The benefits and drawbacks of eating garlic
Release time : 11/02/2025 09:30:04
Garlic is a common condiment used in our daily lives, and it's often paired with dishes. Because of its strong garlic flavor and spicy taste, some people prefer to eat raw garlic to enjoy the rich aroma and nutritious substances like allicin, which are heat-sensitive. However, for others, their preference for garlic might not be so strong due to its intense spicy taste. Nevertheless, the role of garlic as a condiment cannot be overlooked.
At the same time, garlic can also be used medicinally because its effects and functions are very powerful and have significant therapeutic effects.
Many people enjoy the benefits of eating garlic, but they may not be aware of its potential drawbacks. If consumed improperly, it can potentially harm our bodies. Therefore, it's essential to understand the advantages and disadvantages clearly. Benefits: 1. Anti-inflammatory Properties: Garlic contains compounds that have anti-inflammatory properties, which can help reduce inflammation in the body. This can be beneficial for individuals who are suffering from conditions such as arthritis or autoimmune diseases. 2. Blood Sugar Regulation: Garlic has been shown to improve blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes. It helps regulate insulin levels and can lower blood glucose levels. 3. Heart Health: Eating garlic regularly can reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering bad cholesterol levels and increasing good cholesterol levels. 4. Cancer Prevention: Some studies suggest that regular consumption of garlic may help prevent certain types of cancer, including liver, stomach, and colorectal cancer. 5. Digestive Health: Garlic is a natural digestive aid that can help relieve gastrointestinal issues like indigestion and constipation. Disadvantages: 1. Allergic Reactions: Some people may be allergic to garlic, leading to symptoms such as rashes, itching, and swelling. If you experience these symptoms after consuming garlic, it's best to avoid them. 2. Intestinal Disorders: Consuming too much garlic can cause intestinal discomfort, such as diarrhea or abdominal pain. It's important to consume it in moderation and consult your doctor if you experience any adverse effects. 3. Nutrient Loss: When cooking with garlic, some nutrients may be lost during the process, so it's recommended to use it fresh rather than dried or ground. In conclusion, while garlic has many health benefits, it's important to consume it in moderation and pay attention to any potential side effects. If you have any concerns about your health or the consumption of garlic, it's best to consult with a healthcare professional.
First of all, let's take a look at the benefits of garlic.
1. Strong disinfectant.
The sulfur compounds in garlic have a strong antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effect, which can inhibit and kill many types of bacteria, fungi and viruses. It is the strongest natural plant with antibacterial function discovered so far.
2. Prevention and Treatment of Tumors and Cancer.
Ge and selenium in garlic can inhibit the growth of tumor cells and cancer cells, and it was found that the population with the lowest incidence of cancer is the one with the highest blood selenium content.
The US National Cancer Institute believes that the most anti-cancer potential plant in the world is garlic.
3. Detox and cleanse the colon to prevent gastrointestinal diseases.
4. Reduce blood sugar levels to prevent diabetes.
Garlic can promote the secretion of insulin, increase the absorption of glucose in tissue cells, improve the tolerance of human body to glucose, rapidly reduce blood sugar level and kill bacteria that induce diabetes from infection, so it can effectively prevent and treat diabetes.
5. Prevent and treat cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
Garlic can prevent the accumulation of fat in heart and blood vessels, induce the metabolism of tissue internal fat, significantly increase the activity of fibrinolysis, reduce cholesterol, inhibit platelet aggregation, decrease plasma concentration, increase the dilation of micro-arteries, promote vascular dilation, regulate blood pressure, increase vascular permeability, thereby inhibiting the formation of thrombi and preventing arteriosclerosis.
6. Preventing the Common Cold Garlic contains a substance called "sulfur acetide," which has good killing effects on pathogens and parasites, and can prevent the common cold, alleviate fever, cough, throat pain, and nasal congestion, etc.
7. Anti-fatigue effects: Research has found that pork is one of the foods rich in vitamin B1, and when combined with garlic oil, it can effectively eliminate fatigue and restore physical strength.
8. Anti-aging effect: Some ingredients in garlic have antioxidant and anti-aging properties similar to vitamin E and vitamin C.
9. Protect liver function: The trace element selenium in garlic participates in aerobic metabolism of the blood, removes toxins and reduces the detoxification burden of the liver, thereby achieving the purpose of protecting the liver.
10. Vigorous energy and treatment for erectile dysfunction: Studies have shown that garlic does indeed have the effect of treating erectile dysfunction.
Garlic can improve blood circulation, which is important for erectile function.
It's a mechanism that's not entirely clear, but one possible explanation is that garlic stimulates the body to produce nitric oxide synthase, which is essential for male erections.
11. Anti-allergic effect: Eating raw garlic daily can alleviate the intensity of allergic reactions, especially those caused by temperature changes.
The best method is to start eating raw garlic a few weeks before the allergy season.
12. Prevention of Vaginal Trichomonas Infection in Women: Vaginal trichomonas infection is caused by fungal infections, and garlic contains a large amount of allicin, allicin, etc. It is a natural strong antibacterial substance with great antibacterial effects. It can inhibit the excessive growth and reproduction of Candida albicans in the vagina, so women should eat more garlic-containing foods daily to effectively prevent the occurrence of vaginal trichomonas infection.
13. Effect on Glucose Metabolism: Studies have confirmed that raw garlic can improve the glucose tolerance of healthy individuals, as well as stimulate insulin secretion and enhance the utilization of glucose by tissue cells, thereby reducing blood glucose levels.
Next, let's learn about the drawbacks of eating garlic so that we can avoid suffering from its harm.
Although garlic has the effects of killing pests, detoxifying and removing coldness, strengthening the stomach, and benefiting digestion, it is also a warm-natured food with stimulating properties. It can irritate the liver, lungs, stomach, and eyes. Those who are suffering from liver heat or hepatitis, have excessively irritable stomach or intestines, have eye pain or inflammation should abstain from consuming it.
Consuming too much garlic can harm the spleen, damage the lungs, impair the liver, damage the ears, cause phlegm, and induce coughing.
1. Garlic can increase the secretion of stomach acid, and capsaicin has a stimulatory effect. People with gastrointestinal diseases, especially those with gastric ulcers and duodenal ulcers, should avoid eating garlic.
2. Excessive consumption of garlic can affect vision.
3. People with liver diseases may experience hepatotoxicity by consuming excessive amounts of garlic.
The nutritional value of garlic is actually quite high, and it's incredibly beneficial for our health.
Let's get to know each other.
Garlic is a rich source of nutrients, containing high levels of minerals such as calcium and phosphorus, as well as vitamins like thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, allicin, terpenes, selenium, and germanium.
1. Garlic contains a substance called "allicin," which has a potent germ-killing capability comparable to penicillin, effectively killing pathogens and parasites. It can prevent influenza, prevent wound infections, treat infectious diseases, and expel parasites.
2. Garlic has obvious effects on reducing blood lipids and preventing coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis, as well as preventing thrombosis.
3. Garlic can protect the liver, induce the activity of detoxifying enzymes in hepatocytes, and block the synthesis of carcinogens such as nitrosamines, thereby preventing cancer.
4. In recent years, due to the inadequate dietary structure of people, the intake of selenium in human body decreased, which resulted in a decrease in insulin synthesis.
And the garlic contains more selenium, which plays a certain role in the synthesis of insulin in human body.
Therefore, consuming more garlic may be beneficial for patients with diabetes in alleviating their condition.
5. Consuming garlic regularly can delay aging.
Its antioxidant activity is even superior to ginseng.
6. People who frequently come into contact with lead or have a tendency to be poisoned by lead can effectively prevent lead poisoning by consuming garlic.
The potential benefits of garlic are opening a new natural way to care for the prevention and improvement of atherosclerosis, heart disease.
At the same time, garlic also plays a role in lowering high blood pressure.
As long as the blood is kept normal, it is not likely to suffer from hypertension, heart disease, or stroke.
Beyond its use as a culinary ingredient, there are several other ways to utilize garlic. 1. For treating carbuncles, boiled sores, scabies, and other skin infections.
Garlic can be used topically or internally, and it has good detoxifying, anti-parasitic, and sedative effects.
For the initial stages of carbuncles, a clove of garlic can be sliced and applied to the affected area.
2. For treating dysentery, diarrhea, pulmonary tuberculosis, and sudden cough.
Can be used either alone or as part of a compound.
For instance, a prescription involves boiling garlic into porridge and administering it with Bletilla striata powder to treat coughing up blood from lung tuberculosis.
Treating diarrhea, it can be used alone or with 10% garlic extract for retention enema.
Garlic can also prevent and treat epidemic infectious diseases such as influenza, meningitis, and encephalitis.
3. For the treatment of hookworm and roundworm diseases.
To treat pinbiasis, mash garlic, add a little tea oil, and apply it around the anus before going to bed.
Furthermore, garlic can also invigorate the spleen and warm the stomach to treat cold pain in the epigastric region, reduced appetite or food digestion.
4. Garlic juice can relieve itching: If you have skin eczema, psoriasis or dermatitis, applying garlic juice can alleviate severe itching.
Peel the half-head of garlic, chop it into small pieces and place it in a piece of 8-10 cm square gauze. Cover the garlic with gauze and tie the knot tightly with an elastic ring. Place it on a cutting board and crush it with gauze between the cloth.
Apply garlic juice to the affected area, and it will instantly relieve itching.
The area scratched by the skin has been treated with a substance, and there is slight pain upon application. However, within moments, the discomfort subsides.
After using the garlic packets a few times, they become dry. Soaking them in water and rubbing them once or twice can make them usable again.
At the same time, garlic also has some interesting uses for consumption.
1. Garlic can be eaten raw, mashed in mud, simmered, decocted in soup, or applied with mashed juice, sliced and roasted at acupuncture points.
Sprouted garlic has little therapeutic effect, and it is not advisable to pickle garlic for too long to avoid damaging the active ingredients.
2. Just before the dish is ready to be served, add some minced garlic, which can enhance the flavor of the dish.
When cooking fish or meat, adding some garlic pieces can help remove the fishy smell and eliminate odor.
3. Adding some minced garlic to the stir-fried vegetables can enhance the spicy flavor.
Sesame oil, soy sauce and minced garlic are mixed together to be used as a dip for cold noodles or dumplings.
After understanding the benefits and drawbacks of garlic, let's explore how to use it as a culinary ingredient. These are the secrets to creating delicious dishes!
1. Stir-fried onions with leek flowers Ingredients: 250 grams of onions, 50 grams of leek flowers Accessories: 2 red peppers, 5 grams of garlic Seasoning/marinade: 10 grams of peanut oil, 5 grams of salt, 2 grams of monosodium glutamate, 2 grams of pepper oil, Moderate wet raw powder Steps: 1) Remove the skin of the onions and cut them into shredded pieces and wash them, cut the leek flowers into sections and wash them, cut the red peppers into shredded pieces, and cut the garlic into rice.
2) Put a little oil in the pan, add shredded onions, stir-fry over medium heat for a while, and pour out for later use.
3) Add oil in another pan, add garlic, shredded red pepper, and chive flowers, stir fry a few times, add shredded onion, add salt and monosodium glutamate, stir-fry until fragrant, thicken with wet raw flour, and sprinkle with pepper oil.
Remarks: Because the onion has a lot of water inside, it is necessary to stir-fry some of the water first.
2. Cold Stir-Fry Onion Main ingredients: 1/2 onion Accompaniments: 2 roots of celery, 1 chili pepper, 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, and an appropriate amount of coriander for garnish Seasonings and marinade: 1 tablespoon of tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon each of sweet and spicy sauces, soy sauce, and sugar; 1 tablespoon each of pineapple juice and lemon juice Steps: 1) Cut the onion into shreds, the celery into sections, marinate with a small amount of salt, cut the chili pepper into shreds, chop the coriander into segments, and slice the pineapple into smaller pieces.
2. Add onions, celery, chili peppers, minced garlic and pineapple to the seasoning and mix well, then add mint and mix again before serving.
Key Points: Before cutting an onion, make sure to rinse it in cold water for a moment beforehand. This way, you won't end up with tears streaming down your face.
3. Red Onion Potato Steak Ingredients: Pork ribs, red onion, green, yellow, and red bell pepper slices Sauce ingredients: Shaomai sauce, refined oil, cooking wine, sugar, MSG, ginger slices, garlic slices Steps: 1) Clean the pork ribs thoroughly and dry them, then marinate with Shaomai sauce and cooking wine for more than half an hour.
2) Once the aroma of the red onion, green and yellow bell pepper slices, garlic slices, and ginger slices has intensified, set aside.
3) Add the pork ribs and fry until golden brown, then pour in an appropriate amount of cooking wine. Pour over ingredients from step 2 and cover the pot with a lid and simmer on low heat for a while.
4) During the midway, you may need to stir-fry several times. You can add more soy sauce according to your taste and color.
5) After the spare ribs are fully cooked, put them in soup or quick-boiled noodles and serve.
How to consume garlic most effectively? Given the high nutritional value and numerous beneficial uses of garlic, how can it be consumed most effectively? In fact, garlic can also be consumed in this way.
1. Sugar-Sour Garlic: It strengthens the spleen and promotes appetite, as well as aids in digestion and benefits throat.
Bring the aged vinegar to a boil, add sugar and let it cool. Peel the fresh garlic and leave it for 1-2 days, then place it in the vinegar with a lid and keep it in a cool place for 10-15 days before consumption.
Patients undergoing radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma often experience dry mouth and loss of taste, which can affect their appetite. Incorporating a sweet and sour garlic into their diet can stimulate the secretion of saliva in the mouth, alleviate dryness, and enhance appetite.
2. Green Tea and Garlic: Clears heat, detoxifies, promotes diuresis and reduces swelling.
Useful for viral infections such as the plague, and symptoms of sore throat. Green tea should be about 3~4g, boiled in water with 400ml, add a little sugar after cooling down, mix in 4~5 cloves of garlic and then swallow frequently, take in small amounts at different times throughout the day.
Please note that it should not be stored for an extended period to prevent spoilage. When spoiled, garlic turns green and should not be consumed.
3. Egg and Garlic Paste: Warms the stomach, eliminates coldness, and regulates qi to reduce reversal.
Used for stomach cold and abdominal cold, nausea, vomiting, etc.
Peel four boiled eggs, add Sichuan pepper, star anise, cinnamon bark and dried ginger, cook over low heat for about 1 hour, then remove and mash with cold water.
6-8 cloves of garlic mixed with salt and crushed to a paste, then mixed with eggs and eaten as a dish. It can treat stomach cold pain and gastrointestinal disorders.
Eating just one egg per meal is sufficient; overconsumption can affect appetite.
At the same time, when eating garlic, we should pay attention to some of its characteristics and prevent adverse reactions from occurring. Use the benefits and effects of garlic effectively.
1. Garlic is warm in nature, and its pungent properties can dissipate Qi and blood. Therefore, those with deficiencies in these vital energies should use it sparingly.
Warm energy can excite fire; therefore, when lung and stomach have fire, one should not use it excessively for symptoms of irritability and heat in the heart, chest, and palms.
When taking a large dose of warming medicine, it is best not to take it with garlic, as it can generate heat and exacerbate the condition.
Individuals with a habit of bad breath, body odor, or severe acne should minimize the use of garlic.
Scallions, onions, and other spicy substances should also not be consumed together with honey to avoid abdominal discomfort or diarrhea that may cause discomfort throughout the body.
2. The active components of garlic are easily volatile and will be lost if they are heated for a long period at high temperatures.
Garlic ground into a paste easily oxidizes and turns green, should not be stored for long, should eat it the same day.
Garlic has a stimulating effect on gastric mucosa, and it should not be consumed in large amounts at a time nor should it be eaten on an empty stomach.
*The medical content mentioned in this text is for reference only.
In case of discomfort, it is recommended to seek medical attention immediately for a diagnosis and treatment at a face-to-face consultation.