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What’s this
Garlic is the bulb of Allium sativum, a perennial species native to Asia today cultivated in all regions with a temperate climate. There garlic plant it is a small herb that does not exceed fifty centimeters in height, producing linear leaves and white or pink flowers. Since the garlic flowers are sterile, the plant reproduces only thanks to the bulbils or cloves of the bulb.
The garlic bulb, in addition to being a spice widely used in cooking as a flavoring, it is a powerful natural remedy against various ailments. Garlic is used, in particular, to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol and triglyceride levels, but it also boasts property immunostimulants, antiseptics and antiplatelet agents. The benefits of garlic depend above all on the sulfur compounds including alliicin, a molecule that is released after bruising the cloves. The bulbs or cloves of garlic also contain saponosides, flavonoids, sugars, mineral salts and active ingredients with antibiotic activity, such as garlicin and alisine.
Properties and benefits
Garlic has several health benefits. First of all it is an effective natural remedy against some bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi and for this reason it is traditionally used against respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases, intestinal parasites, warts, fungi of the skin and mucous membranes, including athlete’s foot and Candida albicans.
The antibiotic and expectorant properties of garlic have always been exploited for lung and bronchial health: when garlic is consumed, in fact, the essence is partly expelled through the respiratory system, exerting an antiseptic, spasmolytic and mucolytic action. For this reason, garlic is a natural remedy for respiratory infections.
In addition, the consumption of garlic can promote appetite and improve digestion, acting on gastric secretions and especially on the intestinal microbiota. Thanks to its tonic, spasmolytic and antiseptic properties, garlic can, for example, significantly reduce the gastroesophageal reflux associated with the presence of Helicobacter pylori and the phenomena of meteorism and flatulence caused by the fermentation processes of the intestine. Garlic would then be able to regulate the activity of the thyroid and has interesting immunostimulating and antitumor properties.
In phytotherapy and herbal medicine, however, garlic is used above all for its benefits at the level of heart and cardiovascular system. In fact, the intake of garlic has a positive effect on blood pressure, reduces cholesterol levels, has a mild diuretic activity, has antioxidant action and antiplatelet and fibrinolytic properties. Regular consumption of garlic can therefore help regulate slightly high blood pressure, decrease LDL or bad cholesterol levels and have a preventive effect against atherosclerosis, thrombosis and heart attack.
THE benefits of garlic have been attributed to the sulfur compounds present in the bulbs, which are also responsible for the characteristic smell and taste of garlic. The whole bulb of garlic contains a molecule known as alliin, odorless and tasteless: when garlic is cut or bruised, the breakdown of plant cells causes an enzyme (alliinase) to be released which transforms the alliin into allicin, with the characteristic pungent smell of raw garlic. The more the clove of garlic is cut, the stronger the flavor becomes, therefore the garlic pulp has a decidedly more intense smell and taste than sliced garlic. It is a defense mechanism for the plant, which thanks to the pungent smell and taste manages to preserve the bulbs from predators, guaranteeing survival and reproduction. On the other hand, when the garlic is cooked, the air and the temperature lead to further transformations of the sulfur compounds, producing molecules with a decidedly more delicate smell and taste.
How to use it
To enjoy the benefits of garlic would be enough eat it raw, eating three cloves to a whole bulb a day. The cloves can be swallowed whole or, better still, reduced to a pulp with the garlic press. With garlic cloves you can also prepare a infusion, leaving the fresh garlic in hot water for ten minutes. However, all these methods of intake, however effective, have the unpleasant side effect linked to the bad smell, which is clearly perceptible from the breath but also through sweat. To overcome this problem, there are on the market garlic extracts available in capsules or coated tablets, the intake of which allows you to benefit from the virtues of garlic without suffering from it bad breath. In herbal medicine shops and pharmacies it is also possible to find preparations based on garlic for topical use, for the treatment of warts and mycosis of the skin and nails.
Contraindications
Garlic has no particularities side effects but, when eaten raw, and in some cases even cooked, it can cause digestive disorders and a characteristic unpleasant smell of the breath. In pregnancy and during breastfeeding it would be better not to take garlic-based preparations (moderate consumption of garlic as a food is not recommended). Also pay attention to the administration of garlic extracts if you are taking drugs and before surgery: in these cases it is good to ask your doctor for advice. Finally, garlic cloves rubbed into the skin for an extended time or too frequently can also cause irritations skin and blisters, especially in children.
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