The Benefits and Uses of Garlic

Garlic The Stinking Rose!

There is a broad spectrum of diseases garlic can help and/or cure! And you don’t have to suffer from bad breath to do so. Taking Aged Black Garlic will provide 10 times the benefits of normal garlic without the side effects of stomach irritation or bad breath. And honestly, there’s nothing better than roasted fresh garlic. Did you know that garlic can help slow down the aging process? Here are the benefits and uses of garlic.

GARLIC HEALTH BENEFITS

Garlic does numerous healthful things for us such as lowering blood pressure, aiding in digestion, stimulating the immune system, acting as an antibiotic, and helps stave off the aging process. When garlic is cut open it releases an amino acid called alliin that gives garlic that sulfur smell. According to Doctors Klatz & Goldman (1996) garlic “is capable of killing 23 kinds of bacteria – including 60 types of fungi, yeast and salmonella. This enzyme has such a powerful antibiotic effect on the body that some say it is equivalent to penicillin.” It has antiseptic-like properties that can help relieve symptoms of asthma, bronchitis, colds and sinus infections. It can inhibit tumor growth and aid in the fight against cancer.

WHAT IS AGED GARLIC EXTRACT

A garlic extract, called Aged Garlic Extract, has been developed based on the traditional use of garlic. Instead of using heat, Aged Garlic Extract is aged naturally for 20 months. The benefits are the harsh and irritating compounds are greatly reduced, the pungent odor of garlic is also reduced, sulfur-containing compounds, such as alliin and allicin, are converted to many other sulfur-containing compounds, which are mainly water-soluble, from www.kyolic.com. There are many aged garlic supplements available, but 80% of the published research uses Kyolic brand aged garlic extract.

HOW TO ROAST GARLIC

By roasting garlic it changes the cloves into a rich creamy caramelized paste. Ways to use this would be to spread on bread, add to pizza or pasta, mix with sour cream &/or yogurt for a delicious dip, add to mashed potatoes, or make garlic butter to name just a few.

To roast fresh garlic:

Step 1: Place the entire bunch of garlic on a large piece of parchment paper.

Step 2: Cut just the top off (not the root end) so that each individual clove is exposed, maybe ¼”.

Step 3: Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the bunch and add a pinch of salt.

Step 4: Fold the parchment paper and wrap and seal the ends of the paper tightly.

Step 5: Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until when you squeeze the packet it feels soft to the touch.

Step 6: Remove from heat and let cool completely. When cool, remove the roasted garlic and gently squeeze each clove into a dish. The roasted garlic will fill your kitchen with the smell of goodness!

Either use immediately, or cover and place in the refrigerator for later use. It will last in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks, if you don’t use it before then. When I roast garlic, I usually roast 4-5 bunches at one time because we go through it so quickly.

ANTI-AGING BENEFITS OF GARLIC

In the book Garlic Healing Powers a story is told about two sisters living in Armenia. The older woman was 128 years of age and was the mother of the second younger woman who was 85 years of age. They both ate garlic on a regular basis. This could mean garlic plays a role in adding years to our lives. From the results of animal studies, Dr. Lau in his book Garlic and You: the Modern Medicine, would say yes it does prove exactly that. Garlic seems to improve mental alertness, memory retention and learning abilities. Dr. Lau also found that garlic improved endurance.

In another animal study, rats were injected with isoproterenol, a drug that damages the heart muscle. Next, for 7 days one group of rats received nothing extra in their diet, but a second group of rats was fed garlic along with each meal. Both groups of rats were then placed in a tank of water to see how long they could swim. The group that wasn’t given garlic was able to swim 78 seconds. But, the group that received the garlic every day for 7 days was able to swim for 840 seconds. This proved to the researchers that “garlic boosts normal endurance and garlic helps protect the heart muscles even after it had been damaged by the isoproterenol.” Taken a step further, it would seem that garlic would increase our endurance and strength if we added garlic to our diets.

IN SUMMARY

Garlic is good for us. We don’t have to endure the bad breath it’s notorious for if we take an aged garlic supplement. It has antioxidant properties, it helps restore memory, it can extend life expectancy, it helps strengthen the immune system, can help prevent cancer and boost normal strength and endurance.

Give your pet(s) the benefits of garlic too. Add a clove of peeled fresh garlic to their water dish (punch a couple of holes in the clove first). The vitamins and chemicals from the garlic will permeate your pets’ water and help improve their health. Replace the clove once a week.

I hope that by Giving Back this information you’ll see how simple it is to incorporate garlic into our diet through cooking or by taking an aged garlic supplement. Just remember though, if you eat garlic, make sure the people you are with eat it too. This way there won’t be a problem with “garlic breath” coming from the Stinking Rose.

To me, there’s no better smell than roasting garlic!