Garlic, Anyone?

Believe it or not, garlic has been getting top billing with its amazing powers to cure and prevent a wide range of diseases. Its tremendous healing ability comes from built-in antibacterial and antibiotic agents, said Dr. Gerhard Schrauzer, University of California at San Diego. Garlic is a simple non-prescription drug that helps detoxify the body and prevent disease, he said.

Garlic is effective in treating and preventing heart disease, blood clots, hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure, lung cancer, arthritis, diabetes, hypoglycemia, anemia, strokes, etc. It contains a chemical called adenosine that gets into the bloodstream and inhibits the formation of clots and brings about dramatic reductions of cholesterol levels.

And here is something else: Schrauzer said garlic may help prevent lung cancer. Selenium, a powerful bacteria fighter found in garlic, combats pollutants in the air and may be a real preventative for cancer.

Organic Consumer also reports that researchers in Russia have been successful in using garlic to retard tumor growth.

A study at the Army Hospital in Fukuyama, Japan, found Kyolic, an extract of garlic, relieved pain in an astounding 86 percent of lumbago (backache, especially in the lower part of the back) and arthritis without side effects.

Garlic has two powerful natural antibiotic agents that fight infection and other disorders: selenium and sulfur compounds. The two compounds have proven effective in treating lead and mercury poisoning.

Research proves what folk medicine has known for centuries: that garlic, aside from being a powerful protector against heart disease, specifically has also the ability to “clear the arteries” – to keep them clear of fatty deposit that mean atherosclerosis and the serious risk of heart attack.

The studies, however, have suggested that the type of cholesterol in the blood is the crucial factor. Apparently, it is low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol that raises heart disease risk. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, on the other hand, seems to protect against heart disease.

Its power to keep cholesterol levels in check is enough to recommend garlic – highly – to anyone who wants to minimize his risk of heart attack.