There Was Garlic …

 Believe it or not, culinary herbs and spices have therapeutic effects on your immune system. With the growing problem of bugs that antibiotics are unable to help with, learning about potential alternatives is becoming increasingly important.

Garlic has literally dozens of pharmacological effects on the body – antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, antihypertensive, antithrombotic and anti-inflammatory. It also helps with high cholesterol, stroke, atherosclerosis and diabetes.

Garlic can also help with fungal infections for women’s health. One study used two 500 mg garlic tablets or two 250 mg doses of Flagyl (metronidazole) for women with vaginal infections, commonly known as ‘thrush’.  After seven days the garlic reduced the active infection by 70% compared to 48% for the drug – without side effects.

Even though eating garlic is a good idea, few of us are willing to consume a clove of garlic every day. Even if we love eating raw garlic, the social impact may deter us! (Chewing raw parsley is said to neutralise the odour). There are garlic supplements to turn to, but there’s nothing like consuming the fresh herb. Adding crushed garlic to salad dressing, steamed veggies, and buttery potatoes is one way to get your garlic dosage up. Garlic bread would be the most popular, (make the bread wholemeal if you can).

Delicious! It is great to use it in cooking, but fresh, raw garlic will deliver the most health benefits. One could even say ‘a clove of garlic a day keeps the doctor away’.