It’s a lovely day to learn about the health benefits of garlic.
Garlic is very common all around the world. But you can also call garlic bawang, Allium sativum, Nectar of the Gods, and Stinking Rose.
This is a list of the health benefits of garlic that most should know about.
1. Garlic Is Packed With Nutrients
Garlic is considered a superfood and it’s no wonder because of the number of nutrients you can get from just a hundred grams of raw garlic.
Eating garlic will give you vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, and vitamin C.
You’ll also get calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and zinc.
Besides vitamins and minerals, garlic is also high in fiber and protein.
2. Has The Potential To Improve Bone Health
There have been no human studies on the effects of garlic on bone loss.
However, rodent studies such as this (Role Of Oil Extract Of Garlic On Intestinal Transference Of Calcium) have shown that it can reduce bone loss in females by increasing estrogen.
This suggests that this supplement may be beneficial to women’s bone health.
Garlic and onions may also be beneficial in the treatment of osteoarthritis.
This herb appears to benefit bone health by increasing estrogen levels in females, but more human research is needed.
3. Garlic Is Good For Your Hair And Skin
It’s said that massaging your scalp with garlic-infused oil helps prevent hair loss. It can even promote hair growth as well.
Because of the antioxidants in garlic, it can fight free radicals which can cause the loss of collagen in your skin.
Collagen is responsible for your skin’s elasticity and texture.
Garlic’s antifungal qualities also help in relieving skin disorders like eczema.
4. Could Aid In Blood Sugar Control
According to one study (Including Garlic In The Diet May Help Lower Blood Glucose), eating raw garlic cloves may help lower blood sugar levels.
5. Garlic Helps Keep Your Brain Healthy
Eating garlic may help improve your learning ability and memory.
Aged garlic extracts can help protect your brain neurons which prevent cognitive decline.
This includes Alzheimer’s disease which you can read more about in “Benefits of aged garlic extract on Alzheimer’s disease.”
6. Is Antimicrobial And Antifungal In Nature
Garlic has long been used as an anti-infection agent against viruses, bacteria, and fungi.
It has been dubbed “Russian penicillin” because of its antibacterial properties, which are again attributed to the compound allicin.
Garlic oil or a crushed raw garlic clove may also help with some skin conditions, such as warts and insect bites.
7. Garlic Has Antioxidants
Garlic contains antioxidants that help against free radicals which cause oxidative damage in your body.
Oxidative damage can speed up your body’s aging process and can be a cause of different chronic diseases.
Furthermore, the combination of the effects of garlic on your body may help reduce the risk of brain diseases like Alzheimer’s.
8. May Boost Your Immune System
Garlic is useful in preventing common illnesses like common colds and flu.
If you already have it, it can help lessen its severity and speed up your body’s recovery from it.
There are different studies like this one that show garlic’s effectiveness against colds.
The study was a comparison between a group of people who took garlic and the placebo effect on the other.
9. Garlic Helps Protect Your Liver
Certain compounds in bacteria can help protect your liver from damages caused by drinking too much alcohol.
You can read the specifics of this study here.
10. May Help Improve Physical Performance
In ancient Greek times, garlic was once used to improve the performances of their athletes.
There are also studies conducted on animals that showed improved exercise performance when they’re given garlic.
More studies should be conducted to make this conclusive because other studies prove otherwise.
11. Garlic Helps Heal Wounds
Traditionally, garlic has been used to treat wounds. Crushed cloves of garlic are applied topically.
It seems that it has antibacterial qualities that prevent infection and promote healing.
12. Helps Reduce Blood Pressure
Garlic can be one of the most common keys to helping you out if you have problems with high blood pressure or if you have hypertension.
Different studies will tell you that garlic supplements are effective in lowering your blood pressure levels.
Most of these studies are done with people who have high blood pressure levels.
These observations from the studies mentioned above can be read in “Garlic supplementation prevents oxidative DNA damage” and “Aged garlic extract lowers blood pressure.”
13. Garlic Improves Your Digestion
Adding raw garlic regularly to your daily meals can be helpful with better digestion.
It can also help prevent or relieve digestive disorders like colitis, diarrhea, dysentery, and stomach gas.
Garlic is considered to be prebiotic. This means that it stimulates the growth of good bacteria in your gut.
14. May Helps Detoxify Your Body
To be more specific, garlic may help detoxify your body from heavy metals like lead and sulfur compounds.
In this four-week study, workers who are exposed to lead were given garlic.
Researchers noticed that they have the lead levels in their blood reduced by 19%.
15. Garlic May Help Manage Asthma Problems
Consuming garlic is used as a natural home remedy for symptoms of asthma.
There are claims that it gives relief to asthma patients.
Although most of these are anecdotal claims, it’s something to look into more.
16. Helps Improve Cholesterol Levels
Consuming Garlic may help you reduce your LDL or bad cholesterol levels.
Several studies tell you that garlic supplementation can help reduce LDL cholesterol by as much as 10 to 15%.
An example of this published study can be read in “Garlic as a lipid-lowering agent.”
17. Garlic Is Good For Your Eyes
Regularly eating garlic can be very beneficial to your eyes in the long run.
It’s able to reduce pressure in your eyes which can cause glaucoma.
It can also stop certain organisms that may infect your cornea.
18. Helps Protect Your Heart
The different effects of garlic on your body can be considered to help keep your heart healthy.
Several studies and researches show garlic to reduce blood pressure levels and cholesterol levels.
Both of these are crucial in protecting the health of your heart.
Furthermore, the antioxidants found in this superfood help reduce your chances of getting chronic heart diseases.
19. Garlic Helps Relieve Pain
Garlic is used in different ways as a natural pain reliever.
It’s used to deal with toothache. You just need to chew on a couple of garlic cloves or mash it to make a paste.
For your back pains, you can make a paste out of garlic with turmeric and ginger and apply it to the affected part.
It is also great for relieving inflammation and pain from your joints.
If you’re looking for more natural options for inflammations, you should check my article about the health benefits of bamboo.
Conclusion
There you have it. These are just some of the health benefits of garlic.
I like garlic. I like garlic rice, garlic chicken, and even garlic bread.
I think almost everyone already knows that garlic is good for your body.
For me, its pain relief quality is the one I need the most at the moment.
How about you, which one on this list of health benefits of garlic do you need right now?
Although garlic is very common, please ask your doctor or medical professional first if it’s safe for you to consume.
Other culinary herbs and spices also have health benefits. You can find more of them here.
And don’t forget to share this article with a friend or relative that should know more about the health benefits of garlic.
Thank you!