5 Ways Garlic Can Benefit Your Health

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It’s hard to resist the sweet smell of roasted garlic. Garlic is one of the most indispensable ingredients and it plays a huge role in everything from Mediterranean to Asian cuisine. When it’s raw, garlic can be fiery, pungent and crunchy, but when cooked, it becomes creamy and mellow. Whether you consume it cooked or raw, garlic is packed with antioxidants. A regular dose of garlic has a bunch of health benefits and natural beauty uses. After all, garlic is a nutritional powerhouse.

1. Zaps Acne

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Vlogger Farah Dhakai claims she found a solution to zapping zits. Dhakai posted a video to Instagram where she slices the end of a clove of garlic to extract the juice and then rubs it on her chin pimple. Apparently, it’ll remove whiteheads right away and larger pimples overnight. When you bite into fresh garlic it develops a component called allicin, which has antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties. The allicin helps to kill the bacteria that causes acne.

2. Boosts Immunity

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Garlic has a great reputation when it comes to boosting immunity. Research has been limited on the matter, but the Cochrane Library conducted a study on garlic for the common cold. Participants were broken into two groups. The first consumed garlic every day for three months, while the second took a placebo. The result: individuals in the first group experienced fewer colds. However, it should be noted that when participants experienced a cold, taking garlic did not change the length of recovery.

While more research needs to be done, the study suggests that people who eat garlic in supplement form might be less likely to get sick. Gnawing on a few cloves of raw garlic can also help to knock out cold symptoms. Some will tell you to eat a clove or two every three to four hours until you feel better.

3. Hair Health

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People of all ages suffer from hair loss issues. Garlic could be a solution to hair loss because of its high levels of allicin, a sulfur compound similar to the kind found in onions. Evidence suggests that applying a topical garlic gel along with a topical steroid for three months can increase hair growth in people with hair loss.

A study on onion juice found that topical onion juice plays a role in hair re-growth. Since the compounds found in onions and garlic are similar, perhaps the idea of rubbing garlic on your scalp isn’t crazy. Squeeze the garlic juice for maximum effectiveness and massage it into your scalp.

4. Weight Loss

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There’s early research that suggests taking a product with different extracts of garlic root, twice a day for eight weeks, may reduce body weight, fat mass and your waist and hip circumference when it’s used along with a proper diet and exercise. A Korean study published in 2012 found that a group of women who were administered 80 milligrams of aged garlic extract daily lost more weight than a group that consumed a placebo. The study concluded that a regular dose of garlic supplements can help reduce body weight and fat.

5. Athletic Performance 

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Garlic has a long history as a remedy for improving strength and reducing fatigue. According to a study by the Nutrient Journal, a single dose of garlic was reported to increase blood fluidity. Garlic was used as a performance enhancing agent for the original Olympic athletes in Greece. It was traditionally used in ancient cultures to reduce fatigue and enhance the work capacity of laborers. The reason is that garlic works to reduce your heart rate, which allows more blood to get to your muscles and in turn, allows you to perform better. Next time you’re preparing for a marathon, add some raw garlic to your meal and see what it does for you.