Why is garlic healthy?

Answer 1

Well: Garlic (Allium sativum) is a perennial plant in the family Alliaceae and genus Allium, closely related to the onion, shallot, and leek. It does not grow in the wild, and is thought to have arisen in cultivation, probably descended from the species Allium longicuspis, which grows wild in south-western Asia.[1] Garlic has been used throughout all of recorded history for both culinary and medicinal purposes.
Because of its wide cultivation, the origins of garlic are not fully certain. It is related to onions and lilies, and cultivated in the same manner as the shallot. The domesticated garlic plant does not produce seeds, but is grown from bulbs. These bulbs are the part of the plant most commonly eaten, though some cooks also use the early spring shoots. These shoots are often pickled in Russia and states of the Caucasus and eaten as an appetizer. A common error made by novice cooks is to misinterpret the word "clove" as meaning the entire garlic head (naturally occurring cluster of cloves, depending on the species) rather than one of its segments, thereby wildly exaggerating the amount of garlic in a recipe.

A garlic head is generally four to eight centimeters in diameter, white to pinkish or purple, and is composed of numerous (8 - 25) discrete bulbs. The foliage comprises a central stem 25 - 100 cm tall, with flat or keeled (but not tubular) leaves 30 - 60 cm long and 2 - 3 cm broad. The flowers are produced in a small cluster at the top of the stem, often together with several bulblets, and surrounded by a papery basal spathe; each flower is white, pink or purple, with six tepals 3 - 5 millimetres long. The flowers are commonly abortive and rarely produce any seeds.

The garlic plant has long, narrow, flat, obscurely keeled leaves. The head (compound bulb) has a flaky, mostly white outer layers of skin like that of an onion. Inside are 8-25 cloves, or smaller bulbs. From these, new bulbs can be procured by planting out in late winter or early spring.

The percentage composition of the bulbs is given by E. Solly (Trans. Hon. Soc. Loud., new ser., iii. p. 60) as water 84.09 %, organic matter 13.38 %, and inorganic matter 1.53 % - that of the leaves being water 87.14 %, organic matter 11.27 % and inorganic matter 1.59 %.


Garlic flowerheadLike other members of the onion family, garlic actually creates the chemicals that give it its sharp flavor when the plant's cells are damaged. When a cell of a garlic clove is broken by chopping, chewing, or crushing, enzymes stored in cell vacuoles trigger the breakdown of several sulfur-containing compounds stored in the cell fluids. The resultant compounds are responsible for the sharp or hot taste and strong smell of garlic. Some of the compounds are unstable and continue to evolve over time. Among the members of the onion family, garlic has by far the highest concentrations of initial reaction products, making garlic much more potent than onions, shallots, or leeks.[3] Although people have come to enjoy the taste of garlic, these compounds are believed to have evolved as a defensive mechanism, deterring animals like birds, insects, and worms from eating the plant.[4]

A large number of sulfur compounds contribute to the smell and taste of garlic. Diallyl disulfide is believed to be an important odor component. Allicin has been found to be the compound most responsible for the spiciness of raw garlic. This chemical opens thermoTRP (transient receptor potential) channels that are responsible for the burning sense of heat in foods. The process of cooking garlic removes allicin, thus mellowing its spiciness.
Some scientific research indicates that garlic can have some health benefits, such as diminishment of platelet aggregation[7]; a meta-analysis showing significant (12%) lipid lowering of cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol[8]; treatment of hyperlipidaemia[9]; the significant inhibition of atherosclerosis via the use of aged garlic extract Kyolic[10]; and the protective nature of chronic garlic intake on elastic properties of aorta in the elderly[11]. Regular and prolonged use of therapeutic amounts of aged garlic extracts lower blood homocysteine levels, and prevent some complications of diabetes mellitus. It may have some cancer-fighting properties because it is high in diallyl sulphide (DADs), believed to be an anticarcinogen.[12]

In modern naturopathy, garlic is used as a treatment for intestinal worms, both orally and as an anal suppository.

Garlic cloves continue to be used by aficionados as a remedy for infections (especially chest problems), digestive disorders, and fungal infections such as thrush. They are claimed to be an effective long-term remedy for cardiovascular problems reducing excessive blood cholesterol levels, atherosclerosis, the risk of thrombosis, and hypertension but these claims are disputed, as there has been no clinical trial that has demonstrated any such benefits. Whole cloves used as vaginal suppositories are sometimes used as a home remedy for Candidiasis (yeast infections). Garlic is also alleged to help regulate blood sugar levels, and so can be helpful in late-onset diabetes, though people taking insulin should not consume medicinal amounts of garlic without consulting a physician. In such applications, garlic must be fresh and uncooked, or the allicin will be lost.

Dietary supplements in pill form, such as Garlique, claim to possess the medicinal benefits of garlic, without (in the words of Garlique's manufacturer) "the unsocial qualities associated with fresh garlic cloves".

Hope this helps

The portion of the plant most often consumed is an underground storage structure called a head. A head of garlic is composed of a dozen or more discrete cloves, each of which is a botanical bulb, an underground structure comprised of thickened leaf bases. Each garlic clove may often be composed of just one leaf base, unlike onions, which almost always have multiple layers. The above-ground portions of the garlic plant are also sometimes consumed, particularly while immature and tender.

Garlic has a powerful pungent or "hot" flavor when raw, which mellows considerably when it is cooked. Raw or cooked, garlic is noted for its strong characteristic odor, and for giving those who eat it a distinctive breath odor as well. Some cultures accept the odor of garlic more than others. Northern European cuisines, for example, use garlic only modestly and tend to cook it for long periods of time to diminish its strength.

Answer 2

garlic is excellent for almost anything, it's good for your nails, hair, it also works as an antibacterial and it's excellent in soup against the flu.

Answer 3

I know it's good for your heart.....But I couldn't tell you why!

Answer 4

prevent cancer of anykind

Answer 5

they have antibiotic properties.