Garlic

Garlic is also known as lassan in Hindi. Allium sativum L. is its Latin name. It belongs to a family of Lilly or Alliums. It is used as a remedy for various ailments and psychological disorder.

It is a hardy bulbous perennial which is cultivated for its edible bulb. It consists of 6 to 30 small bulblets called “cloves”. A thin white or pinkish papery sheath covers the bulb. For medical and consumption purpose, cloves are used.

It contains a chemical called Allicin which is health beneficial. Garlic has a very strong flavor, so it is better to mix it with other foods to enjoy it. It’s more effective to crush the clove rather than cutting it. Add it while cooking the food, doing so will distribute the Allicin throughout the food and will provide you with benefits of its anti-carcinogenic and antiseptic properties.

It has a characteristic pungent and strong flavor with a strong smell.

Garlic can be grown throughout the year and is easy to grow. About six weeks before the soil freeze, plant the cloves in ground and they can harvested in the late spring. They are not attacked by pest but can suffer from ‘Pink Root’ disease.

Health Benefits

• Garlic can be used in the treatment of Acne and can also help in managing high cholesterol level by reducing LDL (bad) cholesterol in the body. It also acts as a naturally mosquito repellent.
• It reduces the risk of stroke and heart disease by controlling cholesterol and blood pressure.
• During pregnancy, it boosts the baby’s weight in the womb and cut the risk of pre-eclampsia.
• It also plays the role of an aphrodisiac.
• Due to its anti-carcinogenic properties, it helps in preventing cancer and malignant tumors. Already formed tumor can be reduced by 50-70 % with the intake of garlic.
• It helps in maintaining blood sugar, prevents blood clot from forming and is a natural anti-biotic because of its anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties.
• Garlic is a very good source of vitamin C which is an antioxidant that prevents LDL cholesterol from oxidation.
• Garlic also contains vitamin B6 which helps in lowering levels of homocysteine, thus preventing heart diseases.
• Selenium in garlic not only helps in preventing heart diseases but also prevents cancer and other heavy metal toxicity.
• Allicin, in Garlic not only lower the blood pressure, insulin and triglycerides but also prevents from weight gain
• Garlic contains some anti-inflammatory compounds which helps in protecting against severe attacks of asthma and also reduce the pain and inflammation of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.