How Garlic Can Make You Healthier

You know, my mom always told me that garlic was good for you. In fact, I can remember days when I had sore throats when I was younger and she would steep garlic in boiling water and then give it to me in a mug to drink. Yuck! But the truth of the matter was that within the hour, I actually felt better. Supposedly, there are many healing qualities that garlic has. Garlic is also extremely healthy for you. It is good for your heart and can help your body fight off infections. The only downside of consuming garlic is that it causes you to have bad breath. But having bad breath (temporarily) pales in comparison to having a healthy immune system. There are also many myths that state that garlic can help stave off vampires (although this is yet to be proven).

You know all of those old legends from mortals afraid of the undead, how garlic can keep vampires away. Well, while we might not be too sure about garlic's effect on vampires, having a healthy helping of garlic can keep away other things like colds and even strokes.

Garlic has been used for its therapeutic properties since ancient times. That familiar, strong smell that is associated with garlic is caused by a chemical called allicin. Researchers believe that it is this ingredient that gives garlic its health boosting properties. Garlic has proved to be effective in lowering blood pressure and reducing cholesterol. It has also shown to be useful against preventing stroke and heart disease. Some research has suggested that garlic may be useful in preventing the formation of blood clots.

Garlic is not only a heart smart food, it can also give your immune system a nice jolt and help you to fight off infections, which coincidentally maybe why garlic was connected with driving off vampires who in some cultures were considered to have a "disease" of vampirism. Some research has shown that taking a garlic supplement every day could reduce your chances of catching a cold by half. And in addition to these benefits, garlic is also loaded with tons of vitamins, antioxidants and minerals like selenium, iodine, potassium, iron, calcium, zinc, magnesium, and vitamins A, B, and C.

But how do you get enough garlic? Luckily garlic is a great additive to most food; and you only need one glove a day to benefit. However, if you just happen to not care of the taste or aroma of garlic, there are a variety of odorless garlic capsules available at just about any where vitamins are sold. So you can get all the of the great benefits from this tiny little glove without having to smell like you are trying to keep vampires away.

If you are trying to increase your garlic intake, many vitamin stores actually offer garlic in pill form. This is a great option for those of us who cannot stand nor stomach the taste and/or smell of garlic. But for those of us who can, it is more often advised that you try to take garlic in its natural form.