The health wonders of garlic.....Amazing!!

Garlic is a natural herb used mainly for food spicing for different local and intercontinental dishes.

Garlic is a plant in the Allium (Onion) family closely related to onions, leeks etc...
As we all know, it comes in a bulb form with a no of cloves in each single bulb.

Garlic contains allicin- this is responsible for the distinct garlic smell...

Ok! Enough of the lecturing for now..
Why am I writing about this, some may be wondering...
So my mum is a huge fan or advocate even (lol!) of... 'add garlic to that food  oo' as she would say most times, if not always lol!...to as much spice combinations she can mix up in her head.

Inquisitive me! I decided to check it out. I mean, there has to be something about it after all, because i know a lot of people run away from it because of its irritating smell...

I was surprised to note all the medical benefits attached to this single herb.
So here they are:

1.  1 ounce or serving of garlic contains a lot of micronutrients (which the human body needs)

• Manganese 
• Vit B6
• Selenium 
• Calcium, copper, potassium, phosphorus, iron, Vit B 1
• Small amount of protein...  (imagine that!)

2. It boosts immune function ( that is the disease-fighting cells in the body).

3. Studies have shown that the active compound in garlic can reduce blood pressure...

It is said that about 4 cloves of garlic per day would do this... (Amazing!)

4. Garlic can lower the bad cholesterol level in the human body by 10-15%.

5. It contains anti oxidants that mops up free radiclas in the body.

....free radicals are like toxins/bad molecules produced by the body metabolism or stressful events to the human body.

6. Garlic is also a performance-enhancing substance. It reduces fatigue, improves exercise capacity and can also function as an aphrodisiac...yes!!!

7. High doses of garlic can be used as an antidote for heavy metal toxicity.

8. It is noted to reduce the risk of gastrointestinal, breast and prostate cancers.

9. It may have beneficial effects on bone health especially in postmenopausal women and also in osteoarthritis.

10. It is also used by beauticians to treat stubborn acne and to prevent hair loss... ( but I would recommend the odorless form for this. You wouldn't want to carry the 'perfume' around...)

All these benefits are best achieved when the herb is crushed or chopped before using to prepare meals...in order to release its active compound.

So next time you are preparing a savoury meal, you might want to add a huge or reasonable☺ amount of garlic!!!

See you soon! Drop your comments below. Thank you!

Ref: www.healthline.com, www. organicfacts.net, www. medicalnewstoday.com

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