Islander
06-17-09, 10:01 AM
Sunday, 14 June 2009
At one of my favorite Italian restaurants recently I ordered a delightful appetizer known among my circle of friends as “garlic balls.” These dough balls are baked and thrown in an olive oil bath with chopped garlic, oregano and other various spices topped with none other than Italy’s favorite cheese, Parmesan. Instead of feeling incredibly full after carb-loading my lunch, I actually felt good. After checking my breath and popping a mint or two, I got to thinking about why exactly garlic is so popular and what health benefits it touts…besides the delicious flavor it imparts on many a great dish.
Aside from warding off vampires, garlic has long been a friend to medicine. Hailed as a “wonder drug,” garlic has been trusted for centuries as a remedy for everything from a nose sniffle to the Plague. Garlic is used modernly in phytotherapy—an alternative medicine in which natural extracts are used to promote health and wellness—and has also been used topically to treat acne and as a mosquito repellent.
The stronger the garlic, the more sulphur it contains. It was long thought that sulphur was the key to the medicinal power of garlic. It turns out that researchers have found that an acid is responsible for the flavor and garlic’s healing properties. An organic compound called allicin could be the antioxidant in charge. A recent study was done trying to figure out the way allicin works inside the body. Lead researcher of the study, a chemistry professor from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, Derek Pratt explains the reason behind the research, “If allicin was indeed responsible for this activity in garlic, we wanted to find out how it worked. We didn't understand how garlic could contain such an efficient antioxidant, since it didn't have a substantial amount of the types of compounds usually responsible for high antioxidant activity in plants, such as the flavonoids found in green tea or grapes.”
Pratt’s team found that the allicin compound decomposes to become the antioxidant in garlic. Published in the January issue of Angewandte Chemie journal, Pratt and his colleagues delved deeper into allicin but have yet to find out why garlic is the beneficial buddy to us all. Although the steps have been taken, there are many more trials to be done with many more labs left smelling of garlic.
The strength of garlic, although beneficial in most forms, is especially potent raw and should be used sparingly. Some people get a rash on their skin, terrible headaches, and a rising body temperature because of this bulb. These symptoms are also known as allergic reactions and, unfortunately, garlic should be used with caution because those reactions can get stronger with time and garlic can also damage the digestive tract. If you think you may be allergic to garlic, check with your doctor before continuing to keep it in your diet.
One way to avoid garlic breath is to take garlic supplements if you choose to stay conversation-friendly. Garlic is a natural antibiotic and can be taken for as long as needed. Antioxidants prevent the body from free radicals which kill good cells in your body. The body has not been able to build up resistance to this strong bulb in clinical trials, so it looks like garlic is perpetually healthy for you, as long as you aren’t allergic to it.
There will always be speculation about the positive benefits of garlic and who knows if it actually detoxifies the metals from your body, lowers blood pressure, rids yeast infections, reduces bad LDL cholesterol levels, and makes you feel great; but it works for me. Next time I sit down for an intimate Italian dinner, I won’t feel guilty spooning an extra scoop of that garlic-laden sauce without guilt.
http://tinyurl.com/m2ufbq
At one of my favorite Italian restaurants recently I ordered a delightful appetizer known among my circle of friends as “garlic balls.” These dough balls are baked and thrown in an olive oil bath with chopped garlic, oregano and other various spices topped with none other than Italy’s favorite cheese, Parmesan. Instead of feeling incredibly full after carb-loading my lunch, I actually felt good. After checking my breath and popping a mint or two, I got to thinking about why exactly garlic is so popular and what health benefits it touts…besides the delicious flavor it imparts on many a great dish.
Aside from warding off vampires, garlic has long been a friend to medicine. Hailed as a “wonder drug,” garlic has been trusted for centuries as a remedy for everything from a nose sniffle to the Plague. Garlic is used modernly in phytotherapy—an alternative medicine in which natural extracts are used to promote health and wellness—and has also been used topically to treat acne and as a mosquito repellent.
The stronger the garlic, the more sulphur it contains. It was long thought that sulphur was the key to the medicinal power of garlic. It turns out that researchers have found that an acid is responsible for the flavor and garlic’s healing properties. An organic compound called allicin could be the antioxidant in charge. A recent study was done trying to figure out the way allicin works inside the body. Lead researcher of the study, a chemistry professor from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, Derek Pratt explains the reason behind the research, “If allicin was indeed responsible for this activity in garlic, we wanted to find out how it worked. We didn't understand how garlic could contain such an efficient antioxidant, since it didn't have a substantial amount of the types of compounds usually responsible for high antioxidant activity in plants, such as the flavonoids found in green tea or grapes.”
Pratt’s team found that the allicin compound decomposes to become the antioxidant in garlic. Published in the January issue of Angewandte Chemie journal, Pratt and his colleagues delved deeper into allicin but have yet to find out why garlic is the beneficial buddy to us all. Although the steps have been taken, there are many more trials to be done with many more labs left smelling of garlic.
The strength of garlic, although beneficial in most forms, is especially potent raw and should be used sparingly. Some people get a rash on their skin, terrible headaches, and a rising body temperature because of this bulb. These symptoms are also known as allergic reactions and, unfortunately, garlic should be used with caution because those reactions can get stronger with time and garlic can also damage the digestive tract. If you think you may be allergic to garlic, check with your doctor before continuing to keep it in your diet.
One way to avoid garlic breath is to take garlic supplements if you choose to stay conversation-friendly. Garlic is a natural antibiotic and can be taken for as long as needed. Antioxidants prevent the body from free radicals which kill good cells in your body. The body has not been able to build up resistance to this strong bulb in clinical trials, so it looks like garlic is perpetually healthy for you, as long as you aren’t allergic to it.
There will always be speculation about the positive benefits of garlic and who knows if it actually detoxifies the metals from your body, lowers blood pressure, rids yeast infections, reduces bad LDL cholesterol levels, and makes you feel great; but it works for me. Next time I sit down for an intimate Italian dinner, I won’t feel guilty spooning an extra scoop of that garlic-laden sauce without guilt.
http://tinyurl.com/m2ufbq