Benefits of raw garlic for heart health to brain

One of the cooking spices that must be available in the kitchen of every Indonesian is garlic. Incomplete cooking is incomplete if there is no garlic, aka white embers. But in addition to preparing food, garlic is also effective in maintaining the health of the family at home, you know! Especially if eaten raw. Are you curious about the benefits of garlic for health?

What is the nutritional content of garlic?

Garlic is a tuber with a Latin nameAllium sativum. This white onion is still included in the amaryllis plant family (Amaryllidaceae), and brothers with green onions and shallots. White-bred is a clove tuber native to Central Asia cultivation, but also grows clay in Italy and the southern regions of France.

In one garlic, there are usually 1-10 cloves. Each clove itself weighs about 6-8 grams. So, per 100 grams of white emblem contains approximately:

• 4 calories
• 1 gram of carbohydrates
• 0.2 grams of protein
• 0.1 gram of fiber
• 0.1 milligram of manganese (equivalent to 3% of the body's daily requirement)
• 0.9 milligrams of vitamin C (equivalent to 2% of the body's daily needs)
• 5.4 milligrams calcium (equivalent to 1% of the body's daily requirement)
• 0.4 micrograms of selenium (equivalent to 1 percent of the body's daily needs)
• a line of antioxidants such as flavonoids, oligosaccharides, and amino acids.

It is also enriched with active sulfur compounds such as alliin, allyl propyl disulfide, diallyl disulfide, and diallyl trisulfide. When raw garlic is chewed in the mouth, these sulfur substances will react to form allicin.

Benefits of garlic for health

1. Lowering cholesterol

Garlic has long been considered one of the best foods for preventing high cholesterol. An earlier study published in the Journal of Postgraduate Medicine reported eating about 10 grams of raw garlic (1-2 small cloves) every day managed to reduce cholesterol quite drastically in two months.

These findings are also confirmed by a variety of more recent studies. One of them is a study published in the International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health in 2016. The research team from India initially asked 50 people with high cholesterol to regularly eat 3 grams of raw garlic once a day. After 90 days of the trial period, all participants experienced a significant reduction in cholesterol, which is about 10-13 percent.

Researchers found this benefit came from the allicin content in garlic. Uniquely, allicin will only be produced by garlic when the cloves are cut, ground (uleg), or crushed by chewing. Allicin inhibits an enzyme that plays a role in making cholesterol.

2. Controlling blood pressure

If you are a person who is at risk or has been diagnosed with hypertension, maintaining a healthy diet is one of the keys to staying healthy. Now of the many healthy foods available, garlic can be your mainstay.

Yes! The potential benefits of garlic for lowering blood pressure have long been known to be comparable to generic hypertension drugs. A study from the Pakistan Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences reported that the effect of lowering systolic and diastolic blood pressure after eating raw garlic was almost the same as the drug atenolol.

Again, this benefit comes from the allicin content which can only be obtained when chewing raw garlic cloves, inuleg, or cut. This method makes allicin easier to absorb and use by the body.

In addition, garlic also contains polysulfides which work to widen blood vessels thereby lowering blood pressure.

3. Healthy heart

The good news, garlic is also potentially good for preventing the risk of heart disease. Garlic has been recognized as an adjunct treatment in lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, which in turn reduces the risk of atherosclerosis.

Uniquely, the most consistent benefits were demonstrated by extracts from dried garlic (aged garlic). Summarizes a number of studies, extracts aged garlic reduces buildup of soft plaque and prevents new plaque formation in the arteries.

Research from the Journal of Nutrition that uses aged garlic also showed the effect of reducing levels of calcium and C-reactive protein in the coronary arteries. Calcium deposits in the coronary arteries are a sign of plaque buildup that can narrow or block the arteries. Meanwhile, C-reactive protein is a special protein that triggers inflammation.

The two conditions above then trigger atherosclerosis. When atherosclerosis occurs, you will be more susceptible to heart attack or stroke.

4. Lowering the risk of cancer

The beneficial benefits of garlic have been known for centuries.

Launching from the National Center for Biotechnology Information, research evidence so far shows a link between regular garlic consumption with a reduced risk of several types of cancer. Including stomach cancer (stomach, colon, and small intestine), esophageal cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer.

Raw garlic is rich in active sulfur content which prevents the formation of cancer cells and inhibits their spread in the body.

5. Maintain brain health

It turns out that eating garlic is not only beneficial for heart health, but also for the brain.

A team of researchers from the University of Missouri found that a carbohydrate derivative in garlic known as FruArg protects brain cells against the effects of aging and disease. FruArg is reported to reduce levels of nitric oxide produced by microglial cells in the brain while fighting inflammation and oxidative stress.

On the one hand, the role of microglia cells is very beneficial for maintaining the health of the nervous system. However, the longer the microglia cells fight inflammation, the more nitric oxide is produced. Excessive nitric oxide levels have long been linked to brain cell damage.

Well fortunately, FruArg in garlic can multiply microglia cells without triggering an increase in nitric oxide levels in the brain. This means that garlic offers protective benefits to brain cells by making them more resistant to the risk of neurological diseases, such as dementia and Alzheimer's.

6. Overcoming acne

Don't give up just yet if you have tried a thousand and one ways to get rid of acne but nothing works. Garlic stock in the kitchen might be a solution.

Various studies have shown that allicin has antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and antiseptic properties that help kill the germs that cause acne. These various properties help relieve swelling and inflammation of the skin, and increase blood circulation to brighten skin tone.

Garlic also contains other vitamins and minerals which are believed to fight acne. Starting from vitamin C, vitamin B-6, selenium, copper, and zinc which are useful for controlling excess oil production.

7. Strengthens bones

Did you know that besides calcium and vitamin D, flavonoids are among the most potent nutritional components to improve bone health?

Summarizing the findings of a study in the Journal of Nutrition in Gerontology and Geriatrics, flavonoids have the potential to increase bone formation while slowing the process of bone mineral loss. Now from the onion family, garlic and leeks were found to be the most effective at inhibiting the bone brushing process.

A study in lab rats also found garlic to be beneficial in preventing bone loss after surgical removal of the ovaries (oophorectomy).

8. Against inflammation, colds, and coughs

Garlic is one of the natural remedies to strengthen the immune system. The active compound allicin found in garlic is proven to be effective in killing various germs that cause common diseases, such as colds and flu, coughs, and sore throat.

If you are sick, eating garlic can reduce the severity of your symptoms and help you recover faster. Various studies have also reported that regularly eating raw garlic reduces the risk of falling ill due to contracting the common diseases above.

In addition, this mandatory spice in Indonesian cuisine can reduce fatigue.

10. Overcoming hair loss

Who would have thought the benefits of eating raw garlic could solve hair loss problems?

In alopecia or baldness caused by autoimmune diseases, raw garlic can strengthen and encourage hair growth on the scalp. Some people even apply garlic oil on the head to prevent baldness.

The benefits of garlic are better if eaten raw

You can reap all the benefits of garlic as easily as chewing the cloves raw. Because it is precisely in its freshest condition, the nutrients in onions can work optimally.

Maybe this way of eating garlic is unusual for you, but processing onions by cooking them will actually remove various important nutrients.

But if you don't want to keep eating raw, it's okay to add garlic to your daily cooking.

Can you eat how much raw garlic a day?

If you are in good health and do not have serious health problems, the University of Maryland Medical Center allows you to eat 1-4 cloves of raw garlic every day.

Eating more than one clove of garlic per day may aggravate the condition of people who have severe indigestion. In addition, people who have allergies, low blood pressure, asthma, ulcers, or thyroid problems are also advised to consult a doctor before eating garlic.

The same is the case if you are currently taking the following drugs:

• Isoniazid (Nydrazid)
• Family planning pills
• Cyclosporine
• Medicine for HIV / AIDS
• NSAID painkillers
• Blood thinners (Warfarin)

If you are taking any of these medicines, limit the amount of garlic you consume so that there are no adverse interactions. You should first ask your doctor whether it is safe to eat garlic while using medical drugs.

Tips to get rid of bad breath after eating garlic

Although it is potentially good for health, garlic is also dangerous if mostly consumed. This kitchen spice can cause hot mouth, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, to bad breath and body odor if consumed too much.

To avoid bad breath from eating raw garlic, try these tips first.

• Wash the raw garlic cloves thoroughly under cold running water
• Consume raw garlic with celery or basil so that the onion aroma is not too strong
• Drink a glass of low-fat milk or eat plain yogurt after consuming raw onions
• Brush your teeth and rinse with mouthwash until clean after eating raw garlic

How to store garlic so that it lasts longer

1. Store in the refrigerator

Storing the garlic out in the open will keep it moist and eventually new sprouts will appear. It's best to store peeled and washed garlic in an airtight container. Put in the refrigerator or freezer.

When the garlic sprouts, it's a good idea to plant it in a small pot filled with soil, and let it grow.

2. It is mashed first and then keeps it in the refrigerator

You can puree a few cloves of garlic in a blender or food processor, then store in an airtight container. Then, store in the refrigerator. This chopped garlic can save you cooking time later.

Apart from being more practical, garlic that has been mashed will also last longer than whole onions stored at room temperature.

3. Soak in olive oil

The next way is to soak garlic in olive oil. First, first peel the garlic and wash it, then store it in a container. After that, pour the olive oil until all the onions are submerged in it. Close tightly and put the container in the refrigerator.

The olive oil absorbed in the onions will later add to the flavor of your cooking. Also, the marinade, which now retains the flavor of the onion, can be used as a sauce or dressing salad.

Remember, keep the garlic and olive oil in the refrigerator, not at room temperature. Garlic stored this way will usually last for about 3 weeks. When it is more than 3 weeks, discard it and replace it with fresh garlic and fresh olive oil.

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