Garlic (Allium sativum) is cultivated worldwide. It is easy to grow and has been used medicinally for centuries. It has been mentioned in an Egyptian papyrus dating back to 1,500 B.C., which describes its uses for more than 30 different ailments. Today it is used in a host of recipes to add flavor. Garlic also has great nutritional values with one of the main benefits being that it is good for your heart.
Instructions
1. A buildup of cholesterol in your arteries makes your heart work twice as hard so that it can keep circulating your blood. This affects your blood pressure adversely causing hypertension. The combination of these two problems greatly increases your risk of thickening and hardening of the arteries–known as atherosclerosis. Garlic can help to protect your arteries by simultaneously lowering your cholesterol levels and decreasing your blood pressure. It can also help reduce the risk of other heart problems by dispersing the build-up of fibrin.
2. Though you may not know it, the way you prepare fresh garlic can actually change the way it will benefit your body. Every time you crush a clove of garlic a specific amino acid and an enzyme are released. Combined, these two form a compound known as allicin. Allicin has the ability to kill many types of bacteria including salmonella. In order to allow this beneficial reaction to take place within the garlic, you should let it sit for fifteen minutes after you have cut or crushed it before adding it to food.
3. If you can’t stand the taste or the smell of garlic, there are supplements available in capsule form. Because the chemicals have been altered slightly you can retain the health benefits without having to suffer the taste or smell of it. A dose of 1000 mg to 1600 mg of garlic supplement each day should be sufficient to keep heart disease at bay.
Tags: your blood, blood pressure, taste smell, your arteries, your blood pressure