Garlic: Health Benefits, History & Uses - A Comprehensive Guide

Garlic is one of those wonderful foods that tastes great and is good for you as well. It has been used for centuries to make our foods taste better and help cure a long list of ailments.

History

• Garlic originated from Central Asia but has crept its way into the foods and medicines of Egyptians, Greeks and Chinese. It has been used throughout time to flavor foods and for its medicinal qualities.

Uses

• Garlic has long been used as a natural cure for numerous physical ailments. It can be taken both internally, as part of a food recipe, or used as a topical treatment.

Benefits

• Garlic, Latin name Allium sativum, is good for more than its great taste. Since ancient times this plant has been used to aid everything from acne to lowering blood pressure and treating food poisoning. Its antibacterial properties can help eliminate such skin conditions as fungal infections, diaper rash and thrush.

Warnings

• Since garlic is a natural blood thinner, those on heart medications or taking aspirin for blood thinning should consult a physician before ingesting any significant amount of garlic for health reasons.

Fun Facts

• Did you know garlic was used by ancient civilizations as an aphrodisiac? Perhaps it's only the modern world that worries about "garlic breath" on a date.