Garlic Grandeur
November 12, 2008
Garlic helps to lower the risk of heart disease, reduce blood pressure and fights off cold. It is known to be one of the oldest medicinal plants. According to the report of Michelle Simmons—
The therapeutic value of garlic were known to the early Indians as proved by the Sanskrit records dating back to 5000 years ago and 3000 years old Chinese records also speak the same. During World War I, it was profusely used as an antibiotic. But the discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming in 1928 made it partly redundant.
What exactly makes garlic so good for health? The magic ingredient which gives garlic its therapeutic value is allicin, a sulphur-containing compound. It is this ingredient which gives garlic its pungent taste and smell. And it is this allicin which is released when cloves are chewed, crushed and cut.
Modern research has revealed the ability of garlic to lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure and also to on its ability to protect one from strokes and heart disease. When the Journal of The Royal College of Physicians experimented on cholesterol levels and reviewed data in 1993, it was seen that there was a 12%reduction in the level of cholesterol in the experimental groups which had taken garlic in 4 weeks.
Scientists have also inferred that garlic helps to prevent the clotting of blood. Journal of Hypertension, which published a review of some clinical trials showed that taking garlic tablets help to reduce the blood pressure by 1 to 5 %. These results made the author conclude that taking such supplements would definitely help to reduce the incidence of stroke by 30-40% and heart disease by 20-25%.
Taking garlic regularly also helps the body in fighting off infections. These antibacterial properties of garlic were accidentally discovered in the 19th century when an infectious fever inflicted the English priests but the French priests remained healthy because they used to take garlic regularly.
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