Complementary Alternative Medicine

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The Health Benefits of Garlic

Garlic may not smell the greatest but in the world of herbal medicine it is often touted as a "wonder drug" because garlic can help prevent everything from heart disease to many respiratory problems such as head colds and the flu. In years gone by raw garlic was used to treat the symptoms that cause acne to occur. Garlic is also believe to be a natural form of a mosquito repellent and it is known to strengthen the heart and to help lower high levels of cholesterol.

Research into the benefits of garlic has borne out the fact that it is a natural form of an antibiotic on a broad-spectrum sense as opposed to when it comes to targeted areas of the body. The human body does not build up any immunity to garlic which means that the positive health benefits derived from garlic continue as time passes. It has also been shown by research that garlic, and in particular garlic that is aged, has positive and intense antioxidant qualities. It is antioxidants that help to protect the body against what is known as free radicals in the human body. Free radicals are defined as "highly reactive molecules capable of causing damage in brain and other tissue." It is important to note that free radicals are "common by-products of normal chemical reactions occurring in cells."

There are two ingredients in garlic that are medicinal in nature and yield tremendous health benefits. The two ingredients are allicin and diallyl sulphides. Allicin is the more intense of the two and it provides the greatest of the health benefits for those who consume it. It is important to note that allicin is not found in garlic per se but is produced when garlic is either crushed or chopped into fine pieces. The more intense it is crushed and the finer the pieces are chopped, the more allicin will be created and therefore the stronger will be the medicinal benefits. Allicin is anti-fungal in nature and is commonly used to treat many fungal infections of the skin such as athlete's foot. Be aware that being in direct contact with a sizable amount of crushed garlic can cause the skin to blister and there are some individuals who are allergic to garlic although garlic allergies are not terribly common.

Diallyl sulphides tend to be lower in medicinal benefits than allicin but they still do provided some benefits. Sulphides of this nature have no anti-fungal properties but they are excellent for blood circulation and help to keep the overall circulatory system working to its optimum best. Diallyl sulphides are beneficial to the immune system because they give it a much-needed boast and they also help to lower the LDL or "bad" cholesterol" in the body.

Just the same as allicin, garlic needs to be crushed or chopped to bring out the diallyl sulphides. It is essential to make it clear that when garlic is cooked as a whole it provides no medicinal benefits or health benefits to the human body whatsoever.

I hope this natural healing article was helpful to you, no matter how much... or how little it had to do with complementary alternative medicine.

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