Champagne and a mouth full of watering garlic doesn’t sound like a recipe for love on Valentines Day, however, garlic has a history of being a “hot” herb as an aphrodisiac.
Garlic owes its smell to a sulfur compound. The fact that it stinks isn’t unique–sulfur compounds are renowned for their nasty odors. In fact, sulfur compounds in intestinal gas are responsible for the smell of flatulence. Those sulfur compounds are pretty potent stuff, considering that they make up just one percent of the total intestinal gas released!
Health Benefits of Garlic
1. Garlic Reduces Cholesterol
- There many studies confirming that garlic in several forms can reduce cholesterol. (Silagy CS, Neil HAW, 1994, The Journal of the Royal College of Physicians, Vol 28 No 1:39-45)
2. Garlic is an Aphrodisiac
- Tibetan monks were forbidden from entering the monasteries if they had eaten garlic.
- It stirs up passions due to it’s ability to increase the circulation.
3. Garlic is an Antioxidant
- Researchers have widely believed that the organic compound, allicin, which gives garlic its aroma and flavour, acts as the world’s most powerful antioxidant. But until now it hasn’t been clear how allicin works, or how it stacks up compared to more common antioxidants such as Vitamin E and coenzym.Research Sheds Light on Health Benefits of Garlic
- Traditional Chinese medicine used of garlic for more than 3,000 years. Current research is trying to determine the role it could play in treating many health problems such as heart disease and stroke to possibly helping to prevent cancer and increasing your immune system..Research Sheds Light on Health Benefits of Garlic
4. Garlic is an Antibiotic
- The allicin in garlic is also a powerful antibiotic, which fights infection and bacteria. British researchers gave 146 people either a placebo or a garlic extract for 12 weeks. The garlic takers were two-thirds less likely to catch a cold. Other studies suggest that garlic lovers who chow more than six cloves a week have a 30 percent lower rate of colorectal cancer and a 50 percent lower rate of stomach cancer. Garlic helps to open clogged sinuses.
- Listen to a garlic lover (me) and a garlic hater argue about these benefits: Garlic Health Benefits.
“We ate lots of garlic in my home…My father would grow it and it went in everything. He would make garlic sandwiches, which we all loved to eat. Toast with butter and chopped garlic and a sprinkle of salt–mmmm it was yummy. There were three girls in our family and my father used to love to tell us that the garlic would grow hair on our chests!” -Diana Herrington
Garlic History
Once upon a time it was used as currency.
In the days of the pharaohs, ancient Egyptians considered garlic so valuable that they placed it in tombs, including in King Tut’s.
Ancient Greeks gave it to Olympian athletes for strength and stamina.
In India, 5,000-year-old Sanskrit records describe its curative properties.
Why should you let Garlic sit for 5–10 minutes?
To get most health benefits from Garlic, let it sit for a minimum of 5 minutes, after cutting and before eating or cooking. Waiting 5–10 minutes allows the health-promoting allicin to form. If you do not let it sit, allicin is never formed, so it is worth the wait. What is Allicin?
I was having dinner with some friends one evening. My friend made a stir fry with lots of garlic in it. She told me that she could only eat organic garlic because when she ate non-organic garlic, she would have extreme digestive problems.
Ultimate Garlic Recipe: Simple Garlic Zucchini
For some, this zucchini is just an excuse to add extra garlic. Either way, it’s a heavenly combination!
Ingredients:
2 large zucchinis
10 cloves of garlic*
Almond oil
Sea salt
Directions:
Grate 2 large zucchinis.
Chop 10 cloves of garlic
Sauté zucchini and garlic in almond oil till soft for 5 minutes.
Add salt to taste.
Serve
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