Garlic is well known as a natural health remedy that has long been used to treat various ailments. It is extremely easy to source in most countries and can be consumed cooked or fresh. It is most easily included in your food or can be eaten on its own.

Garlic’s delicious flavor and health benefits have led to a steady increase in demand. The average garlic consumption per capita per year is 2 pounds. A healthy adult can safely consume up to four cloves of garlic each day, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, with each one weighing about a gram.

It is recommended that adults consume no more than one clove two or three times a day and that children have one quarter to one half a clove, once or twice a day.


Health Benefites Of Garlic:
Well… modern science has recently confirmed many of these beneficial health effects. Here are Top 10 health benefits of garlic that are supported by human research studies.


1. Garlic Strengthens The Immune System:
Garlic strengthens the immune system as well as helps to fight chest infections, coughs and congestion. In the winter months garlic is a great food to boost your immune system and ward off colds and flu. Garlic is great for boosting the immune system, containing high levels of vitamin C and being identified as a serious anti-cancer food. Because of its high potassium content, it can aid in absorption of essential nutrients, and help avoid digestive problems and fatigue as well. Garlic can also help in lung and throat problems due to its pungent smell. Since consuming garlic can irritate the digestive tract because of its pungent smell, a signal travels to the brain to release watery fluid in the lungs to counter the pungent property, thereby helping clear the lungs out of cough and colds.

2. Garlic is a Powerful Cancer Fighter:
Adding more to the health benefits of garlic list, garlic’s role in the prevention of cancer is perhaps one of the most notorious. Bladder cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer and stomach cancer have all been shown to have their tumors reduced when treated with garlic. Vitamin B6 is said to have cancer fighting abilities.

3. Treats Hair Loss:
A head full of hair that smells like garlic could help in the treatment of hair loss. The herb’s extremely high sulfur content contains keratin, the protein hair is made of. This stimulates fortification and growth. Use of a garlic gel added to the therapeutic efficacy of topical betamethasone valerate for alopecia areata treatment can be effective to induce hair re-growth.

4. Treat Skin Infections:
Since it has both antibacterial and antiviral properties, garlic is great when it comes to treating skin infections. The chemical ajoene found in garlic may help treat fungal skin infections like ringworm and athlete’s foot.
If you have a skin infection, you could apply the juice of come crushed garlic cloves on the area once or twice a day. Wash the juice off with some clean, room temperature water.

5. Lowers Blood Pressure:
A garlic supplement a day may help keep your blood pressure at bay. Cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and strokes are the world’s biggest killers. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is one of the most important drivers of these diseases. Human studies have found garlic supplementation to have a significant impact on reducing blood pressure in people with high blood pressure.
In one study, aged garlic extract at doses of 600-1,500 mg was just as effective as the drug Atenolol at reducing blood pressure over a 24 week period. Supplement doses must be fairly high to have these desired effects. The amount of allicin needed is equivalent to about four cloves of garlic per day.

6. Lowers Heart Disease Risk:
Garlic can help lower the risk of heart disease by lowering total LDL cholesterol. Consuming garlic on a daily basis (in food or raw) helps to lower cholesterol levels because of the anti-oxidant properties of Allicin. It is also immensely beneficial to regulate blood pressure and blood sugar levels. It is essential to remember that the sulphur-containing compound Allicin tends to lose its medicinal properties when garlic is cooked whole. It is imperative to consume garlic raw or semi-cooked to derive any of its benefits.
Garlic supplements can enhance the body’s ability to dissolve blood clots that would otherwise increase the risk of heart attacks by closing the arteries.

7. Improves Bone Health:
Garlic may help reduce bone loss through the increase of estrogen in females. No human trials have measured the effects of garlic on bone loss. However, rodent studies have shown that it can minimise bone loss by increasing estrogen in females.

One study in menopausal women found that a daily dose of dry garlic extract (equal to 2 grams of raw garlic) significantly decreased a marker of estrogen deficiency. This suggests that this garlic may have beneficial effects on bone health in women. Foods like garlic and onions have also been shown to have beneficial effects on osteoarthritis.

8. Prevent Food Poisoning:
Some research indicates that garlic's anti-bacterial properties might help to prevent food poisoning by killing bacteria like E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella enteritidis.(The affect would only apply with fresh garlic, not aged.) One study found that garlic was better at treating Campylobacter than two kinds of antibiotics. That said, the addition of garlic to a dish is in no way a substitute for proper sanitation and safe cooking and food handling.

9. Cold and Flu:
Garlic is going to provide you relief from that stubborn cold and flu (yes, they absolutely love you and never want to leave). Taking 2-3 cloves of raw or cooked garlic a day or sipping some garlic tea (with a touch of honey or ginger to lift up the taste) is not only going to relieve a stuffed nose and cure the cold but also build your immunity against these frequent visitors over time.

10. Lose Weight:
According to recent research, garlic may help to regulate the formation of fat cells in our body by converting pre-adipocytes to fat cells (adipocytes) by preventing the conversion.

Garlic can be a flavorful addition to your dish and also double as a valuable aid to your health.