There is a myriad of wonderful herbs and spices that we often overlook as actual health-boosting additions to our foods.   Our common herbs such as cilantro, basil, thyme, green onions, ginger, turmeric, oregano, in fact, offer immeasurable health benefits by virtue of their powerful phytochemical and antioxidant properties!  Antioxidants (such as Vitamin C, A, E and minerals such as copper, zinc, selenium) help combat the so-called free-radicals (rogue molecule products of metabolism), which are linked to degenerative diseases, including cancer, as well as the aging process.

 Who would have guessed?

Herbs and spices have been found to reduce inflammation, protect against infection, help to detoxify the liver and cleanse the lungs and other organs; they also help prevent the cell damage that can lead to rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, heart disease, atherosclerosis, among other degenerative diseases.

The National Institute on Aging in Baltimore, Maryland uses the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) scale to establish the antioxidant levels contained in foods.  It turns out that herbs and spices have a higher ORAC level (more antioxidants) than even most fruits and vegetables.   For example, one teaspoon of oregano has almost 4 times more antioxidant capability than 1/2 cup of red grapes, while one teaspoon of cinammon is even higher at 7 times.

 Garlic: the Gateway Herb

To anchor ourselves in the use of fresh and dried herbs, we can start with the spice / herb of herbs –  GARLIC.  The main reason is that garlic is one of the most powerful of herbs for its many health benefits and, particularly, because it has a proven track record of preventing and treating many diseases and infections, boosting the action of the immune system, combating heart disease and some types of cancer.  Once we start adding garlic to our food on a daily or weekly basis, we establish a healthy habit, that can lead to the regular and consistent use of other herbs; perhaps combining garlic with onions and oregano, or garlic with basil and turmeric or thyme, and so on.

Common Spices and Herbs and their Nutritional/Medicinal Values

Here are just a few common herbs and spices that we can use in our cooking and salads, and the health benefits that they can offer:

Ginger:  antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, helps eliminate intestinal gas, helps reduce dizziness, nausea, vomiting associated with motion sickness and during pregnancy.

Cilantro:  anti-viral, anti-bacterial; good for detoxification of the body from heavy metals such as mercury, lead, and aluminum, helps lower blood sugar, protects against urinary tract infection, good for the digestive system.

Basil:  anti-inflammatory, beta-carotene-rich to protect against free-radical damage of cells, including blood vessel lining, also contains Vitamin C, magnesium, potassium and calcium.

Thyme:  disinfectant, good for lung and respiratory conditions such as bronchitis and asthma, acts as an antioxidant, good source of calcium, manganese and iron; has one of the highest polyphenol contents of common herbs and spices (polyphenols help block inflammation).

Green Onions:  help loosen phlegm from the lungs, stimulate appetite, help protect against colon cancer.

Turmeric:  anti-inflammatory, helps detoxify the liver, disinfectant, anti-bacterial, digestive aid, helps with weight loss.

Oregano:   anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-parasitic, good source of iron, manganese, calcium, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, as well as Omega 3 fatty acids; has one of the highest polyphenol contents of common herbs and spices (polyphenols help block inflammation in the body).

Start with Garlic!

Certainly, good nutrition plays a major role in keeping us healthy and resistant to illness.  The body is dependant for life on the proteins, vitamins and minerals and water that we provide it to function normally, maintain proper metabolism and remove wastes.  Herbs and spices can serve as a powerful additional source of protection to our health.  Start with garlic as a foundation herb.   And, be diligent in using fresh and dried herbs and spices to increase the nutritive and  medicinal value of what you eat!

If you eat enough of it, that is, huge amounts, (it’s doubtful if you will or can, but there are always those extreme individuals, including eating competitors – hot chili pepper gulpers, etc. -), you WILL get side effects! By a high dose we don’t mean a clove or two a day or every other day, but up to a whole bulb a day, including in juice form, consisting of like a dozen or so cloves or other large amounts for an extended period of time!  At those high volumes, expect diarrhea, flatulence (gas), heartburn, headaches, hot skin and flushed face, sleeplessness, nausea, vomiting, increased heart beat, and, surprise, surprise, increased sexual desire (unscientifically speaking – probably the nervous system going haywire or berserk at that point!)  Also, heavy or unprotected external use of garlic can irritate the skin, causing inflammation and blisters.

Moderate consumption, a few cloves a day, is considered safe for most people.  In fact, garlic, as a food, is classified as non-toxic by the American Food and Drug Administration.  Nevertheless, the use of garlic has its contraindications, especially as a medicine or in medicinal quantities  for individuals with certain illnesses or symptoms.  According to Paul Bergner in The Healing Power of Garlic, people with the following conditions should either avoid garlic altogether or avoid “large quantities of garlic or long-term use of medicinal quantities” of garlic and/or use it only under the supervision of their doctor:

• acute inflammation
• brittle diabetes
• dehydration
• hypoglycemia
• impending surgery
• insomnia
• organ transplant
• pemphigus
• use of blood-thinning drugs

Because of its powerful effect on multiple systems in the body, including the circulatory, immune, and metabolic, garlic can interfere with drugs or medications and their functions; also affect or aggravate certain conditions.  For example, since garlic is known for its blood-thinning capacity, it is not recommended to be taken in any significant amounts with blood thinning drugs.  Individuals scheduled for surgery are also advised to not take garlic at least one week before surgery to assure proper clotting of the blood.  People suffering acute inflammation and pain such as arthritis should not use garlic internally as it can increase the pain.

It should also be noted that some people are less tolerant of the heating and drying effects of garlic because of their “body type”  or physical constitution or condition. This is according to the concepts of Eastern traditional medicine such as the Ayurvedic and Chinese.  In these systems, garlic is contraindicated in persons that experience dryness of the mouth and mucous membranes, are dehydrated, have a higher than normal pulse rate, among other symptoms.  In such cases, garlic may aggravate the symptoms.  Taking aged garlic extract called Kyolic garlic may be a solution for these individuals since most of the constituents that cause garlic’s heating effects have been removed from this form of garlic.  Kyolic garlic, however, does not retain the full antibiotic properties found in raw garlic.  Other ways to take garlic by those who are sensitive to it include chopping it in milk or water, or simply eating it in very small amounts or eating it off and on instead of on a daily basis.

Including garlic in our diet, in sensible amounts, of course, can help us maintain a healthy immune system to safeguard our health and prevent and treat a multitude of diseases and conditions.

Stay healthy.  Eat Garlic!

Garlic helps lower blood sugar and may be used (under a doctor’s supervision) by people with diabetes in addition to their regular regime of insulin and special diets.  Researchers have found that certain compounds in garlic such as allicin, allyl propyl disulfide and S-allyl cysteine sulfoxide work by increasing the amount of insulin in the blood by blocking the liver’s inactivation of insulin, making more insulin available to the body.

While more research is still needed to know the full extent of garlic’s effectiveness, diabetic patients may benefit by taking moderate amounts of garlic as a supplement: raw and cooked garlic or aged garlic extract not only can help regulate blood glucose, but also possibly prevent or lessen the effects of some of the complications of diabetes.  Among the complications of diabetes may include high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke, arteriosclerosis, kidney disease and kidney failure (requiring dialysis or kidney transplant), nervous system damage, amputations and blindness. The following is a partial list of the health benefits of garlic or its constituents for diabetics:

• Lowers glucose levels in the blood
• Combats or prevents arteriosclerosis
• Fights infections
• Strengthens the immune system
• Lowers bad cholesterol
• Regulates blood pressure
• Fights or prevents heart disease
• Promotes blood flow

Note:

Diabetes is on the rise around the world, not only as a result of an increased aging population, but also due to the rising prevalence of obesity.   According to the International Diabetes Federation more than 380 million people in the world could have the disease by 2025.   Currently, according to statistics from the American Diabetes Association, in the U.S. alone, over 25.8 million people are diabetic, with approximately 79 million calculated to be pre-diabetic.  In 2007 diabetes was the underlying or contributory cause of 231,404 deaths in the U.S.

Precaution:  Discuss with your doctor or medical professional the advisability of taking garlic for your type of diabetes and health conditions.  Although garlic is not considered toxic as a food by the American Food and Drug Administration, it may cause side effects for certain individuals and for anyone taking it in large quantities.   When taking medicinal amounts, a doctor’s supervision is essential for patients with brittle diabetes.

The Bad News

Researchers have found that meat and poultry sold in the U.S. is contaminated on a large scale by drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.  This bacteria can cause not only mild to serious skin infections (boils, abscesses), but even deadly illnesses such as pneumonia, infection of the blood, or sepsis, infection of the bone (osteomyelitis), heart failure through infection of the heart valves (endocarditis), inflammation of brain and spinal cord (meningitis), as well as toxic shock syndrome.

Staph Superbug Resistant to Nine Antibiotics

Samples from 80 brands of beef, pork, chicken and turkey from retail stores across the country (Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Flagstaff, Arizona, Chicago, and Fort Lauderdale, Florida) were tested.  It was found that 47 % of the samples were contaminated with strains of the Staph bacteria, and that 52 % of the bacteria in the samples were resistant to nine different kinds of antibiotics.  The source of the bacterial contamination were likely the food animals themselves.

The study, published in the April 15, 2011 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, questioned the routine administration of antibiotics to farm animals.  (Bacteria are known to develop immunity or resistance to pharmaceutical antibiotics through mutation).  Lance B. Price, director of the Center for Food Microbiology and Environmental Health at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) in Phoenix asserts in the study that ”the single most effective way to reduce antibiotic-resistant bacteria in food is to stop feeding millions of animals antibiotics.”

Is it Really Safe?

The American Meat Institute Foundation, however, has refuted TGen’s report and issued their own statement to the effect that heat in cooking kills the Staph bacteria in meat and poultry: “Despite the claims of this small study, consumers can feel confident that meat and poultry is safe,” stated James H. Hodges, the organization’s president.  Nevertheless, the TGen research noted that cross contamination can occur in the kitchen through improper handling of the meat and poultry, and potentially still pose a health threat.

Alarming Statistics Tell the Story

Although research is still ongoing as to what these findings can mean to the public, the mere risk of drug-resistant superbugs like Staphylococcus aureus in the public’s very food remains alarming.  This is especially true because of the startling increase in the last decade of Staph infections in the U.S. and around the world.   In 2003, an estimated 12 million doctor and emergency room visits for Staph-skin and soft tissue infections were reported in the U.S.  In addition, according to the Center for Disease Control in 2005, MRSA (methicilin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)  caused an estimated 94,000 “invasive life-threatening infections and almost 19,000 deaths.”  In England alone, between 2003-2004 there was a 548% increase of deaths in hospitals from MRSA.   Currently, more people die from MRSA infections than from the AIDS virus. With every year the situation is growing worse as doctors are running out of effective pharmaceutical antibiotics with which to combat the drug-resistant Staph bacteria.   Even raising greater concern is the fact that the Staph illnesses are more and more occurring outside the usually hospital setting or in immune-compromised patients, but are increasingly striking healthy individuals.

The Good News

The indiscriminate and improper use of pharmaceutical antibiotics has created the Staph superbug, which may yet turn into the MegaSuperBug, with no hosptial-pharmaceutical remedy.  The good news is that the simple-not-so-simple herb, Allium sativum, our friend Garlic, has been shown in numerous studies in India, the United States and in other countries to be effective against Staph infections as well as numerous other bacteria.  And, unlike laboratory pharmaceutical antibiotics, to which bacteria can become resistant or immune, these microorganisms, including S. aureus, cannot become immune or resistant to garlic.  While the medical community in the U.S. is not widely versed in the health benefits of garlic and other herbs, and specifically for fighting infections such as caused by Staphyloccocus, doctors in Europe and other nations recognize the healing power of garlic and prescribe it to their patients.  As an alternative remedy garlic is none the less becoming a herb of choice in treating a multitude of diseases.  Ask your doctor or alternative medical professional how to use garlic for a Staph infection.  Cook all meat and poultry thoroughly.  Take special care when handling and preparing meat and poultry to prevent cross-contamination in the kitchen.   And, as a further preventative, use garlic everyday in your food, soup, sandwiches or salads to strengthen your immunity and keep all and any infections at bay.

Related posts:

1. Garlic, the Ultimate Antibiotic – The Superbug Killer!

Aside from genetic predisposition for certain diseases and conditions, such as diabetes, or cancer, the following are the major reasons we get sick:

Inadequate Nutrition/Unhealthy Food

Research has demonstrated that a diet deficient in the right combination or amounts of specific nutrients can cause almost every kind of disease or condition:  A severe lack of vitamin C will cause scurvy.  A deficiency of vitamin A can lead to blindness.  Low blood lecithin can cause coronary thrombosis.  Mild deficiency in B12 can cause migraines, shortness of breath, eye twitch or facial pain;  extreme deficiency in the vitamin can produce mental sluggishness, coma, and even death. (Conversely, making the diet adequate in all respects and/or increasing the intake of a specific nutrient can cure certain diseases.  For example, mega doses of vitamin C have been know to cure phlebitis).

Bad eating habits over time can lead to nutritional deficiencies.  Junk foods with little or no nutritional value, especially those loaded with sugar, salts and fats fill the stomach but do not nourish the body, leaving it more and more susceptible to deficiencies and disease.  Eating a consistently balanced diet  nourishes the organs and the immune system and promotes their normal function to prevent disease and keep us healthy.  Eating haphazardly and ignoring the basic tenets of sound nutrition sets us up for illness.

Stress

Allowing stress, whether from anxiety, overexertion or any other reason for long periods of time does literal damage to our physical bodies (at the very cellular and organ levels).  The body will repair itself and prevent disease while it is adequately nourished.   During continual stress, however, the body requires an increased amount of nutrients, often insufficiently supplied.  Under such circumstances the body becomes susceptible to hypertension, ulcers,  infections, heart disease, colitis and diabetes, among other diseases and conditions.

Lack of Sleep/Rest

The body needs adequate rest to refresh itself.  A lack of restful sleep can cause depleted energy, depression, irritability, weight gain, as well as lack of attention and accidents.  Not getting enough rest prevents the body from properly removing toxins from tired muscles and tissues; this allows toxins to pollute the organs and bloodstream, eventually preventing the immune system from functioning  with full efficiency.  In addition, chronic sleep disorders can have serious consequences and have been linked to heart attacks, high blood pressure, stroke, ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), psychiatric and mood disorders, as well as fetus/infant/childhood under-development.

Exercise

Lack of exercise can contribute to  heart disease, high blood pressure and osteoporosis.  Regular exercise can help prevent these conditions, as well as help maintain a healthy weight, help build stronger bones, muscles and joints, reduce anxiety and depression and promote a feeling of well-being.  Exercise also helps remove toxins and waste products through sweat and urine; it helps get rid of infectious bacteria and viruses by promoting blood flow and by strengthening the immune system; exercise also helps reduce stress and the effects of stress that may make us susceptible to infectious and other diseases.

Lack of Water

Dehydration causes all manner of conditions and diseases, everything from arthritic pain, angina, pain in the gut or colitis, migraines, dizziness, mental confusion, high blood pressure (the body working harder to pump water into the cells for lack of water), adult-onset diabetes, heartburn, constipation, and other conditions, culminating in death. (Soft drinks, coffee, tea, juice or alcohol, including beer, cannot take the place of water, in fact, these can be diuretic in nature and can cause loss of water through urine).  In addition, insufficient water intake can hinder the shedding of fat, since the body requires water to burn fat.

Personal Hygiene and Proper Elimination

Cleanliness helps keep the germs away.  Washing hands and regular bathing eliminates the microbes that can potentially infect us.  Intestinal health is also of utmost importance.  Proper and regular elimination prevents toxic waste build-up and re-absorption of toxins; also, keeps valuable intestinal bacteria healthy.

Bad Choices

Smoking, using drugs, indiscriminate and unsafe sex, alcoholism, overeating are choices we make to our downfall; they are choices we can also unmake, that is, we can change our lifestyles for the betterment of our health.

Keeping in mind the major reasons we get sick and practicing the principles of health can help us stay disease free!

Garlic will not resurrect the dead, nor cause the blind to see!  It can rightfully, however, be called a miracle herb because of its uncanny effectiveness in preventing and treating a multitude of diseases. Still, garlic is no magic bullet or instantaneous solution to any ailment!  And no one should expect it to be.

In our era of push buttons, clicks, pill popping and emergency surgical interventions, we more than expect fast and definitive responses to any malady that can present itself.  But just like it takes time and a certain amount of “effort” to weaken one’s health, lower one’s immunity, to catch a cold or an STD, it will take time and effort to get one’s health back and to heal:  Even garlic as a “one-stop” remedy requires a caveat:  Garlic needs some time and effort to help you – ideally, supported by improved nutrition, rest, adequate exercise, proper elimination, personal hygiene, as well as restriction or removal of destructive habits such as smoking, excessive consumption of sugar, alcohol, caffeine, or other detrimental lifestyle behaviors.

We Get Sick because We Can

Mortality/ human frailty, is not a popular subject.  If it was, maybe we would examine our eating habits or lifestyles a bit more closely.  We are, however, often taken aback when we fall ill.  After all, Hollywood’s got us on a non-stop binge, lapping up indomitable super-hero, sex-fantasmagorical images of self.  On the big screen we all do look and feel bigger and better than mere  life itself.  A more somber portrayal of mankind in recent times, though, was  ”The Titanic.”  The breathless shout, “I’m King of the World,” symbolizing human pride of life-power and accomplishment (the indestructible Titanic) soon gave way to this lesson: we don’t own life –  life owns us.  And death can be sudden and very unexpected, and where is all the titanic vainglory then? The king of the world image?

The tragic ruins of the Titanic serve to remind us that Life is its own maze and has many unpredictables; it also has established rules.  When, knowingly or not, we break those rules, including rules of health, they break us. When we do get sick, of course, we should not feel guilty, but use the opportunity to examine our habits, whether nutritional or lifestyle, and make appropriate changes.

From the Inside Standpoint-of-View

It is remarkable we can forget that our lives are in, and depend on, the organs we carry inside us: these include our liver, for example, that performs more than 500 tasks, including detox and vitamin storage, our heart that pumps 2,000 gallons of blood through 60,000 miles of blood vessels and beats over 100,000 times every day, our incredible immune system that like a company of ninja warriors, pursues and destroys invading and dangerous microbes in the body.  When looking at ourselves from the inside standpoint-of-view, some may say we begin to resemble, on the outside, a rather inferior and insignificant mere outer shell (tell that to Hollywood!).

Make Changes to Stay Healthy

Life and health is not a given.  We must support and protect life, our health:  Despite pills galore for everything under the sun, as well as Colonoscopies,  Angiographies, Ultrasonographies, the CT’s, MRIs, ICUs,  surgery, doctors, hospitals and pharmaceuticals ad infinitum, we must do our own part to preserve health, our immunity, our well-being.  The following are key reasons we get sick; making changes in these areas may go a long way to improve health:  stress (reduce it), unhealthy food and beverages (eat a healthy diet), lack of water through dehydration (can lead to multiple conditions), lack of exercise (weakens the body), personal hygiene  (keeps infections away), proper elimination (removes toxins), bad choices, including, smoking, drinking (lowers immunity), indiscriminate sex, (sets us up for disease, STD’s), drugs (can destroy mental health and kill you).

Garlic as Medicine

Many of the conditions that we may use garlic  for did not develop over night, and of course, we should not expect them to be cured or resolved over night.  Garlic, like any other medication, must be taken regularly; and, for specific diseases, consistently, and in a prescribed manner.  Just like prescription pills are taken twice every day, or once every two hours, etc., garlic, for specific ailments, should be taken in a similar way.

Garlic is a potent remedy that not only attacks infections directly, but works with the body’s immune system to bolster and stimulate it.  Not only does it fight infections, but helps destroy cancerous cells.  It also cleanses the arteries and veins, reducing cholesterol and lowering blood pressure, thus working to prevent heart attacks and strokes.  However, garlic cannot work on its own. It requires that the body be strengthened by good nutrition, which promotes proper elimination and disposal of wastes and toxins, enhancing garlic’s therapeutic effects.  It appears that a toxic lifestyle, which includes stress, lack of rest and exercise, poor nutrition and detrimental lifestyle habits and addictions are our greatest enemies in causing disease.  Though garlic can help fight and prevent disease, it is up to us to reduce the “toxins” in our life through practicing a healthier lifestyle.

Garlic ranks as one of the most potent remedies of all time.   For effectiveness and health benefits, it even challenges some of the conventional medicines of the 20th century, including laboratory antibiotics.

Natural Pharmaceutical Treasure Chest

Known for 3500 years around the world for its healing as well as preventative properties, garlic is today being rediscovered by scientists; at last count, researchers have found that garlic contains over 400 different health-enhancing chemical components and compounds – a veritable all-natural pharmaceutical treasure chest.  The breakdown of allicin in garlic releases the majority of the chemical components of garlic, particularly by crushing or chewing raw garlic.  Powerful sulfur compounds in garlic kill and inhibit an astounding assortment of bacteria, viruses, fungi, mold, parasites and worms, frequently on contact.  They also work within the body’s vital systems, such as the circulatory, digestive, immunological, to promote detoxification, cleansing, lowering blood pressure, strengthening the immune system and healing.   All in all, garlic helps promote good health.

What Garlic Can Do: A Short List

• Fights respiratory diseases
• Inhibits cancer
• Kills herpes on contact
• Thins blood
• Is an anti-oxidant
• Detoxifies
• Lowers blood sugar
• Lowers cholesterol
• Treats HIV/AIDS infections
• Strengthens the immune system

Remarkably, researchers at such prominent institutions as Mayo Clinic and Loma Linda University Medical School in California have found that garlic can be effective and shows promise in treating some of the dreaded diseases of our time, such as coronary heart disease, breast cancer and  HIV/AIDS infections.  Garlic is also competing with the major conventional antibiotics as an effective killer of now such superbugs as Streptococcus and Staphylococcus, potentially very dangerous bacteria, now becoming more and more resistant to many laboratory antibiotics. While bacteria such as enterococcus, staphylococcus and streptococcus can and do develop a resistance to conventional antibiotics such as penicillin, tetracycline, vancomycin and others, they cannot develop a resistance to garlic!  Also, while conventional antibiotics destroy the intestinal flora, garlic typically will not.

If anything can be called a “wonder-drug” it would have to be GARLIC.

Related posts:

1. Garlic and the Hope Diamond
2. Garlic, the Ultimate Antibiotic – The Superbug Killer!

The HIV virus attacks the immune system and can effectively destroy its ability to fight diseases. When the virus has destroyed too many of the immune system’s white blood cells, the body succumbs to all kinds of invasive infections and diseases, including pneumonia, Kaposi’s sarcoma, herpes, meningitis, tuberculosis, cancer and others. That is when the HIV infection is reclassified as AIDS. The patient dies from complications from the opportunistic infections of AIDS and not from the HIV itself.

Although antiretroviral drugs are being used on a worldwide scale to fight HIV and AIDS, the drugs’ effectiveness to permanently suppress the virus are still in debate.  The HIV virus has shown an ability to replicate and  mutate to become drug-resistant.

Diet and Nutrition

As the disease progresses, the weakening immune system may cause malabsorption of nutrients, insufficient fat storage and weight loss or diarrhea.   A diet high in protein is recommended with a high calorie intake.   Consulting with nutritionists can be helpful, since they can prescribe supplements for any nutritional deficiencies.  In one study of HIV-infected men, it was found that those men who took multivitamin supplements saw a slower progression of the disease.  Reasonable caution is advised as some vitamins may not be compatible with some AIDS medicines.  Homeopathic remedies and herbs such as garlic have shown great promise in curbing the proliferation of the HIV infection and boosting the immune system in fighting AIDS.

Alternative Treatments for AIDS/HIV

In recent years alternative homeopathic medicines are being tested and used to treat HIV and AIDS patients.  The U.S.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates a number of herbs including ginseng,  licorice, St. John’s wort, aloe vera, and echinacea to be helpful in the treatment of  HIV/AIDS.

In some of the lower income regions of the world, homeopathy is the only option available to treat symptoms of  HIV and AIDS;  this is because pharmaceutical medications are expensive and out of the reach of the poor.

Among other alternative herb remedies being used are spirulina, turmeric, and Chinese bitter melon.  These have been found to enhance the function of the immune system.  Garlic, in particular, has shown amazing results.

Garlic Successfully Treats HIV/AIDS Patients

A number of studies have found garlic  to be effective against the common infections in AIDS, including, herpes and mycobacteria, cryptococcus, as well as cryptosporidia and pneumocystis.   Indeed, garlic  may actually obstruct the spread of HIV virus in the AIDS patient!

Garlic and the Immune System

Garlic enhances the action of three cell types in the immune system’s arsenal that are important in combating HIV and AIDS-related infections.  One of a multitude of garlic’s components, diallyl trisulfide, activates the natural killer cells, the Cytotoxic T-cells, (these attach themselves to microbes and secrete poisons into them), the phagocytes, (which engulf or swallow invader germs), and the lymphocytes, (which produce antibodies that kill specific microbes).

Garlic Effective Against Opportunistic HIV infections

Promising research into garlic’s therapeutic value for fighting HIV was first presented at the 1989 International AIDS Conference and subsequently published in the German Journal of Oncology (Deutsche Zeitschrift Onkologie).  Kyolic garlic (aged garlic preparation) was given to ten AIDS patients.  All were in advanced stages of AIDS, with various opportunistic infections, including genital herpes and cryptosporidial diarrhea.  For the first six weeks the patients received 5 grams, or around 2 cloves of garlic daily and then 10 grams or 6 cloves daily for another six weeks.  Three of the patients did not complete the trials because they were at the terminal stages of the disease and died before the trial ended.  However, the seven who completed the trials showed NORMAL killer cell activity by the end of the twelve week period (six of them regained normal killer cell activity by the end of the first six weeks!).  Also significant was the fact that all the patients’ infections improved: including a candida infection, genital herpes and chronic diarrhea.  One patient with chronic sinus infection, who did not get any relief after a year’s worth of taking regular antibiotics, improved after the garlic trial.

Prolonging Life of AIDS Patients

While HIV/ AIDS is incurable, the objective of treatment is to curb opportunistic infections from getting a foothold by boosting the immune system, and thus prolonging life, as well as improving the patient’s quality of life.  Garlic revs up the immune system’s disease-fighting ability, killing many bacteria and viruses on contact, preventing their proliferation.  Bacteria and viruses, furthermore, do not form resistance to garlic as they can to regular pharmaceutical antibiotics and medications.  In addition, garlic, unlike pharmaceutical antibiotics, does not harm the intestinal flora, which is so important to digestion and absorption of nutrients.

Garlic is thus important as an adjunct treatment for HIV/AIDS, significantly helping improve a patient’s life.  HIV and AIDS patients are encouraged to eat raw, crushed garlic every day within a healthy regime prescribed by their physician and nutritionist.

Related posts:

1. HIV and Garlic: Dramatic Results!

What can compare to the value of the Hope Diamond? It would have to be something priceless, like one’s own life or a life-saving remedy. GARLIC is a life-saving remedy and a treasure in its own right! Laughable? Not if you realize that garlic can literally save and protect your life, your health. With over 400 chemical components, garlic health benefits seem endless; researchers have established that garlic is effective in preventing and treating a stupendous multitude of maladies.

Garlic Health Benefits

A natural antibiotic, garlic works against a host of dangerous bacteria such as Staphylococcus and Streptococcus, as well as against viruses, including viral meningitis, viral pneumonia, and herpes infections.  It is anti-fungal and anti-yeast, and even inhibits the growth of parasites in the intestines, works against the common cold, the flu, asthma, even tuberculosis.  Remarkably, it has also shown to be effective in treating HIV, atherosclerosis, stroke and certain forms of cancer.

Garlic Increases Immunity/ Fights HIV/AIDS

Garlic protects the body against numerous infections.  It not only kills microorganisms on contact, inhibiting their growth and proliferation, but also strengthens the immune system’s ability to fight disease. Garlic increases the number of disease-fighting components of the immune system called lymphocytes, phagocytes, and natural killer T-cells.  These specialized cells are enhanced by garlic to do their job.

Garlic’s amazing ability to strengthen the immune system has proven to be of tremendous value in fighting the HIV virus.  Garlic not only can reduce the virus’s spread in the body, but keep deadly opportunistic infections at bay.   Garlic is more and more frequently being used as an adjunct treatment for HIV and AIDS patients.

Garlic for Cancer

With one in three people predicted to contract cancer at some time in their life, it is good to know that garlic can fight the threat of malignant cells and tumorous growths from getting a foothold.   Over the years, a number of experiments with animals have shown that garlic effectively inhibited the development of cancer of the esophagus, colon, skin and bladder cancers.  More recently, garlic has been used with some success in treating breast cancer in women.  In addition, it has been discovered that people who ate more sulphur-rich vegetables, such as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, leeks and onions, as well as garlic, had the least risk of contracting cancer.  In one study it was found that garlic’s sulfur compounds have a powerful effect on the liver’s detoxification enzymes; it is  these enzymes with which the liver breaks down and eliminates toxins.  Garlic thus helps the liver to remove toxic substances and harmful chemicals from the body; this action can actually keep cells from becoming cancerous.

Garlic for Atherosclerosis and Stroke

Used since ancient times against atherosclerosis and high blood pressure, garlic is today proven to be effective in fighting cardiovascular disease, the number one killer in the Western world.  Garlic not only helps reduce cholesterol in blood vessels, but thins the blood and lowers blood pressure, all of which greatly reduces the risk of blood clotting, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke.  Keeping to a healthy life style and sticking to a healthy diet of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, with a restricted intake of animal protein, and including garlic regularly in your diet can go a long way in reducing your risk of heart disease.

On a Par with Any Million-Dollar Gem

The host of the TV health show, Dr. Oz, once remarked to a woman who liked to eat a lot of garlic, “You’re probably the healthiest person in this audience!” That comment speaks from a knowledge and faith in this  herb by a medical professional who understands the power of garlic to protect our health.

For its life-preserving value garlic indeed  is a natural treasure on a par with any million-dollar gem!

Related posts:

1. The Power of Garlic

You cannot readily get a heart attack or stroke as long as blood flows smoothly through your veins and arteries.   Both heart attacks and strokes occur when blood vessels are clogged, which can lead to high blood pressure and the formation of  blood clots.  During a heart attack a clot blocks circulation in an artery supplying blood to the heart, thus damaging or destroying part of the heart.  In a stroke, a blood clot stops blood supply to the brain depriving it of oxygen.

How can we prevent a blood clot that can result in a stroke or heart attack?  And how can we assure the smooth flow of blood through our arteries and veins?

How Cardiovascular Disease Develops

Most commonly, cardiovascular disease arises out of two processes, atherosclerosis, or clogging of veins and arteries with cholesterol (fatty) and other metabolic and cellular waste ( plaque) deposits, combined with high blood pressure.  This can result in the formation of blood clots that can cause strokes and heart attacks.  For the process of vascular clogging to start, first a lesion in a blood vessels must occur.  This allows a snag-hold for the plaque build up.  As the blood vessels narrow, and blood pressure rises, the chance of blood clotting increases.

Excess Sugar and Animal Protein can Lead to Artery Clogging and Blood Clots

Researchers have found that too much sugar in our diet can lead to insulin resistance where sugar is not used adequately by the body, ending up in the blood stream and literally scratching and damaging the inner lining of arteries and veins.  Lesions in the blood vessel lining can become snag-points for the accumulation of plaque, causing the narrowing of vessels, ultimately leading to blood clots that can result in a stroke or heart attack.

Protein, especially animal protein, notably from red meat, but also from chicken, pork, fish, eggs, cheese, when eaten in excess, in an unbalanced diet, may prompt an accumulation of  homocysteine, a byproduct of the amino acid methionine.   Excessive homocysteine in the blood damages arteries and veins by creating lesions on the interior of blood vessels.  Researchers have found that excessive homocysteine has a corrosive effect on the arteries and veins, literally degrading and inhibiting the production of three essential components of blood vessels, collagen, elastin, and proteoglycans.  Lesions caused by homocysteine facilitate plaque build-up, or fatty, LDL (bad cholesterol), calcium and cellular waste deposits in blood vessels, which, over time, cause atherosclerosis, hardening of the arteries, and high blood pressure.  As the blood vessels narrow, blood clots can form, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

Vegetables, Fruit and Whole Grains to the Rescue! And Garlic!

The good news is that a diet rich in vegetables, including leafy greens, fruit and whole grains helps  detoxify or regulate homocysteine in the blood.  Both British and American scientists have found that Vitamin C can prevent homocysteine from damaging arteries and veins.  Also, an adequate and balanced supply of the B vitamins (found, for example, in oatmeal, brown rice and whole grain wheat), folic acid, B6 and B12 in particular, is also essential to maintaing a balance in homocysteine blood levels.   Additionally, potassium, found in bananas, beans, yogurt and spinach, among other fruits and vegetables, was linked to a reduced risk of stroke.

Reducing sugar to 6 teaspoons per day, as recommended by the American Heart Association, may also help reduce the risk of developing atherosclerosis and high blood pressure.  On a recent Dr. Oz television show, the good doc placed sugar as the Number One food that should be “out of your house.”  However,  since removing table sugar from our diets seems impossible for the majority of people, the sensible course of action is limiting one’s intake of  the now nefarious sweetener and increasing our diets with more detoxifying and health-giving vegetables, fruits and whole grains.

Garlic can Help!

Garlic can also be relied on to help.  Garlic not only helps reduce cholesterol and fatty deposits in the arteries and veins, but also lowers blood pressure and thins blood to help lessen the chance of clotting.  An adequate and always balanced diet, including garlic, and a sensible – never excessive – intake of sugar or protein, especially animal protein, can go a long way in preventing a heart attack and stroke.

Be Healthy!  Eat Healthy!  Eat Garlic (raw is best)!

Precautionary note:

A Mayo Clinic study found garlic’s blood thinning properties to be a risk to heart patients taking the anti-clotting drug Warfarin.  The drug is frequently indicated for patients with heart-rhythm disorders, heart valve replacements, or who have suffered a heart attack.

Related posts:

1. The Power of Garlic
2. Garlic and the Hope Diamond