Looking for something that is a powerhouse of nutrients? Garlic is a right answer. Everyone knows that garlic has endless benefits for the human body. It aids in strengthening of the immune system and it is helps in regulating cholesterol in your body. It is a rich source of nutrients like manganese, vitamin C, selenium, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, copper and iron. To be precise, garlic is a rich and potent source of essential vitamins and minerals.
By now, you must have got the idea about why we are here. To tell you the reasons that you must not ditch garlic from your diet. And yes, it might be a lesson: stinky things aren’t always bad. We are here to discuss the advantages of garlic and how it contributes to your overall well-being and health.
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Top 5 Health Benefits of Garlic:
1. Garlic for Hair Fall
What does garlic do for your hair? Hair fall is more common than you know and people of all genders suffer from it. There could be many reasons for hair fall like poor diet, unhealthy lifestyle and because your hair follicles are weak. No matter what the reason is, garlic is a simple and an inexpensive remedy for it.
We know that you care about your beautiful tresses and could do anything to maintain them. This is why girls spend thousands of money on expensive salons and hair treatments. Unfortunately, besides being expensive, these treatments hardly last.
Luckily, you do not have to crank your bank account to get full, thick and healthy hair. Garlic is a great remedy for hair fall and helps you in growing NEW HAIR! Since it is a potent herb, it stimulates your hair follicles and strengthens your hair roots. But how to use it? There are a number of ways through which you could add garlic into your hair care routine.
Here are some of the ways to use garlic for your hair:
Add it into your shampoo. Peel and wash the garlic pods and make a fine paste. Add this paste to your shampoo. It may stink a bit since the smell of the shampoo will mask it but still, if you want to get rid of the smell completely, use a vinegar wash after shampooing.
Make a honey and garlic mask. Both honey and garlic are great for your hair. To make this mask, take a bowl and mix minced garlic and honey together. Apply it in your hair roots and leave it for 30 minutes. Wash with a mild shampoo and condition if needed.
Garlic and coconut oil mask. Mix minced garlic into some coconut oil and apply it to your hair roots. Both coconut oil and garlic are great to combat hair fall and this concoction will help you do it. Leave it for 30 minutes and wash off with a mild shampoo.
Make garlic and ginger concoction. Besides adding flavour to your food, ginger and garlic do wonders for your hair also. To make the mixture, blend ginger and garlic together to form a paste. Cook the paste in olive or coconut oil on a low flame till the paste turns dark in colour. Cool and strain the oil and discard the pulp. Your oil is ready.
Make ginger oil at home. To make the oil, mince some garlic cloves and add them into coconut or olive oil. Close the bottle tightly and keep it in a cool and dark place for a week. After a week, your DIY garlic hair oil is ready.
Hair growth takes time. Just use these remedies and maintain good hair care routine, you will see the results in time.
2. Garlic for Skin
Like your hair, is garlic good for your face also? Yes, it is. We know that like any other person you also fancy the clear and flawless Monalisa skin. However, acne, acne scars and blemishes have kept many people away from achieving their goal of having gorgeous skin. Do you know that garlic is equally beneficial for your skin also? Yes, it is and it is quite easy to reap its benefits for your skin.
Since garlic is quite a strong herb, you must be carefully when using it for your skin. Many people are allergic to its strong reaction and may experience spot burn. The best way of using it is to use it with carrier oil like olive oil or coconut oil. It is full of antioxidants and anti-aging properties that keep your skin clean and free from any pimples.
How to use it for your skin?
Below are some ways of adding garlic into your skincare routine:
Apply the garlic directly. Though it is not advisable for everyone but if it suits you, you can benefit a lot from it. Crush a small clove of garlic or cut it into half and apply it directly onto the skin. Keep for 10 minutes or, if stinks, wash it immediately.
Use garlic with honey. Mix the juice of garlic with some honey and apply on the acne. Keep it for 5 minutes and wash off with water. Garlic is antiseptic, kills, and fights germs on your skin. If it suits you, you can directly rub half a clove of garlic onto the pimple or the juice directly on it. However, do not leave it for more than 5 minutes, as this could be strong for your skin.
Mix garlic with tomato. When mixed with tomato, garlic is helpful in reducing the appearance of the pores. Large pores make your skin look dull and damaged. To cure it, crush garlic clove with a small piece of tomato and apply the paste on the affected area. Keep it for about 10 minutes and wash off. It helps clean and unclog the pores and reduce their appearance.
Use garlic with carrier oil. The remedy is effective to cure stretch marks. To use it, mix garlic juice with carrier oil like coconut or olive oil while warming it and apply it on the stretch marks. Besides fading the appearance of the marks, it will also keep the skin smooth and supple.
Use garlic with yogurt. Take four cloves of garlic and blend them. Now add yogurt to it and mix it properly. Apply it to your acne area and let it dry. Wash it off after a few minutes and pat your face dry. Make sure that you wash your face properly before applying this mixture.
3. Garlic for Common Cold and Asthma
Prone to flu or suffering from seasonal asthma? Garlic infused mustard oil is a tried and tested method of curing it. Common cold or flu causes chest congestion that hinders breathing and may cause high fever. To prevent it, you can either used garlic infused oil or eat raw garlic cloves on empty stomach.
Some of the ways of using garlic for cold and asthma are discussed below:
Use mustard oil with garlic. Heat mustard oil with garlic and massage near the nose, throat and near the lungs area. The oil has amazing curing properties and it can help reduce hypersensitivity associated with asthma.
Raw garlic on empty stomach. Besides massaging with the oil, you can eat two to three cloves of garlic each morning with water. However, consult your doctor before doing it and make sure that you use a good mouthwash and mouth freshener to mask the smell.
Make garlic ‘spread’. Blend the garlic cloves and let them rest for 15 minutes. Add honey or olive oil to it and spread it on a slice of bread or your favourite crackers. This will help you get rid of cold and strengthen your immune system.
4. Benefits of Garlic for a Strong Immune System
A strong immune system means more and long lasting protection from germs and diseases. Garlic contains phytonutrients that are powerful antioxidants. Antioxidants are essential for a strong immune system as they help to flush out toxins and free radicals from your body. It prevents DNA mutation and reduces oxidative stress and inflammation.
How to consume it? Eat one to two cloves of garlic every day to maintain healthy immune system.
5. Benefits of Garlic for Overall Health
Garlic is pack loaded with numerous health benefits. Since it has a pungent and long-lasting smell, many people are scared to add them into their diet. However, this inexpensive herb is great to maintain and augment overall body health.
Some of the key health benefits of garlic are given below:
Garlic normalizes blood pressure.
Garlic has bioactive sulphur as one of its chief components. Reportedly, deficiency of sulphur causes high blood pressure and this is why treating your body with organosulfur normalizes the blood pressure.
Garlic prevents cardiovascular diseases.
High blood sugar and cholesterol are two of the main causes of heart diseases. Garlic lowers and stabilizes blood pressure and with its powerful antioxidant properties, it keeps heart diseases away.
Garlic improves bone health.
Weak bones and osteoporosis are more common in women than in men. Garlic is a rich source of diallyl disulfide that prevents bone damage and ovariectomy-induced bone resorption. In addition, it fights against arthritis.
Garlic reduces the risk of cancer.
Cancer is caused by oxidative stress and free radicals in the body. Diallylesulfide and selenium present in garlic help in controlling the formation and multiplication of cancer cells. It reduces oxidative stress and DNA mutation.
Garlic aids weight loss.
Obesity and excessive weight is a root cause of many diseases. Luckily, you can improve and accelerate your weight loss efforts with garlic. It reduces bad cholesterol, increases thermogenesis and reduces the production and effects of adipogenic tissues.
To reap the benefits, have three to four cloves of garlic daily. It will help in bettering your immune system and ward off a number of diseases. Other than eating, you can also add it into your hair and body massage oil to have healthy hair and skin.
Moreover, it is better than visiting your doctor every now and then and will save you lot of money also.