Garlic is not only an essential spice in the kitchen, helping to enhance the flavor of dishes, but also has many effects in preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases, cancer, infections, and bone and joint diseases.
1. Effective ingredients of garlic
Garlic is very rich in nutrients. According to research, 100g of garlic contains 6.36g of protein, 33g of carbohydrates, 150g of calories and nutrients such as B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B6), iron, calcium, potassium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, etc
The main effective ingredients in garlic are organic sulfur compounds and glycosides. In addition, garlic also contains high levels of germanium and selenium. In particular, the germanium content in garlic is higher than that of medicinal herbs such as ginseng, green tea, red tea, etc.
The basic effect of garlic comes mainly from allicin. Fresh garlic does not contain free allicin, only its precursor is alliin. When garlic is minced, the enzyme in garlic is activated, stimulating alliin to form allicin.
The Romans used to eat garlic to treat tuberculosis, fever and many other diseases.
2. What are the benefits of eating raw garlic every day?
Garlic has many health benefits, especially when eaten raw.
2.1. Preventing and treating flu
The sulfur compounds in garlic have extremely strong antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. Using garlic every day helps prevent flu and diseases caused by bacteria and viruses. Eating raw garlic every day helps reduce the risk of flu by 63%. In addition, eating garlic also helps shorten the duration of a cold by 70%, allowing the patient to recover faster.
2.2. Preventing and supporting cancer treatment
According to many studies, garlic has a significant effect in reducing the risk of cancer, especially intestinal cancer. Specifically, garlic inhibits the process of nitrate turning into nitrite in gastric juice, preventing the formation of nitrosamine, helping to prevent stomach cancer. In addition, garlic can also prevent the invasion of toxins, heavy metals, and carcinogens into the body. At the same time, the germanium and selenium components in garlic help the body fight cell mutations, prevent the formation of free radicals, and effectively support cancer prevention.
Regarding the ability to support cancer treatment, active ingredients in garlic such as diallyl disulphide, s-allystein and ajoene can slow down the growth rate of tumors, reducing the size of tumors by up to 50%. Garlic has the effect of preventing and supporting the control of the development of cancers such as: breast cancer, stomach cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, colon cancer, esophageal cancer, prostate cancer, liver cancer, bladder cancer, …
2.3. Improve bone and joint function
Substances in garlic such as vitamin C, vitamin B6, manganese, zinc, antioxidants and enzymes, etc. have a good effect in preventing the formation of connective tissue and bone metabolism. At the same time, they enhance the body’s ability to absorb calcium, making bones stronger.
For women, eating raw garlic helps slow down the process of osteoporosis by increasing estrogen. For patients with bone and joint diseases, garlic has a clear effect in reducing pain symptoms.
2.4. Preventing cardiovascular diseases
Garlic has the effect of lowering bad cholesterol levels and increasing good cholesterol in the body, helping to remove atherosclerotic plaques on the blood vessel walls. Eating garlic regularly also helps slow down the aging process of the aorta. In addition to reducing blood fat, garlic also inhibits platelet aggregation, preventing the formation of blood clots. Therefore, garlic has the effect of preventing cardiovascular diseases.
Garlic also has the effect of controlling blood pressure by reducing blood viscosity thanks to the active ingredient ajoene. According to scientists, about 600 – 1500mg of garlic extract will effectively reduce blood pressure in 24 weeks. In addition, polysulfides and sulfur molecules in garlic have the effect of relaxing smooth muscles, stimulating the production of endothelial cells and dilating blood vessels, thereby effectively controlling blood pressure. People with high blood pressure are advised to eat a few cloves of garlic every morning to lower blood pressure.
2.5. Erectile dysfunction
Scientists have discovered that eating raw garlic brings many benefits to men. Specifically:
Increase sexual ability in men, especially men with erectile dysfunction or impotence. According to scientists, erection requires an enzyme called nitric oxide synthase. Compounds in garlic help produce this enzyme.
Eating 1-2 cloves of garlic per day continuously for about 2 months will help increase the number of sperm in semen. Creatinine and Allithiamine are created by vitamin B1 and Allicin, which are the main ingredients involved in muscle activity, helping to eliminate fatigue and improve physical strength for men.
2.6. Some other effects of eating raw garlic
Bringing a safe pregnancy: garlic has the effect of increasing weight for fetuses at risk of being underweight. Besides, garlic also helps reduce other risks during pregnancy such as preeclampsia (related to high blood pressure).
Filtering toxins in the blood: allicin in garlic helps remove harmful substances from the body, while increasing healthy white blood cells. In addition, allicin also helps remove nicotine, purify the blood and effectively clean the respiratory system.
Preventing Alzheimer’s disease: nutrients in garlic help protect brain cells against aging, reduce cholesterol, and lower blood pressure. Therefore, eating raw garlic every day helps effectively prevent age-related neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Beautify the skin: the organic compound allicin in garlic has the effect of killing bacteria and hindering the activity of free radicals, helping to prevent acne and other skin diseases.
3. Instructions on how to eat raw garlic properly
Eating raw garlic properly every day is good for your health
You should finely chop the garlic and leave it in the air for about 10-15 minutes before eating. The reason is that there is no free allicin in garlic. Only after being finely chopped, under the effect of enzymes, will garlic release allicin. If the garlic is not finely chopped and cooked, the enzyme will lose its effect and will not release allicin. If you cook with finely chopped garlic, the allicin content is retained at 60%. Therefore, if you want to get the protective effect, you should eat finely chopped garlic.
You can eat garlic soaked in vinegar because this preparation method still retains the good active ingredients in garlic.
After eating garlic, you can rinse your mouth with unsweetened coffee, drink cow’s milk, green tea or chew gum to remove the bad smell.
You should not eat garlic when hungry because garlic has a strong decomposing and stimulating effect on the stomach and intestinal mucosa. If you eat too much garlic at once or eat garlic on an empty stomach, it will not be good for the digestive system, especially for people with stomach ulcers and duodenal ulcers. People with eye-related diseases and poor eyesight should not eat a lot of garlic because garlic can irritate the eyes, easily causing inflammation of the eyelids and conjunctivitis.
Do not eat raw garlic when you have diarrhea because allicin in garlic will stimulate the intestinal wall, leading to edema, blood vessel blockage, causing many dangerous complications. Do not eat garlic with foods such as dog meat, chicken, eggs, grass carp.
People with a history of liver disease should not eat garlic because garlic is hot, spicy, heats the liver, and in the long term will cause liver damage.
People who are using certain drugs to treat HIV/AIDS, anticoagulants, etc. should not eat garlic because it will cause side effects that are not good for health.
People with weak health should not eat a lot of garlic because eating too much garlic will dissipate blood and energy, thin the air, lose blood, produce phlegm, and cause fever.
