Garlic is one of the oldest and most widely used functional foods on the planet. With over 7,000 years of recorded history as a pungent culinary ingredient, as well as a potent healing agent, garlic is one food you should eat every day.
Scholars have written about garlic for centuries, often referring to it as the “stinking rose.” While it definitely has an unmistakable and powerful odor, which explains its reference to “stinking,” there is no conclusive answer as to why it is likened to a “rose.”
Some say it dates back to the Ancient Greeks and Romans, who called it “scorodon.” In 1918, Henri Leclerc, a French physician who used garlic for healing in his practice, essentially called garlic “skaion rodon,” loosely derived from the Greek “scorodon.” He eventually translated this to mean,“stinking rose.” (1)
Others contend that a garlic bulb looks like a rose, while others still, simply say that garlic’s bountiful healing properties are beautiful, like a rose. In the end, it really doesn’t matter because when it comes to garlic, while a “rose by any other name” may not in all actuality smell “sweet,” it is certainly just as effective.
That being said, the laundry list of healing properties for garlic is long and varied. A quick search on Green Med Info alone lists an amazing 220 diseases that garlic may be helpful for preventing or curing.
It also lists an impressive 230 documented studies showing how powerful this herb is. (2) It should come as no surprise then that garlic shines as the main ingredient in many natural remedies for a number of potent properties. Here are just a few of the things garlic is known to help.
Health Benefits of Garlic
1. Cardiovascular Health
One of the most well-known and studied benefits of garlic is its powerful cardio-protective properties. Garlic is rich in sulfur-containing compounds proven to help protect your heart from oxidative stress and inflammation. (3)
2. Lower Cholesterol
Other heart healthy properties of garlic include its ability to help lower blood triglycerides and total cholesterol. While moderate, these effects still go a long way to protecting your heart, according to researchers. (4)
3. Prevent Atherosclerosis
Some studies also show garlic can provide protection from atherosclerosis. Researchers from a 2016 study even state, “We have completed four randomized studies, and they have led us to conclude that aged garlic extract can help slow the progression of atherosclerosis and reverse the early stages of heart disease.” (5)
The study, which was published in the Journal of Nutrition, assessed participants who were either given a placebo or a daily dose of 2,400 milligrams of aged garlic extract. Scientists determined that after one year, the people who had taken the aged garlic extract had actually slowed the total plaque accumulation in their arteries by an astounding 80 percent.
4. Lower Blood Pressure
Garlic can also help lower blood pressure, according to several studies. In one study, people who took between 600-1,500 mg of aged garlic extract daily, had significantly lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings after 24 weeks compared to placebo and even to people who took Atenolol, a popular blood pressure medication. (6)
Garlic is thought to help relax blood vessels and prevent the production of the hormone angiotensin II, known to increase blood pressure. (7)
5. Boost Immune System
Garlic is full of powerful antioxidants that protect your body from oxidative damage. (8) Antioxidants not only fight free radicals, but in doing so, they help keep your immune system healthy. In fact, a large study shows that taking daily garlic supplements can reduce the number of colds you get by as much as 63 percent. (9)
Another study shows that higher does of garlic extract (2.56 grams per day) can reduce the total number of sick days from colds or flu by 61 percent. (10)
6. Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia
Garlic’s powerful antioxidants can also help protect against general cell damage and aging, according to studies. (11, 12) High doses of garlic supplements may also increase antioxidant enzymes and significantly lower oxidative stress in people who have high blood pressure. (13)
This is important because studies show that the combined effects of lower cholesterol levels and reduced blood pressure, in conjunction with the powerful antioxidant properties of garlic, may also help prevent brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. (14, 15)
7. Improve Bone Health
While studies continue, research to date concludes that garlic may help prevent osteoarthritis. (16) A study with women, who are menopausal, also shows that essentially taking 2 grams of raw garlic daily can significantly decrease a marker of estrogen deficiency, which can lead to osteoarthritis. (17)
8. Enhanced Athletic Performance
Records show that Ancient Greeks often gave garlic to their Olympic athletes. Today, research shows that the Greeks may have been on to something. One study reveals that people with heart disease that take garlic oil for 6 weeks can reduce their peak heart rate by as much as 12 percent during exercise and even improve their overall exercise stamina. (18) Another 2007 study strongly suggests, “…garlic may be a promising anti-fatigue agent.” (19)
Miracle Garlic Remedy
There is no doubt the research shows that garlic is a superstar when it comes to keeping you strong and healthy. But now, there is one well-hidden remedy that claims it is so powerful, in fact, that you only need to use it once a year to prevent all disease! And it is so easy, all you need are two ingredients that make enough remedy for 12 days… everything you need, just once a year.
Ingredients:
- 5 oz./ 350 grams fresh, organic garlic
- 7 oz./ 200 ml 95 percent alcohol or rum (it should not contain methanol or benzalkonium chloride)
Directions:
- Peel the garlic cloves and mash it or crush it in a garlic press
- Add the freshly crushed garlic to the alcohol
- Store the mixture in a sterilized glass bottle in the refrigerator for 10 days
- Remove the bottle and strain the liquid, then put the garlic-infused alcohol back in the bottle
- Store the mixture in the refrigerator
Instructions:
- Add just a drop of the mixture to a glass of water
- Drink one glass before breakfast and again before lunch
- In the evening, add 2-3 drops of the remedy to another glass of water and drink it before dinner
Follow the instructions daily for 12 days. If you drink this garlic remedy every day as instructed, you will soon see how powerful it is. The effects are so amazing, you only need to do this once a year!