies have not proved garlic’s effect on cancer in all types of cancer, it stands to reason that its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory chemicals can slow down the growth of tumours and cancers.
Garlic should be taken in moderation- just 1 medium-sized or two small cloves in a day.
It is best swallowed immediately after crushing or chewing it. However, since it can burn the tender skin of the mouth, throat and oesophagus, it should be consumed with water or food. This is especially important for people suffering from acidity/ heartburn/ Gerd.
Using it as a spice or pickle or capsule has health benefits, but most of its chemicals are lost during cooking and long preservation.
Since garlic has blood-thinning properties, it should not be taken with blood thinners, and immediately before and after a surgery.
मनोज पाण्डे इस वेबसाईट में स्वास्थ्य और विज्ञान विषयों पर लिखते रहते हैं। उनका ब्लॉग आप https://manoj-pandey.blogspot.com पर देख सकते हैं। उनके videos आप यू ट्यूब पर hindi health videos के नाम से देख सकते हैं या इस लिंक को कॉपी-पेस्ट कर लें। youtube.com/channel/UCHBSC1fL07pBpfvi9h-7P4A
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