Besides bad breath, what else can garlic do for you? I can bet that almost everyone has cooked with or eaten something with garlic. It is one of the most popular seasoning in food as it provides both a distinct flavor and aroma. But other than making food taste good, garlic also has medicinal properties. Who knew?

In fact, it has been used since ancient times by the Hebrews, Greeks, Babylonians, Romans, and Egyptians. Supposedly, the builders of the Egyptian pyramids ate garlic daily for endurance. The Roman soldiers chewed garlic daily for strength. The ancient Chinese recommended garlic to those who had depression. In ancient India, garlic was used for those who suffered with loss of appetite, weakness, cough, skin disease, rheumatism and hemorrhoids. In ancient Israel, garlic was used to enhance blood pressure and kill parasites. Contact our Temecula CA chiropractor for more information.

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How is garlic a food medicine in Temecula CA?

It contains a compound called Allicin, which has been shown to provide various health benefits including prevention of the following potential risk factors for heart attack, stroke, and diabetes:

• Lowers blood pressure
• Lowers total cholesterol
• Lowers “bad” LDL cholesterol
• Increases “good” HDL cholesterol
• Reduces insulin resistance
• Lowers triglycerides and regulates blood sugar levels

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Other health benefits of garlic are as follows:

• It has anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal properties
• It boosts the immune system
• It thins the blood and has anti-clotting properties to prevent blood clot formation.
• It is an anti-inflammatory agent and helps with allergies
• Garlic has been recognized as one of several vegetables with potential anti-cancer properties by the National Cancer Institute.

I wanted to share with you below one of my many favorite garlic recipes. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

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GARLIC LIME SAUCE:

I have a secret addiction…the mojo de ajo sauce (Cuban citrus garlic dipping sauce) at this local Cuban restaurant that I go to on occasion (okay, about 2 times a week). It is usually served as a dipping sauce to their tostones (fried green plaintains) or yucca fries (root vegetable, aka cassava). But, I have been known to just drink it up all by its lonesome, like an elixir…just me and my mojo de ajo. It is so simple to make and delicious!

There are many different recipes online, but after many trials of it in my kitchen, I finally made one that I really like. Try it!

Ingredients

• ¼ cup juice of freshly squeezed limes (for a slightly sweeter version, use juice of freshly squeezed oranges)
• 1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar (I use Bragg’s organic raw apple cider vinegar)
• 2 tbsps organic extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, grated (or you can buy already minced garlic)
• ½ tsp ground oregano
• ½ tsp salt (or to taste)
• ¼ tsp pepper (or to taste)

Instructions

• In a small bowl, mix together lime juice (or orange juice), raw apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and pinch of salt, until combined. Finely grate garlic into lime juice (or orange juice) and vinegar mixture. (I usually smash the minced garlic even more to release more of the health-beneficial juices! You can use a mortar and pestle, or just put the minced garlic in a plastic Ziploc bag and gently smash.) Stir to combine.
• Go find some veggies or make sweet potato fries to dip it into, or use it as a sauce for your fish or meat entrée, or use it as a salad dressing! It’s very versatile!

By: Inland Valley Integrative Health Team

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REFERENCES:

1. Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 2nd James F. Balch, M.D.; Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C., 1997.
2. Extracts from the history and medical properties of garlic. Pharmacognosy Reviews, 2010 Jan-Jun; 4(7): 106-119. Bilijana Bauer Petrovska and Svetlana Cekovska. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3249897/
3. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-proven-health-benefits-of-garlic
4. Allicin improves carotid artery intima-media thickness in coronary artery disease patients with hyperhomocysteinemia. Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 2017 Aug;14(2):1722-1726. doi: 10.3892/etm.2017.4698. Epub 2017 Jun 28. Liu DS1, Wang SL2, Li JM3, Liang ES1, Yan MZ3, Gao W1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28810641
5. Garlic-Derived Organic Polysulfides and Myocardial Protection. Journal of Nutrition, 2016 Feb;146(2):403S-409S. doi: 10.3945/jn.114.208066. Epub 2016 Jan 13. Bradley JM1, Organ CL1, Lefer DJ2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26764335
6. Garlic as an anti-diabetic agent: recent progress and patent reviews. Recent Patents on Food Nutrition Agriculture, 2013 Aug;5(2):105-27. Padiya R1, Banerjee SK. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23270395
7. Antimicrobial properties of allicin from garlic. Microbes Infect. 1999 Feb;1(2):125-9. Ankri S1, Mirelman D. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10594976
8. Garlic and Cancer Prevention. National Cancer Institute. January 22, 2008. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/diet/garlic-fact-sheet