| Garlic is best known as a
culinary herb and vampire retardant, the medicinal benefits and claims for garlic have
awarded it the name "wonder drug among all herbs". Garlic has been used all
over
the world for thousands of years for a wide range of conditions. Modern day research helps explain the broad applications of this "miracle"
herb. The same component that gives garlic it's strong odor is the one that destroys, or
inhibits various bacteria and fungi. The component is allicin, and when crushed, combines
with the enzyme allinase and results in antibacterial action equivalent to 1% penicillin.
Garlic is reported to be more effective than penicillin against typhus disease,
and works well against strep, staph bacteria, and the organisms
responsible for cholera, dysentery and enteritis.
The irritating quality of garlic oil, readily absorbed into the bloodstream, may explain
its use for respiratory system problems by opening up lungs and bronchial
tubes aiding with things like bronchitis.
Garlic has also been found to inhibit tumor cell formation and is
currently being studied by the National Cancer Institute.
Ancient herbalists and traditional healers were on to a
food that can help prevent if not cure a host of modern ailments, including heart
disease, several types of cancer and cell damage caused by
pollutants, radiation and aging. The studies suggest that garlic, a
chemically unstable bulb containing more than 200 different compounds, has biological
activities that can favorably influence the course of many diseases. For example, garlic
preparations have been shown in laboratory studies, and in some cases in patients, to
suppress the formation and growth of cancer cells and to counter blood conditions that
foster atherosclerosis,
heart attacks, and strokes.
One of the conditions in which garlic treatment brings the fastest and clearly measurable
improvements is for hypertension or high blood pressure.
Dr. F. G. Piotrowski, of the University of Geneva, used garlic on patients with abnormally
high blood pressure. The study revealed that garlic treatment brought "excellent
results" Garlic, according to Dr. Piotrowski, has a dilating effect on blood
vessels and thus is effective in reducing blood pressure.
What Garlic Does:
Garlic's sulfur compounds are linked to its medicinal uses. Garlic unleashes at least 100
sulfur-containing compounds, the main one being Allicin.Research has clarified that
Allicin is the component that kills the bacteria and fungi. However, for protecting the
circulation the sulfides and other compounds derived from Allicin are equally as
effective. There is some evidence that excessively large amounts of raw garlic in the
diet
may contribute to the development of anemia. Therefore, anemic patients should take only
garlic extracts or garlic in cooked form, not in raw form.
Preliminary studies suggest garlic may offer a wide range of health benefits such as:
o Reduces harmful LDL cholesterol and triglycerides
o Reduces blood clotting by preventing clumping of blood platelets (better than aspirin)
o Block the ability of chemical carcinogens to transform normal cells into cancer cells
o Stimulate various immunological factors that may help combat cancer
o Protect cells against damage by oxidizing agents and heavy metals
o Strengthens blood vessels and control
disorders of the blood
o Good for expelling worms from the body
o Is a natural anti-biotic to help fight
viruses and infection.
Garlic is also known as:
Allium sativum, Clove garlic,
Poor man's treacle
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