Properties of garlic

Garlic is a plant that grows in the Mediterranean basin and is cultivated in almost all the provinces of Spain. There is also wild garlic that can be found, but it is not consumed. Likewise, the word garlic refers to the plant, and within this we would have the head of the garlic, which is the bulb, although it is normally also known as garlic. Here in the bulb we find all the cloves of garlic. On the other hand, garlic is a plant with spectacular properties that have been used since ancient times. These properties have been known since ancient times and have therefore always been used in cooking and folk medicine. However, garlic is not used as much as it should be because of the unpleasant smell it gives our breath.

Summary: Garlic is a fantastic food with many properties and is widely used in cooking. In addition, it is important to take into account some characteristics of garlic to get the maximum properties out of it. Also, in our shop in Las Rozas we offer you garlic as a pickle and in stuffing for our olives and we also have black garlic.

Other interesting articles: Properties of olive oil.  The miraculous properties of honey. Properties of rosemary. Properties of lavender. Uses of eucalyptus. Benefits of legumes. Proven properties of cinnamon. Properties of garlic. Properties of walnuts. Properties of almonds. Properties of lemon. Properties of blueberries. Properties of chocolate. Properties of eggs. Properties of apple cider vinegar.

1. What is garlic?

Garlic, Allium sativum, has been consumed and recognised since ancient times by many cultures around the world. This plant is native to Central Asia and belongs to the same family as onions, leeks and spring onions. The part of the garlic that is consumed is the bulb, also called the head, which consists of several easily separable parts, known as garlic cloves. These garlic cloves have a pungent, persistent odour and a strong, pungent flavour.

Garlic is a very complete food, containing a large amount of amino acids (glutamic acid, arginine, aspartic acid, leucine, lysine, valine), minerals (magnesium, selenium, sodium, iron, zinc and copper), vitamins (mainly vitamins B6 and c, in smaller amounts folic acid, pantothenic acid and niacin), essential oil with many sulphurous components, alliin, ajoene, quercetin, simple sugars (fructose and glucose). Alliin, which is transformed by an enzyme into allyl disulphide, giving it its characteristic smell that everyone recognises.

Varieties of garlic:

There are essentially three varieties of garlic:

1. White garlic: white garlic produces large bulbs or heads with a white covering and produces about 10 to 12 irregularly shaped garlic cloves.
2. Pink garlic: the bulb of the purple garlic is of medium size with a violet or purple cover and produces 8 to 10 cloves. They are more uniform with an intense aroma and pungent. The pink garlic can have PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) of Pedroñeras.
3. Chinese garlic: Garlic with a large bulb or head covered with a pinkish skin with 10 or 12 cloves with a low spicy flavour.

All of them can be found in their natural state or preserved in the form of black garlic, in water with salt or olive oil.

2. What is garlic good for? Properties of garlic

Allium sativum, an indispensable ingredient in the Mediterranean diet, contains numerous medicinal and culinary properties. The beneficial properties of garlic are mainly due to its sulphurous components.

a) Antioxidants:

The sulphurous components of garlic are very powerful antioxidants. They can also stimulate antioxidant enzymes in the liver to neutralize the free radicals that form in the body, which accelerate aging and increase the risk of degenerative diseases and cancer.

b) Cardiovascular diseases:

Studies conducted at the University of Maryland Center for Medicine have shown that consuming one or two cloves of garlic every day protects against heart attacks and strokes. Other studies and medical evidence show that garlic consumption lowers cholesterol, both HDL and LDL, blood pressure, plasma viscosity, and platelet aggregation. However, more studies are being carried out in order to relate the dose of garlic and its health benefits.

c) Anti-cancer properties:

The components of garlic, especially its sulphurous components inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells and the formation of mutagenic compounds. Although garlic is more beneficial to eat raw, according to numerous studies, cooked garlic also reduces the risk of stomach, colon and esophageal cancer.

d) Immune system:

Garlic has been used for centuries as a natural remedy to strengthen the immune system, thus strengthening it and preventing us from catching colds and at the same time helping our body to fight cancer cells.

e) Body Odour

Studies by the University of Stirling (Scotland) and Charles University (Czech Republic) found that men who consume garlic emanate more pleasant, attractive and masculine body odours from women.

f) Infections:

During the Second World War garlic juice was used as an antiseptic to heal wounds, and this juice saved hundreds of lives.

g) Colds

Scientific evidence and popular culture suggest that garlic consumption prevents colds, as garlic has anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-parasitic and anti-viral properties.

h) Prostate:

They have found in one study a relationship between garlic consumption and prostate size reduction, although more studies are needed to affirm this property.

i) Anti-inflammatory

Garlic sulfur compounds have anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce chronic inflammation such as psoriasis and arthritis. However, more research needs to be done to ensure this property of garlic.

Photo 1: Canned garlic

3. Fasting garlic without chewing or chewed?

Many people wonder if they should eat garlic directly without chewing or chewing it. If you don’t chew it because of the breath, it won’t have any influence because it will smell your breath in spite of brushing your teeth, because the garlic releases sulphurous substances that are the cause of this characteristic smell. If you do it from the point of view of health, it will not have any influence.

To achieve the maximum benefits of garlic, what we should do is cut it into the thinnest slices possible and wait about 10 minutes. It is the time it takes for alliin to become allicin, through the catalysis of holm oak alkinase. Allicin is the major antioxidant component of garlic, which is not created until the cells of the garlic are broken.

4. Properties of garlic in vinegar

As we saw at the beginning of the article, garlic has many properties and one way to take them easily in our food is to add a garlic to our vinegars. For this we recommend the following recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cloves of garlic

250 ml apple vinegar

1 teaspoon of thyme honey.

Elaboration:

1. Put the vinegar in a bowl.

2. Cut the garlic into very thin slices and mix it with the vinegar.

3. Add the honey and stir until the honey is completely dissolved.

You can use this healthy vinegar to dress your salads. Enjoy it

Source:

Spanish web page aboy food and health, Info alimenta: http://infoalimenta.com/