I stay with my grandma who is fond of cooking with garlic. I detest the smell. For crying out loud what are the usefulness of this smelly thing?
–Ekaete Dickson, Student. 18 years old. Ikoyi, Lagos.
Garlic produces a chemical called allicin. This is what seems to make it work for certain conditions. Allicin also makes garlic smell. Some products are made “odorless” by aging the garlic, but this process can also make the garlic less effective. It’s a good idea to look for supplements that are coated (enteric coating) so they will dissolve in the intestine and not in the stomach.
Your grandmother probably knows the many health benefits inherent in garlic, moreso as she is ageing, hence her penchant for same. You can equally benefit from it if you understand its many benefits. I must add that Garlic, especially when you consume too much, can have some unpleasant side effects such as bad breath, burning of the mouth, diarrhea, body odour and vomiting. These side effects typically occur when you consume too much raw garlic. Garlic can also increase your risk of bleeding.
Garlic (scientific name Allium sativum) is a specie in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and Chinese onion. Garlic is used for many conditions relating to the heart and blood system. These conditions include high blood pressure, low blood pressure, high cholesterol, inherited high cholesterol, coronary heart disease, heart attack, reduced blood flow due to narrowed arteries, and “hardening of the arteries” (atherosclerosis).
It was used in ancient Egyptian times as a traditional remedy to maintain health and treat disease. The potential health benefits of garlic reside in its natural components, which include allicin, a compound that is produced when you chew and crush fresh garlic.
Garlic is rich in healthy compounds known as allicins that can help to protect against cancer and heart disease. Unfortunately, cooking garlic destroys the garlic’s ability to make allicin and makes cooked garlic generally not as beneficial as raw garlic.
Some people use garlic to prevent colon cancer, rectal cancer, stomach cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, multiple myeloma and lung cancer. It is also used to treat prostate cancer and bladder cancer.
Garlic has been tried for treating an enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia: BPH), cystic fibrosis, diabetes, osteparthritis, hayfever (allergic rhinitis), traveller’s diarrhea, high blood pressure late in pregnancy (pre-eclampsia), yeast infection, flu, and swine flu. It is also used to prevent tick bites, as mosquito repellant, and for preventing the common cold, with treating and preventing bacterial and fungal infections.
Garlic is also used for earaches, chronic fatigue syndrome, menstrual disorders, abnormal cholesterol levels caused by HIV drugs, hepatitis, shortness of breath related to liver disease, stomach ulcers caused by H. pylori infection, exercise performance, exercise-induced muscle soreness, a condition that causes lumps in the breast tissue called fibrocystic breast disease, a skin condition called scleroderma, and lead toxicity.
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