The Insane Benefits of Garlic

Eating raw garlic has been a staple in my routine since December of last year (2022). I was a very sickly person and was constantly trying out different things to make my quality of life better. The day of my birthday, I was catching yet another cold, that’s when my dad told me about garlic. He said that his mom (my grandma) always told him to consume raw garlic to avoid getting sick. She specifically told us that we need to consume the garlic with lime juice, and so that’s what I’ve been doing everyday. I chop some garlic and put freshly squeezed lime juice on it. So far the results have been astonishing. I barely get sick even when around sick people. Since it worked for me, I started to look up the science behind garlic and in this article, I will share what I found.

Garlic to avoid getting sick

Garlic has been shown to enhance your immune system through a variety of ways. It has been shown that the allicin and the sulfur containing properties of garlic are the main ways it helps you to deal with certain infections. What the studies show, is that those who consumed garlic got sick significantly less than people who didn’t consume garlic. When the group that consumed garlic became sick, the severity of the symptoms was lowered a significant amount and the duration of their illness was also reduced. Overall, people who consume garlic get sick less often, and when they do get sick, the sickness is less severe and lasts less than people who don’t consume garlic.

Garlic for hypertension and diabetes prevention

Garlic can help prevent diabetes or even assist in people who are taking met, but it has been mentioned in the studies that it can help with blood sugar regulation for.Garlic is used to lower blood pressure via numerous ways. But the main way is that it causes blood vessel dilation, which just means it makes your veins and blood vessels be bigger and since there’s more room for blood to be transported, the heart doesn’t need to exert itself as much. Which also leads me to my next point:

Garlic prevents blood clots

Garlic helps prevents blood clots by making your blood thinner, it helps break down certain thrombus and it helps to avoid the creation of new clots. This is another way that also reduces blood pressure. I would advice against garlic consumption if your blood pressure is too low. If your blood pressure is too low but you still would like to consume garlic, I would increase salt intake to increase blood pressure to a normal range. However, most people I know suffer from high blood pressure so a lot of you should be fine. Always be sure to talk to your doctor about your lifestyle changes to check if its something that would benefit you.

Garlic increases testicular testosterone and decreases cortisol

There was a study done in rats that I have cited on the references and resources, that saw a significant increase in testosterone to the rats that had consumed garlic. It also reduces the stress hormone cortisol which is always great especially in the fast paced and stressful time period that we live in. They are opposing forces so that may also explain the increase in testosterone. If there’s too much cortisol then usually there is not as much testosterone and vice versa, there’s usually a lot of testosterone if there’s not a lot of cortisol. Also if you’re looking to increase your testosterone levels click here to learn more.

Garlic can reduce your risk of melanoma

Garlic along with other foods such as onions and eggs are correlated to lower rates of developing melanoma (a type of skin cancer). On the other hand, the group that was at highest risk of developing melanoma was the group that ate the most candy bars. You can check the resources down below to read more about garlic and to learn the mechanisms that garlic works on.

In conclusion, garlic has been proven time and time again to help in so many ways. So if you can tolerate including raw garlic in your daily lifestyle, you will see some amazing benefits in your well-being.

References and Resources

Here are some studies that you can check out if you want to know more about garlic or if you want to check my resources of what I mention in this article:

Nantz MP, Rowe CA, Muller CE, Creasy RA, Stanilka JM, Percival SS. Supplementation with aged garlic extract improves both NK and γδ-T cell function and reduces the severity of cold and flu symptoms: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled nutrition intervention. Clin Nutr. 2012 Jun;31(3):337-44. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2011.11.019. Epub 2012 Jan 24. PMID: 22280901. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22280901/

Nicastro HL, Ross SA, Milner JA. Garlic and onions: their cancer prevention properties. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2015 Mar;8(3):181-9. doi: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-14-0172. Epub 2015 Jan 13. PMID: 25586902; PMCID: PMC4366009. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25586902/

Oi Y, Imafuku M, Shishido C, Kominato Y, Nishimura S, Iwai K. Garlic supplementation increases testicular testosterone and decreases plasma corticosterone in rats fed a high protein diet. J Nutr. 2001 Aug;131(8):2150-6. doi: 10.1093/jn/131.8.2150. PMID: 11481410. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11481410/

Majewski M. Allium sativum: facts and myths regarding human health. Rocz Panstw Zakl Hig. 2014;65(1):1-8. PMID: 24964572. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24964572/

De Greef D, Barton EM, Sandberg EN, Croley CR, Pumarol J, Wong TL, Das N, Bishayee A. Anticancer potential of garlic and its bioactive constituents: A systematic and comprehensive review. Semin Cancer Biol. 2021 Aug;73:219-264. doi: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2020.11.020. Epub 2020 Dec 7. PMID: 33301861. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33301861/

Josling, P. Preventing the common cold with a garlic supplement: A double-blind, placebo-controlled survey. Adv Therapy 18, 189–193 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02850113 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02850113#citeas

Malagoli, C.; Malavolti, M.; Farnetani, F.; Longo, C.; Filippini, T.; Pellacani, G.; Vinceti, M. Food and Beverage Consumption and Melanoma Risk: A Population-Based Case-Control Study in Northern Italy. Nutrients 2019, 11, 2206. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11092206 https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/11/9/2206