KENDARI, TELISIK.ID – Garlic is one of the spices that must be available in the kitchen. Cooking is not complete if there is no garlic or white threshold.
Besides being able to make dishes delicious and delicious, garlic also has a good content for health.
Garlic or allium sativum belongs to the amaryllis plant family (Amaryllidaceae), and is related to leeks and onions. Garlic is a clove bulb native to Central Asia, but is also grown in Italy and southern France.
Quoted from hellosehat.com, in one piece of garlic there are usually 1-10 cloves. Each clove weighs about 6-8 grams. So, per 100 grams of garlic contains approximately:
4 calories
1 gram carbohydrate
0,2 gram protein
0.1 grams of fiber
0.1 milligrams 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 requirement)
5.4 milligrams of calcium (equivalent to 1% of the body’s daily requirement)
0.4 micrograms of selenium (equivalent to 1 percent% of the body’s daily requirement)
a line of antioxidants such as flavonoids, oligosaccharides, and amino acids.
Garlic is also enriched by active sulfur compounds such as alliin, allyl propyl disulfide, diallyl disulfide, and diallyl trisulfide. When raw garlic is chewed in the mouth, the sulfur substances will react to form allicin.
Garlic has many benefits, including:
1. Lower cholesterol
Garlic has long been considered one of the best foods to prevent high cholesterol. A previous study published in the Journal of Postgraduate Medicine reported, eating 1-2 small cloves of raw garlic every day managed to lower cholesterol quite drastically in two months.
This finding is corroborated 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 who had high cholesterol to regularly eat 3 grams of raw garlic once every day. After 90 days of the trial period, all of the participants experienced a significant reduction in cholesterol, which was about 10-13 percent.
This benefit comes 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. Lowering blood pressure
The 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.
This benefit comes from the allicin content that can only be obtained when raw garlic cloves are chewed, mashed, or chopped. This method makes allicin more easily absorbed and used by the body.
Garlic also contains polysulfide which works to widen blood vessels thereby lowering blood pressure.
3. Healthy heart
Garlic is also potentially good for preventing the risk of heart disease. Garlic has been known as an adjunct treatment in lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, which in turn reduces the risk of atherosclerosis.
The most consistent benefits are shown by extracts from dried garlic (aged garlic). Summarizing a number of studies, aged garlic extract reduces the buildup of soft plaque and prevents the formation of new plaque in the arteries.
4. Lowers the risk of cancer
Launching from the National Center for Biotechnology Information, research evidence so far shows a link between regular garlic consumption and a reduced risk of several types of cancer. These include 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. Healthy 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 nitric oxide levels produced by microglial cells in the brain during the fight against inflammation and oxidative stress.
On the one hand, the role of microglia cells is very useful for maintaining a healthy nervous system. However, the longer the microglia cells fight inflammation, the more they produce nitric oxide. Excess nitric oxide levels have long been linked to brain cell damage.
Well luckily, the 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 for brain cells by making them more immune to the risk of neurological diseases, such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.
6. Cure acne
Various studies have shown that allicin has antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antiseptic properties that help kill acne-causing germs. These various properties help to reduce swelling and inflammation of the skin, as well as increase blood circulation to lighten the skin tone.
Garlic also contains other vitamins and minerals that are believed to eradicate acne. Starting from vitamin C, vitamin B-6, selenium, copper, and zinc which are useful for controlling excess oil production.
7. Strengthen bones
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 in inhibiting the process of bone fragility.
8. Treat 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 throats.
If you are sick, eating garlic can reduce the severity of your symptoms and help you recover faster. Various studies also report that regularly eating raw garlic reduces the risk of falling sick from contracting the common diseases above.
10. Overcome hair loss
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.
Reporting from jpnn.com, garlic can also be made into herbal drinks. The trick, grate or blender 250 mg of ginger, mash 3 cloves of garlic and 1 lemon.
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and boil with 2 liters of water until it boils.
Remove and let warm, then take in a glass and add honey to taste.
The concoction is taken once a day for 5 days, then conditionally as needed.
Also Read: Note, these are 5 types of food that can increase cancer risk
Also Read: Recipe for Cleansing the Liver with Coconut Water by Doctor Zaidul Akbar
Reporting from the Genpi.co page, this herb is efficacious for:
1. Cure colds
Ginger and garlic decoction is very good to drink when you have a cold to improve respiratory problems such as coughs and nasal congestion.
This drink is very good for thinning phlegm and reducing nasal congestion as well as curing allergies, sneezing and also fever that usually occurs during colds.
2. Improve blood circulation
Garlic mixed with ginger is a very high source of antioxidants. So that it can improve the performance of the stomach which is very important for the process of absorption of iron.
With the more smooth absorption of iron in the body, the blood circulation in the body can also run well.
3. Boost the immune system
This herb also has many properties to maintain health and several diseases such as fever, chills, diarrhea, flu, fungal infections and also insect bites.
This is due to the high antioxidant content in these two ingredients.
Consuming garlic mixed with honey on a regular basis is also very good in boosting immunity and serves as an excellent body detoxifier without causing harmful side effects.
4. Increase stamina
Garlic and ginger concoction turns out to have properties to strengthen stamina. This is because garlic mixed with ginger contains compounds that can ward off viruses and bacteria that cause various diseases.
5. Controls cholesterol
This is also no less important, because it can prevent blood thickening in the body and eventually blood can flow smoothly while preventing cardiovascular problems.
6. Increase male fertility
Ginger mixed with garlic contains antioxidants and has androgenic activity.
This makes this herb believed to increase the amount of the hormone testosterone. (C)
Reporter: Haerani Hambali
Editor: Fitrah Nugraha
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