It is no coincidence that garlic originated in Central Asia, the region where people live the longest and have the lowest known incidence of cancer. The ancient Egyptians included garlic in the diet of the slaves who built the pyramids.
History attributes many properties to garlic, and most of them are proven by scientific means. Garlic is undoubtedly the plant medicine with the most scientifically established properties.
The whole plant, but especially the bulb, contains alliin a (a sulfur glycoside), and an enzyme (alliinase), vitamins A, B1, B2, C and niacin (a B group vitamin). Alliin has no smell, but by the action of alliinase, which is released and acts when garlic is crushed, it is transformed first into alliicin, then into diallyl disulphide (the genin glycoside), which are the most important active ingredients that give garlic its typical smell.
Alliin and diallyl disulfide are very unstable substances, which melt quite easily in liquids and gases. Transported by the blood, they infuse all the tissues and organs of the body. Thus, they act on the whole body, but more powerfully on the organs through which they are eliminated: bronchi and lungs, kidneys and skin.
In large doses, garlic produces a decrease in blood pressure, both the highest and the lowest. It has vasodilating effects and is recommended for people suffering from hypertension, arteriosclerosis and cardiac disorders (angina pectoris or heart attacks).
Garlic helps with platelet anticoagulant (prevents excessive tendency of platelets to clump together, forming clots) and fibrinolytic (breaks down fibrin, the protein that forms blood clots). This makes garlic highly recommended for people suffering from thrombosis, embolism, or strokes due to lack of blood circulation.
It lowers the level of LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) in the blood, because it makes it more difficult for it to be absorbed by the intestine. It has been proven that in the hours following a breakfast of bread with butter, the cholesterol level increases by 20%, however when the bread is rubbed with garlic, even if it contains butter, this increase does not does not take place.
Since it normalizes blood sugar levels, it is a must for people suffering from diabetes and obesity.
Garlic is also an antibiotic and an antiseptic. Its effectiveness is proven against the following microorganisms:
– Escherichia coli, responsible for intestinal dysbacteriosis and urinary tract infections.
– Salmonella typhi, which causes typhoid, and other genera of Salmonella which cause serious intestinal ailments.
– Shigella dysenteriae, responsible for bacillary dysentery.
– Staphylococci and streptococci, which cause boils (infected spots) and other skin infections.
– Various types of fungi, yeasts and certain viruses, such as herpes. The active principles of garlic are supposed to interact with the nucleic acids of the virus, thus limiting its proliferation.
The bactericidal powers of garlic inside the intestine are vigilant with bad bacteria, respecting the normal bacteria, for which it is good. This makes garlic better than most known antibiotics because it regulates good gut bacteria instead of destroying everything.
Its use is recommended:
– In diarrhea, gastroenteritis and colitis.
– In salmonellosis (intestinal infections usually caused by spoiled food.
– In intestinal bacterial imbalances (altered microbial balance of the intestine) often caused by the use of antibiotics.
– In fermentative dyspepsia, which cause flatulence in the colon.
– In urinary tract infections (cystitis and pyelonephritis), often caused by Esterichia coli.
– In various bronchial conditions (acute and chronic bronchitis), because when allyl disulphide is released by the breath, it acts directly on the bronchial mucosa. It is also an expectorant and an antiasthmatic.
Garlic stimulates the activity of the body’s defensive cells, both lymphocytes and macrophages. These cells, which circulate with the blood, protect us from microorganisms and are also capable of destroying cancer cells, at least in the initial stages of tumor formation. Garlic is now used with some success as a supplement in the treatment of AIDS.
It is also active against roundworms and pinworms (small white worms that cause anal itching in children). The most common types of intestinal parasites.
It also prevents malignant tumors especially digestive cancers. This is probably due to its regulatory action on intestinal bacteria and its normalizing action on digestive function, although it may be related to its effects on all of the body’s chemical reactions (metabolism). Remember that we only recommend it as a preventive measure.
Garlic is also widely used as a corn eliminator. Apply a piece of crushed garlic to a callus, covering it with a bandage (Band-Aid). In two or three days, the corn will soften and its inflammation will decrease, allowing for easier eradication.
