But most important are garlic's 33 sumptuous compounds, especially the volatile amino acid allicin. Allicin is released when the cell walls of the garlic clove are crushed or pressed. Allicin is what give all allium family vegetables their characteristic pungency.
But vitamins and minerals aren't the only reason garlic helps reverse asthma and acne, treats ear drum disorders, and relieves bronchial congestion, gallbladder disorders, dyspepsia, and diarrhea. Like ginseng, it's in a class of so called adaptogenic plants that restore metabolic equilibrium and block the free radicals that compromise the immune system. Garlic is a simple, nonprescription drug that helps detoxify the body and prevent disease. Garlic can cleanse the entire circulatory system in less than an hour.
Garlic eaters have a lower rate and risk of stomach and colon cancer. Garlic is as good an earth medicine as you are likely to find to stay cardiovascular healthy. Reductions in LDL levels and increases in HDL of 20 to 40% are common. Garlic may even be better than aspirin at inhibiting the fibrogen that leads to blood platelet clumping, which causes stroke and atherosclerosis.
Garlic therapy also has a healing effect on high blood pressure and eliminates angina pain, dizziness, and headaches without the frequently occurring side effects of hypertension drugs. The magic ingredient appears to be garlic prostaglandin A. Garlic also inhibits the activity of liver enzymes and influences the way fats are metabolized, making it useful in treating gastric ulcers, and increasing blood insulin levels in diabetics.
Known as the stinking rose and reverently as Russian penicillin by the legions of lovers whose admiration takes the form of newsletters and fan clubs, garlic's powers as an antibacterial and antifungal agent have been known and utilized since 1947. Garlic has the effectiveness of 1% penicillin against strep, staph, fungus, and yeast infections as well as numerous strains of flu. In fact, it not only kills existing bacteria but it inhibits further bacterial growth. And whereas penicillin inhibits only gram positive bacteria, the allicin in garlic counteracts both gram positive and gram negative strains and in small doses than most antibiotics.
Store your garlic heads in a net bag in a cool, dry room or soak cloves in vinegar overnight to increase acidity and eliminate the risk of botulism and then transfer the cloves to a jar of oil.
To prevent linger longer odors, rub hands with parsley and lemon before handling raw garlic, or, if cooking, cut the garlic less and cook it longer.
To banish garlic breath, suck a lemon or chew parsley or fennel seed when eating garlicky food, or soak peeled cloves overnight in yogurt. An alternative is to switch to odorless bulbs, which are acid aged and dried but taste and smell like the real thing.
