Garlic
Garlic has been widely accepted to prevent many cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, including atherosclerosis, hyperlipidemia, thrombosis, hypertension and diabetes. Consuming garlic on a daily basis helps to lower cholesterol levels because of the anti-oxidant properties of Allicin. It is also immensely beneficial to regulate blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Garlic also contains quercetin (a plant polyphenol) which has anti-inflammatory effects and vasodilating effects. Allium vegetables, such as garlic and onions have bioactive sulfur compounds that are believed to have effects at each stage of cancer formation.
A study published in 2014 found that garlic has “the potential to lower blood pressure in hypertensive individuals similarly to standard blood pressure medication.
Cooking with garlic
To enjoy garlic’s health benefits, most medical studies insist it should be consumed raw (but cooking with it still offers loads of benefits to health). The allicin is more or less destroyed when cooked. raw garlic is easy to eat when served with bruschetta, or used in a salad with olive oil. another excellent dish is homemade garlic mayonnaise. Stay away from garlic powder, it doesn't contain any allicin.
If you are feeling ill, perhaps with a cold, try and take a spoonful of chopped garlic and honey every 3 hours. Try out some pickled garlic (super as a snack).
Our favourite is the homemade garlic mayonnaise (eggs, oil, garlic, salt, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar). You can dip in strips of celery and carrot. You can also add chopped garlic into a potato soup.
Garlic and testosterone
Garlic can increase your nitric oxide levels by 200% when taken in combination with vitamin C. It's thought that this is due to a chemical in garlic known as diallyl sulfide (which causes the strong garlic smell). A Japanese animal study found that dietary supplementation with garlic increases testicular testosterone. A South African study showed that the wild garlic speeds up the conversion of cholesterol to testosterone.
Sources: draxe.com, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov