GARLIC AND ITS BENEFITS.
Garlic is an edible vegetable widely used as seasoning which belongs to the genus Allium and comes from the family of Amaryllidaceae. It is a species of bulbous flowering plant. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Welsh onion and Chinese onion. It is native to South Asia, Central Asia and northeastern Iran.
It was known to ancient Egyptians and has been used as both a food flavouring and a traditional medicine. China produces 76% of the world’s supply of garlic. Records indicate that garlic was in use when the Giza pyramids were built, about 5000 years ago. From Ancient Egypt, garlic spread to the advanced ancient civilizations of the Indus Valley (Pakistan and western India today). From there, it made its way to China.
Below are some of the health benefits of garlic:
- GARLIC CONTAINS COMPOUNDS WITH POTENT MEDICINAL PROPERTIES.
Garlic use was well documented by many major civilizations including the Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans and Chinese. Scientists now know that most of garlics health benefits are caused by sulfur compounds formed when a garlic clove is chopped, crushed or chewed. Some of the compounds formed in garlic includes allicin, diallyl disulfide and s-allyl cysteine. The sulfur compounds from garlic enter the body from the digestive tract. They then travel all over the body, exerting strong biological effects.
- THE ACTIVE COMPOUNDS IN GARLIC CAN REDUCE BLOOD PRESSURE.
Cardiovascular diseases like heart attack and stroke are responsible for more deaths than almost any other condition. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is one of the most important factors that may lead to these diseases. Research depicts that garlic supplements to have a significant impact on reducing blood pressure in people with high blood pressure.
- GARLIC IMPROVES CHOLESTROL LEVELS, WHICH MAY LOWER THE RISK OF HEART DISEASE.
Garlic can lower total and LDL (bad) cholesterol. For those with high cholesterol garlic supplements appear to reduce total and LDL cholesterol by about 10-15%.
Looking at LDL (bad) and HDL (good) cholesterol specifically, garlic appears to lower LDL but has no reliable effect on HDL.
- ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE MIGHT BE IMPROVED WITH GARLIC SUPPLEMENTS.
Garlic may improve physical performance in lab animals and people with heart disease. Garlic was one of the earliest “performance enhancing” substances. It was traditionally used in ancient cultures to reduce fatigue and improve the work capacity of laborers.
REFERRENCES:
- AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT- AGRICULTURE AND FOOD- DOOR-EUROPEAN COMMISSION.
- HEALTHLINE- BY JOE LEECH.
ARTICLE BY OBODAI RHODA.