29 Days to a Healthier Heart
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FEBRUARY 1: EAT MORE GARLIC!
Study after study has confirmed garlic’s ability to: lower blood pressure, reduce phospholipids and cholesterol, strengthen heart action, increase immune response, reduce platelet clumping and clotting (thus reducing heart disease and strokes) and stabilize blood sugar levels. Garlic can be taken as a supplement or you can eat several cloves of garlic a day, raw or lightly cooked.
Garlic has been used medicinally since approximately 3000 BC. The Latin name Allium is derived from the Celtic word for pungent, hot and burning; properties common to all Allium species.
The species name, sativum, means cultivated or planted, referring to the fact that garlic is no longer found in the wild. It was one of the earliest cultivated crops and continues to be extensively grown for both medicinal and culinary purposes.
Allicin is mainly responsible for garlic’s pungent odour, and may also be accountable for garlic’s medicinal properties. The enzyme which makes allicin is inactivated by heat, which accounts for the fact that cooked garlic produces neither as strong an odour as raw garlic nor nearly as powerful physiological effects as raw garlic.
Garlic has been described as an aphrodisiac, as well as treatment for a large variety of conditions, including:
- Colds
- Coughs
- Infections
- Diarrhea
- High blood cholesterol
- Hypertension
- Rheumatism
- Vaginitis
- Diabetes
- Cancer
Garlic has been shown to have antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antihelmintic (worms), and general immune-enhancing effects. It has displayed significant anti-cancer effects and is an important protective factor against heart disease and strokes. Garlic has also been used in the treatment of diabetes and has also been attributed anti-aging properties.
-Karen Hack, BHSc, ND