Everything’s better with garlic. Roasting some potatoes? Add some garlic and your kitchen will smell delicious for days. Need just the thing to top off a side of vegetables? Add some garlic and even the kids will beg to eat them. About to dig into a heaping plate of spaghetti? Add some garlic and suddenly you’re already asking for seconds. Garlic is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Literally! Because once garlic comes into the picture, suddenly we have sliced garlic bread, and there’s nothing better than that! But garlic has more to its name than just finger-licking goodness. It also has quite a few health benefits up its sleeve. Forget apples! Eating a garlic clove a day may be your best bet at truly keeping the doctor away because garlic is the best antibiotic.
Why Garlic May Be The Best Antibiotic Out There
A recent study proved just how incredibly effective garlic can be when it comes to maintaining daily health.
Published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, a study done by Washington State University focused on a bacteria called Campylobacter, which is one of the most common in the world. Campylobacter is also the culprit responsible for many terrible food-borne illnesses causing diarrhea, fever and abdominal pain.
Researchers discovered that garlic was able to kill this bacteria 100 times more effectively than common antibiotics such as erythromycin and ciprofloxacin, and was often found to work in a fraction of the time. (1)
If you’re looking for a great antibiotic, garlic is definitely your guy!
Additional Health Benefits Of Garlic
While researchers are pleasantly surprised with these new findings and excited to see where further exploration takes them, there are many additional age-old benefits that we already knew garlic had in store for us all along.
Garlic Strengthens Immune Shields
If you’re trying to stay out of hospitals as much as possible, strengthening your immune system is the way to do it. Garlic is able to give your immune system just the boost it needs by stimulating the cells within the system and enhancing its efficacy. (2,3)
Garlic Helps you Get Well Sooner
But, if you weren’t able to protect yourself from that pesky flu virus, garlic comes to the rescue in this department as well! Garlic extract has proven to reduce the number of days a person is sick by 61%. (4)
Garlic is a Blood Pressure Refresher
Garlic wins the battle against commonly used medicine once again by contending with a common blood pressure medication. Garlic was shown to be just as effective at lowering blood pressure as Atenolol. (5)
Garlic can Detox Around The Clock
One study showed that garlic was able to significantly reduce amounts of toxic heavy metals in the blood. Garlic was also able to rid patients of many of the side effects of toxicity, including headaches. (6)
Heart Crisis Averted because of Garlic
Certain compounds found in garlic are able to reduce the risk for cardiovascular diseases and have anti-tumor and anti-microbial effects. (7)
How Hard Was That?
All research, new and old, points to the conclusion that garlic is an extreme advocate for a healthy, happy lifestyle. And the best part about it is, garlic is extremely easy to include in your diet. It goes great with everything and tastes absolutely delicious!
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4417560/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4458355/
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22280901
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24035939
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22151785
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4103721/
7. https://academic.oup.com/jac
Written by Emilyn Gil for Healthy Holistic Living ~ November 29, 2018
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