Garlic - Gourmet Spice of Life and Healthy Hearts!

First from all of us at FloridaHerbHouse.com and SharpWebLabs.com we would like to say Happy New Year to all! We are beginning this year with an in depth look at our favorite cooking spices and what they actually do for us.

One of my all time favorite spices ever is yes Garlic. While many may say YUCK or PUUUU when they smell garlic so many simply adore the taste and health benefits of garlic that they actually cook with it more often than any other spice except salt and pepper. Others actually take a separate garlic supplement every day.

Lets take a brief look at the garlic plant and how easy it is to grow:
Garlic is grown from the individual cloves. Each clove will produce one plant with a single bulb - which may in turn contain up to twenty cloves. Growing garlic is therefore self-sustaining.
When planting garlic, choose a garden site that gets plenty of sun and where the soil is not too damp. The cloves should be planted individually, upright and about an inch (25 mm) under the surface. Plant the cloves about 4 inches (100 mm) apart. Rows should be about 18 inches (450 mm) apart. It is traditional to plant garlic on the shortest day of the year. Whether this is for symbolic or practical reasons is unclear. Garlic is a very friendly plant and grows well planted with other flowers and vegetables.

Harvesting Your Garlic Crop:
As garlic reaches maturity, the leaves will brown then die away. This is the cue that it is time to harvest your garlic crop. If you harvest too early the cloves will be very small, too late and the bulb will have split.

Proper handling of garlic after it's been picked is almost as important as looking after it whilst it's growing. It's essential that garlic is dried properly, otherwise it will rot. The bulbs are often hung up in a cool, dry place. After a week or so, take them down and brush the dirt off gently - don't wash the bulbs at this stage.

Garlic Daily Intake Suggestions:
Garlic - 500 mg in concentrated form - equivalent to 1250 mg garlic bulk or half a clove of fresh garlic. Garlic has been used by healers for over 5000 years . Numerous studies have shown that garlic decrease triglyceride level by decreasing fat absorption. It also supports healthy blood pressure. Two of garlic's major compounds - allicin and ajoene - have been found to possess powerful actions that help the body boost its immune power. A natural herb that is non toxic.

The Many Benefits Of Garlic:

Garlic And Cancer: Population studies have revealed that eating garlic regularly, along with other alliums such as onions chives and scallions, may reduce the risk of oesophageal, colon and stomach cancer. This may be due to garlic’s ability to reduce the formation of carcinogenic compounds. Garlic’s sulfur compounds such as allicin and ajeone have been found to stop the growth of various cancers in animal laboratory studies, including skin, stomach, colon, breast and oral cancer. Garlic also contains the powerful antioxidant mineral selenium, known for its anti-cancer properties.

Selenium is used by our bodies to produce glutathione peroxidase. Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant. There is preliminary evidence that it may be useful in the management of some cancers, atherosclerosis, diabetes, lung disorders, noise-induced hearing loss, male infertility and to detoxify or prevent toxic build-up in the body.

Garlic for the Heart: Garlic is renowned for its abilities to lower cholesterol and blood pressure naturally and protect against heart disease and stroke. Garlic has also been found to stimulate the production of nitric oxide in blood vessels aiding their dilation, and assist the body’s ability to dissolve blood clots. The antioxidant properties of garlic can also protect against cardiovascular disease by inhibiting the oxidation of bad cholesterol which would otherwise build up in artery walls. Further, folate in garlic is known to protect the cardiovascular system.


For the best in all garlic whether it be Organic Garlic Powder, Minced Garlic, Garlic Pepper, Garlic Capsules or any specialty cooking spices please see our in stock list of over 1000 herbs and organic spices at www.SharpWebLabs.com or www.FloridaHerbHouse.com.

Sincerely Yours,

Carol K.