Garlic
Garlic (Allium sativum) is an herb used in cooking. It grows in bulbs, each with multiple cloves covered by a papery wrapper.
Uses:
- Garlic is delicious in food—and it is a strong antibiotic that fights bacteria and viruses, even in small amounts.
- Garlic supports the immune system, and has even been used to slow the growth of some types of cancer cells. Some researchers believe it may help prevent cancer.
- Studies have found that garlic can help lower blood pressure and lipid levels.
- Studies suggest that garlic may help fight fatigue—and may help prevent diabetes or its complications, too.
- The antioxidant properties of garlic can help it to protect the kidneys from damage. In rats, garlic protected the kidneys from damage caused by the transplant drug cyclosporin A or the antibiotic gentamycin.
- Garlic is best used fresh in cooking by peeling and crushing or mincing the cloves. You can buy a garlic press at a kitchen goods store. If you let the crushed garlic rest for 15 minutes before cooking, even stronger antioxidants will form! Cooking may destroy some of the healthful compounds, so it's best to cook briefly.
Forms: Cloves, tablets, capsules, oil, tincture
Cautions
- If you take the blood sugar-lowering drug Diabinese® (chlorpropamide), garlic may cause hypoglycemia.
- Garlic has compounds that may reduce levels of other drugs, so drug interactions may be possible with large doses of garlic (but not with garlic used in cooking).
Kitchen Spices Are Good for You
Many food spices, like allspice, cinnamon, garlic, cloves, ginger, marjoram, orange and lemon peel, oregano, peppermint, sage, thyme, and turmeric have very high levels of antioxidants—even more than berries, teas, and other sources. Antioxidants are compounds that mop up toxins called "free radicals" that cause cell damage.
Antioxidants help protect your body against bad (LDL) cholesterol, ease arthritis pain and reduce inflammation, kill some viruses, and may even prevent some cancers by keeping tumors from growing.
Cinnamon helps control blood sugar levels, too, and turmeric is being used to treat liver disease. So, spice up your food without salt—and improve your health at the same time!
