Health Benefits of the Fragrant Garlic Clove

I would like to share some of my ancestors’ folk medicine beliefs about the power of Garlic. Included with my family’s remedies is the most recent scientific medical information that is available to help you draw your own conclusion about the health benefits of garlic.

History

Garlic was prized for its antimicrobial effects long before microbes were even discovered. French priests of the Middle-Ages used garlic to protect themselves against bubonic plague, now known as a bacterial infection. During World War 1, European soldiers prevented infection by putting garlic directly on their wounds. Nearly every culture has used garlic for general health and longevity, from ancient Chinese to Colonial Americans. Today, garlic is one of the best selling preventive medicines in Europe, where it is accepted as safe and effective by both medical authorities and governmental officials.

Insomnia – Whenever a family member or villager suffered from insomnia, Grandpa prescribed garlic. He said that garlic settled folks minds and helped them relax. Newly released findings by scientists reveal that garlic helps you sleep better at night.

It goes without saying that sleep is critical to good mental and physical health. If we have trouble sleeping at night the effects can be downright negative. So, the big question is can garlic help us sleep?

Scientist at Beijing’s People’s Health Laboratory reveal that garlic may do more than heal the body. It may also ease the mind. In the study, Chinese doctors gave daily garlic to 142 patients with sleep related difficulties. After 14 weeks, 128 of the garlic taking patients reported better, more refreshing sleep.

Cold Remedy – An overall view on using garlic in the prevention and treatment of the common cold.

For centuries the search for the cure for the common cold has been going on with no success. My Ancestors believed the best medicine for preventing colds was a simple ration of between one or two garlic cloves on a daily basis.

With over 200 known viruses that can cause a cold, it is very difficult to come up with a drug that can treat all of these different viruses.

Scientific research that has been carried out throughout the world shows that people using a significant amount of garlic in their diets suffer fewer colds than control groups. An example in these cases, if you have a cold and are having trouble breathing than garlic will be helpful in that it dries up the nasal passages, improving breathing and helping to reduce snoring for a more restful sleep.

There is also plenty of evidence that taking garlic at the onset of a cold can reduce the amount of time it takes to recover from the cold. If you are feeling like you are coming down with a cold, increase your garlic intake. See my recipe section for ideas on how to prepare garlic that will help you fight off the terrible cold.

Natural Antibiotic – Whenever a cut, swelling or a fever was treated by my grandfather garlic was immediately prescribed.

According to Dr. Paul Sherman, a Cornell University behavioral scientist, humans have evolved a taste for spicy foods such as garlic because the foods kill the germs that cause spoilage. He looked at 5,000 traditional recipes from 36 countries and found that the hotter the climate the faster food spoils, the spicier the seasoning. When he examined 43 spices for their ability to destroy germs, garlic and onions killed 30 types of bacteria associated with digestive problems.

Allergies and garlic – A study in Hamburg, Germany found that garlic dramatically reduced symptoms caused by allergies

A compound in garlic called allicin was tested on 128 hay-fever patients in Hamburg, Germany, and was found to dramatically reduce their symptoms. Half of the subjects took one garlic clove per day, cooked into foods, for 21 days while the other half took a daily garlic capsule. The in-food group fared slightly better, but both groups improved.

Memory Loss and garlic – It has been found that people who regularly include garlic in their diet perform better on memory and cognitive tests.

Two Chinese studies found that people who regularly include garlic in the diet perform better on memory and cognitive tests. The new studies bear out the research published in Life Extension Magazine showing that aged garlic extract boosts learning ability in laboratory animals. Scientist credit the sulfur compound Sallylcysteine, which prevents degeneration of the brain’s frontal lobes.