Garlic contains rich allicin, which has good killing and inhibiting effects on common cold viruses and pathogenic microorganisms. Eating garlic properly can enhance the body’s ability to resist colds. It can prevent intestinal infectious diseases such as dysentery, diarrhea, and enteritis by inhibiting pathogenic bacteria in the intestines.
What are the benefits of eating garlic?
1. Germicidal Action
Garlic is a natural broad-spectrum antibiotic. Garlic contains about 2% allicin, which has a strong germicidal effect. When it enters the body, it reacts with the cysteine of bacteria to form crystalline precipitates, disrupting the thiols in the essential sulfur amino acids of bacteria, leading to a disruption in bacterial metabolism, preventing reproduction and growth.
Because garlic contains sulfides, it has inhibitory and killing effects on various viruses and fungi, making it a very natural antibacterial food. Chewing garlic in the mouth can kill all inhaled bacteria, indicating its strong germicidal effect. People who regularly consume garlic also have blood with germicidal properties.
2. Anti-Cancer Effect
Garlic has anti-cancer effects, but it is best to eat it raw; cooking it removes this effect. When raw garlic is crushed or chewed, the alliinase contained in it is released, transforming alliin into allicin, which can effectively kill bacteria and fungi in the body, thus inhibiting the synthesis of carcinogenic substances like nitrosamines.
Research shows that the selenium content in fresh garlic bulbs is the highest among vegetables, reaching 0.276 micrograms per gram, while most vegetables only contain 0.01 micrograms per gram. Selenium is an essential trace element for the body and has antioxidant properties believed to have anticancer effects.
3. Detoxifying Effect
Eating garlic has a certain detoxifying effect. Garlic contains alliin, which can metabolize toxins in the body, participate in aerobic metabolism in the blood, reduce the liver’s detoxification burden, help treat liver diseases, and protect the liver.
Garlic has a certain stimulating effect, so eating garlic can stimulate gastric mucosa, promote gastric juice secretion, aid digestion, and have a certain therapeutic effect on indigestion, gastrointestinal diseases, especially constipation.
4. Lowering Blood Sugar
Compounds in garlic can dilate smooth muscle in blood vessels, as well as peripheral blood vessels, improve microcirculation, and lower blood pressure. Some active ingredients in garlic have a certain hypoglycemic effect.
Garlic can lower blood sugar because allicin in garlic has a hypoglycemic effect, and garlic juice helps lower blood sugar levels in diabetic patients. Garlic has a good function in regulating spleen and stomach, especially for patients with poor spleen and stomach, the effect is significant.
5. Prevention of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases
Eating garlic can prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Garlic can prevent fat deposition in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems, lower blood lipids and blood viscosity, promote blood vessel dilation, regulate blood pressure, inhibit platelet aggregation, reduce the occurrence of heart diseases, cerebral thrombosis, and other diseases.
Garlic can lower the fat content in the blood, reduce fat deposition in blood vessels, prevent the formation of atherosclerosis, reduce vascular aging, increase vascular elasticity, so regularly consuming garlic has great benefits in preventing related diseases.
6. Maintenance of Liver Function
Garlic has a protective effect on liver function. The trace element selenium in garlic, by participating in aerobic metabolism in the blood, removing toxins, reducing the liver’s detoxification burden, aims to protect the liver.
Garlic can play an auxiliary protective role for the liver. Garlic contains selenium elements, which can eliminate toxins by participating in the blood, thereby reducing the burden on the liver and protecting it. Garlic also has germicidal and anti-inflammatory effects, but eating garlic should be reduced in the evening to avoid a burning sensation in the stomach.
Is it better to eat garlic raw or cooked?
Garlic is better eaten raw. When garlic is crushed, the two effective substances in garlic, amino acids, and alliinase, come into contact and form a colorless oily liquid called allicin. Allicin has a strong germicidal effect by disrupting bacterial metabolism upon entering the body, preventing reproduction and growth.
Garlic contains a substance called allicin, which is sensitive to heat and quickly breaks down when exposed to heat, reducing its bactericidal effect. Garlic has a pungent taste and warm nature, with functions such as aiding digestion, warming the spleen and stomach, killing parasites, detoxification, among others; eating raw garlic can also reduce the incidence of digestive system cancers.
Both raw and cooked garlic have bactericidal effects, with raw garlic having a stronger effect. However, garlic has a certain stimulatory effect on the gastric mucosa, which is reduced after cooking. It is advisable to consider eating raw garlic frequently, while those with stomach problems can consider cooking it before consumption.
Who should avoid eating garlic?
1. People with poor eyesight should avoid eating garlic as much as possible.
People with eye diseases should not eat garlic to avoid aggravating conditions like glaucoma, cataracts, conjunctivitis, sties, dry eyes, among others. Garlic’s pungent and warm nature, when consumed excessively, can lead to liver blood deficiency, impairment, and eye damage. Individuals with eye diseases should minimize garlic intake.
2. People with liver diseases should consume garlic sparingly.
Garlic is a pungent, stimulating food that may worsen conditions for individuals with poor liver health if consumed in large quantities. Compounds in garlic like allyl sulfide and diallyl disulfide are not easily destroyed by cooking, causing irritation to the gastrointestinal tract, especially for individuals with gastrointestinal diseases, excessive consumption may inhibit digestive juice secretion leading to indigestion, indirectly increasing the liver’s burden.
3. Avoid consumption for individuals with weak constitutions or who are prone to excessive internal heat.
If you experience symptoms such as insomnia, palpitations, dizziness, fatigue, and internal heat, eating garlic may not improve your condition but make it worse. Being a pungent and stimulating food, garlic may worsen conditions like coughing for these individuals. It is wise for individuals with heat-related colds to maintain a bland diet, increase water intake, and consume fruits appropriately.
Garlic Precautions:
There are several considerations when consuming garlic. For example, it is best not to consume garlic on an empty stomach, especially for those with fragile gastrointestinal systems as it can cause irritation. Overeating garlic can irritate the gastrointestinal tract, causing discomfort and affecting overall health.
Onions are warm and pungent in nature. Therefore, eating them with warmth-inducing foods like dog meat or rooster meat can lead to excessive internal heat, especially for individuals with rhinitis. Eating onion stewed with dog meat may worsen the condition. #AileyHealthyLiving#
