Garlic is a very special blessing for human health. In this article, I will tell you how garlic strengthens our defense system. In particular, I will write about how useful garlic can be used in winters.
Garlic has been used for the past 4,000 years. It is useful for arthritis, joint pain, diabetes, sugar, malaria, TB, and a long list of diseases. Not only this, during WWI and WWII, a lot of research was done on garlic, including its antibacterial properties, i.e. how it kills bacteria and prevents the spread of the disease.
There are many studies on this. Even during WWII, when the Russians ran out of antibiotics, they started using garlic, which is why it was also called Russian Penicillin. Scientists have studied garlic in great detail, and research has shown that it can prevent the spread of garlic infections.
But the biggest benefit of garlic is its anti-cancer effect. I have taken this data from a food project, in which the anti-cancer effects of vegetables were studied. This data was taken from a textbook called Modern Phytomedicine.
It is a very good book. It talks about the use of plant compounds and chemicals in modern medicine. There is a whole chapter on garlic in this book.
These studies were done in a laboratory, which is called in vitro, i.e. these tests were done outside the human body. They were done so that the effects of these tests can be understood before using them on the human body. What did they find from these studies? In one study, they took a petri dish, and put the pathogenic bacteria of E.coli in it, and sprinkled garlic powder on it, and started timing it.
Within 12 hours, all these bacteria died. Then they did another experiment. They put the same type of bacteria in another dish, and this time, they sprinkled grated garlic on it.
The result was the same. Within 12 hours, all the bacteria died. Then in another experiment, they turned E.coli bacteria into MRSA bacteria, and these bacteria are antibiotic resistant bacteria, i.e. it is very difficult to kill them with medicine.
This causes skin infections, sepsis, pneumonia, and blood infections in our body. But garlic killed these bacteria very easily. Then the next study was done on anthrax.
It is a very dangerous and severe infection. It affects the body very badly. Garlic killed this bacterium as well.
And not just bacteria, this book also talked about the antiviral, antifungal, and antiparasitic effects of garlic. So this was a small summary of this book. It is a very good book.
Now, a very important point. What to do about the smell of garlic? Because garlic has a special smell, which remains in the breath after eating. The reason for this is that garlic has a sulphur compound, a chemical called allicin.
And in this book, allicin is described as a magical compound. It is further written that allicin prevents infections from spreading, and keeps the blood thin. It prevents the blood from freezing, i.e. there is no clotting, and it helps in preventing heart attacks and stroke.
Allicin keeps the blood sugar level normal, i.e. it keeps the sugar in control. It keeps the blood pressure normal, and it is very important for heart health. And this smell actually prevents bacteria and viruses from getting close to the body.
The smell of garlic kills them in the air. They can’t get close to the body. This smell is actually part of garlic’s immune system.
Because plants are also sick, but they can’t move like humans, can’t go anywhere, can’t tell anyone about their illness. So nature has kept these properties in them to protect them from bacteria, viruses, and fungus attacks, so that they can protect themselves to some extent. And they have adopted it with time.
This list includes onions, radishes, and some other leafy vegetables. Allicin binds to our body with organophosphates and detoxifies them. These are the toxic chemicals that are present in the spray used on plants or in the air.
And they come into our body and adversely affect our immune system. And if the immune system is weak, your chances of getting sick increase. So garlic reduces the effect of these chemicals, makes the immune system stronger.
You know that when a virus enters the body, those who have a weak immune system or are compromised, they have more symptoms of the disease. If you are under a lot of stress, chronic stress weakens the immune system, metabolic syndrome, or some other disease, then a strong immune system protects us from infection. And this is such an important topic that we should talk about it more.
There should be more emphasis on it, but that’s not the case. The stronger your immune system is, the less likely you are to get sick. The quality of garlic has become a big issue.
80% of garlic in the world, including Pakistan, comes from China. And to increase the quality of garlic, people use bleach and other chemicals that can be harmful to health. Therefore, locally grown garlic is better.
So when you go to buy garlic, avoid buying garlic with a lot of white spots or brown spots. Avoid buying garlic with a lot of white spots. You can make pickle out of garlic.
Especially the pickle made with vinegar has a better effect. It also improves digestion. It’s very good for digestion.
There are many online recipes that you can easily make at home. And it’s a great probiotic food. If you want to keep garlic safe for a long time, then the best way to do it is to ferment it in honey.
This not only increases its shelf life, but also doubles its benefits. Peel the garlic and put it in honey in an airtight container. But if you are on a keto diet or can’t eat honey due to diabetes, then take the garlic out of the honey and wash it before eating.
And don’t eat too much. Once a day is enough. Because even after washing, the garlic still has the effect of honey because it’s already fermented.
Because of fermentation, it easily gets digested. Its bioavailability, i.e. the ability to absorb in the body, And washing reduces its carbohydrate content. So this is a tip.
It improves your digestion and immunity. Finally, I want to tell you whether cooked garlic is better or raw garlic. Fresh garlic or garlic powder.
According to the available data, important nutrients and chemicals like allicin can withstand temperatures as high as the body. And the cooking temperature is around the same. So a smart way is to put the garlic at the end so that you can take maximum benefit from it.
And if you use fresh garlic, it’s better than garlic powder. Fresh garlic has more active compounds which benefit the body more. But if powder is available, it can also be used.
Take care.