HERBAL MEDICINE

Benefits of Garlic For Immunity

1st April, 2020

History of Garlic

Garlic is one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world. Evidence that garlic was used medicinally has been found in Egyptian pyramids and ancient Greek ruins, it even gets a mention in the Bible and it’s still as popular today as it ever was.

Originating in Middle Asia, garlic has origins reaching as far back as around 2000 BC when the Sumerians are thought to have introduced garlic to China. Recognising the many benefits of the herb, it quickly became one of the most used herbal remedies in Ancient China. However, it wasn’t only the Chinese who realised the medicinal value of the pungent bulbs. Ancient Greek physician, Dioscorides, noted back in the first century AD, the value of garlic as a medicinal herb. Adding it to his Materia Medica with the note, “it doth clear the arteries” indicating early on its benefits toward cardiovascular health.

During the Middle Ages when, unfortunately, plagues were a fact of life, garlic was often used as a preventative agent providing protection against diseases and other infections. The Egyptians were familiar with the wonders of garlic, giving it to their slaves to keep them strong and capable of doing the arduous work required of them.

Highly sought after for both culinary and medicinal use, its variety of uses throughout the ages have ranged from the quite bizarre to simply delicious. Although the use of garlic for keeping away vampires and bad spirits might be a little hard to substantiate, there’s no denying the health benefits of garlic.

The Power Of Garlic

Garlic, like many plants, naturally contains a multitude of active constituents. Cleverly one of these constituents provides the plant with its own self-defence system. Once fresh garlic has been cut, crushed or chewed by insects, it produces a substance called allicin. Allicin is responsible for the distinct smell that we associate with garlic and insects hate it, so they tend to leave the plant alone. Allicin has many health benefits however it is relatively unstable, so levels will begin to decline quickly once it is exposed to air, along with any health benefits that may be associated with it.

Fresh garlic may be quite unpalatable to some, whereas others may find garlic breath socially limiting so raw garlic may not always be a convenient option.

Fortunately, we don’t all have to suffer from garlic breath in order to reap the benefits of garlic, there is an alternative to fresh garlic called Aged Black Garlic. Aged Black Garlic is a form of garlic that has undergone a unique extraction and ageing process in which the temperature and humidity are controlled over a specific period of time. This process results in an odourless garlic extract which is full of beneficial compounds such as S-Allyl-Cysteine (SAC). SAC is an antioxidant-rich amino acid which is very stable and has been found to play a major role in the myriad of health benefits attributed to garlic. SAC is found in abundance in Aged Black Garlic providing many health benefits including cardiovascular support, maintenance of healthy cholesterol levels and immune-enhancing properties.

All in all, garlic is a powerful plant that has stood the test of time, so if you just need a bit of immune support during cold and flu season or your cardiovascular health needs attention, try garlic.

Liquid error (templates/article line 49): Could not find asset snippets/lfs-author-signature.liquid

Historical Use Of TumericMost of us are familiar with turmeric as an ingredient in cooking, nestled amongst the other herbs and spices in the spice rack, it’s hard to ignore with its vibrant golden hue. There’s no denying the warming and comforting goodness that a good bowl of curry can deliver, however, the benefits of turmeric are not a discovery of modern times, its use can be traced back to over 4,500 years ago!Turmeric was not only used as a culinary spice and a revered traditional medicine, but it also played an important part in religious practices, wedding ceremonies and was even worn as an amulet to ward off evil spirits. Turmeric was often used to dye the cloth for the vibrant, golden robes worn by Buddhist and Hindu monks.As a native plant of Southeast Asia, India has long been the largest producer of turmeric since its early beginnings. Turmeric root comes from the plant Curcuma longa which belongs to the same botanical family as ginger. The underground stems are called rhizomes which are harvested, dried and ground into a yellow powder. Because of this bright colour, turmeric has also been known as ‘Indian Saffron’.Currently, turmeric is enjoying the limelight as one of the most popular herbs on the market for joint health and to relieve inflammation with good reason. Much research has been conducted on the medicinal uses of turmeric and you’ll find the internet and trendy cookbooks brimming with recipes for lattes, smoothies, dressings and of course, curries to help you incorporate turmeric into your diet.So, what is it that makes turmeric so beneficial for relieving inflammation and supporting joint health?The turmeric root naturally contains bioactive substances called curcuminoids, the most important of them being curcumin. Curcumin is the compound which is responsible for the medicinal actions of the plant. Although curcumin only takes up a small proportion of the total root, it possesses powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Curcumin can be hard for the body to absorb, so when adding it to recipes it’s important to ensure that there is a fat component in the dish, such as yoghurt, olive oil or nuts to help get the full health benefits from the root. Joint health is important in all stages of life, particularly as we age and as our joints are more vulnerable with wear and tear. Turmeric has been shown to be effective for relieving inflammation. Turmeric is not only helpful for relieving inflammation, but it can also help to protect our cells from free radical damage through its antioxidant action. Antioxidants help to keep our cells operating as they should, our body systems running smoothly. Oxidative or free radical damage has been linked to many health conditions, so antioxidants are important to keep our bodies healthy.The popularity and medicinal benefits of turmeric have stood the test of time. If you are looking for an anti-inflammatory herb that maintains joint health, with the added antioxidant benefits, why not give turmeric a try?

HERBAL MEDICINE FITNESS

Benefits of Turmeric For Joint Health

Traditional Ayurvedic and Chinese Medicine healers have been using turmeric as a natural remedy for centuries. Today, Turmeric is now one of the most researched herbs in the world and thousands of studies have demonstrated its therapeutic benefits for a wide range of health conditions. Is turmeric a herb or is it a spice? It’s both. Turmeric is a perennial herbaceous plant from the same family as ginger. The underground stems, called rhizomes, are harvested, dried and ground into a powder, which is the golden spice used for medicinal and culinary purposes. What gives turmeric its health benefits? There’s a lot of confusion out there about how turmeric works. Turmeric isn’t just a homogenous powder. Like many natural remedies, it’s made up of a number of biologically active substances. Of these, there is a group of three compounds, called curcuminoids, which make up about 2% -5% of turmeric. They are curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin. Curcumin is the star of the trio. It’s the curcuminoid primarily responsible for turmeric’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Curcumin is a natural anti-inflammatory Inflammation can be triggered as the body’s way of defending and healing. In the process of inflammation, the release of cytokines sets off a pro-inflammatory cascade which lead to the production of inflammatory molecules such as thromboxane and prostaglandis. Tissue damage, as in arthritis, causes the release of cytokines and sets off pro-inflammatory processes which lead to the production of inflammatory molecules such as thromboxane and prostaglandins. These inflammatory molecules are produced by enzymes such as phospholipase, lipoxygenase, 5-LOX and COX-2. Curcumin works by inhibiting some of these inflammatory processes and enzymes, and also by down-regulating the activity of some inflammatory molecules. Curcumin also helps to support joint health. Curcumin also helps to protect cells from damage by free radicals Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that roam around the body and can damage cells through a process called oxidative stress. Oxidative stress has been linked to many health conditions, including poor joint health and function, so antioxidants are important to keep our bodies healthy. Learn more about the benefits of Turmeric for joint health, here. Curcumin works by directly scavenging free radicals as well as by inhibiting some of the processes that generate free radicals, so it helps to reduce the damage they can cause to body cells. Can you just eat turmeric powder to get the benefits of curcumin? Not really. Firstly, like we mentioned earlier, curcumin and turmeric are not the same thing. Curcuminoids make up only around 2-5% of turmeric rhizome powder, and of that 2-5%, curcumin makes up about 75%. So that means an average teaspoon of turmeric powder may contain less than 1% of the all-important curcumin. And that’s not the only reason that turmeric powder alone can’t really deliver much in the way of health benefits. To have a therapeutic effect in your body curcumin needs to get into your blood plasma. Once there it can circulate around the body and exert its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. But turmeric, and the curcumin in it, is very poorly absorbed by your body. It is naturally insoluble in water (just check out that yellow gunk at the bottom of your turmeric latte or tea!) Very little remains intact after it gets into the highly acidic stomach environment What does remain isn’t absorbed very well by your digestive system And what is absorbed gets broken down and excreted by your liver really quickly. So consuming turmeric, or even straight curcumin powder, isn’t a very effective way of getting enough bioactive curcumin into your bloodstream. A better way to get the health benefits of curcumin The best way to get the health benefits of curcumin is by taking a high strength supplement which has been formulated for higher bioavailability.

HERBAL MEDICINE WELLNESS

Turmeric- The ancient healing herb that’s now a modern wellness sensation.

Traditional Ayurvedic and Chinese Medicine healers have been using turmeric as a natural remedy for centuries. T...

MY BAG

View my Bag

Benefits of Garlic For Immunity

1st April, 2020

Related Articles