Garlic has many good qualities besides its unique taste, but have you heard about the benefits of using garlic at night? Eating a clove of this wonderful herb at bedtime has been shown to be an effective method of combating insomnia.
Garlic is a plant belonging to the allium family. It shares a family tree with onions, shallots, and leeks. Garlic cloves refer to the individual sections of a garlic bulb. A single bulb typically contains between 10 and 20 individual cloves.
The pungent smell and strong flavor of it make it a widely used culinary ingredient. However, garlic’s primary function in ancient times and into the modern era was as a health food and medicine. Many ancient cultures used it and their records show it: the Chinese, the Greeks, the Romans and the Egyptians.
Eating garlic right before bed or first thing in the morning is optimal because that’s when stomach bacteria are most susceptible to its effects. They are less difficult to kill because they are not protected by food. However, you should not eat it if you have stomach problems.
For those who want to keep their ulcers at bay, they should avoid eating garlic on an empty stomach. Eating it with a lot of water will significantly slow down the absorption process in your stomach, so that’s something you should avoid as well.
Garlic has many benefits for your body beyond its common use in cooking. Historically, it has been used for its various medicinal purposes, including the treatment of disease and the destruction of bacteria. It’s all because of allicin, one of the active ingredients in garlic. So what are these benefits? Let us show you.
What Are The Benefits of Using Garlic at Night?
1. An effective treatment for insomnia
Do you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep because of nasal congestion at night? Zinc and high concentrations of sulfur compounds such as allicin are found in it, and these compounds promote relaxation and sleep. If you have a cold, it can help open your nasal passages, making it easier to breathe at night and reducing the likelihood that you’ll snore.
2. Potentially useful for heavy metal detox
When taken in large doses, the sulfur compounds in garlic can prevent heavy metal toxicity from damaging vital organs. This herb was found to reduce blood lead levels by 19% in a 4-week study of workers at a car battery manufacturing plant. It also improved many of the physical manifestations of toxicity, such as headaches and high blood pressure. In fact, taking three cloves of garlic a day was more effective than taking the drug D-penicillamine for symptom relief.
3. Stimulates the body’s natural defenses
When someone’s immune system is compromised, they become susceptible to a wide range of illnesses. It contains a variety of vitamins that are essential for the body to have in order to have a healthy immune system, and eating a clove of garlic just before going to bed is one way to end the day.
4. Effective against cold and flu
Regular use of it can help ward off recurring colds and flu. It contains a variety of vitamins, some of which have the potential to reduce the severity of cold-related symptoms. You need to know how to eat raw garlic without being put off by the smell or taste if you want to speed up the recovery time from colds and flu.
5. Reduces Total Blood Cholesterol
Both total cholesterol and bad LDL cholesterol can be lowered by eating garlic. When consuming the supplements, it has been shown to lower total and LDL cholesterol by about 10-15% in people with high cholesterol. When comparing garlic’s effect on LDL (bad) and HDL (good) cholesterol, it appears to have a greater effect on LDL. Triglyceride levels are also an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease risk, but it does not appear to lower them.
6. Keep blood pressure steady
Heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular diseases account for a disproportionate number of deaths each year. One of the major risk factors for these diseases is hypertension, or high blood pressure. Supplemental garlic has been shown in human studies to significantly lower blood pressure in people with hypertension.
In one study, 600-1,500 mg of aged garlic extract was found to be as effective as the drug atenolol in lowering blood pressure over a 24-week period. High doses are needed to achieve the desired effects. About four cloves of this powerful herb a day would be enough to get the amount needed.
7. Helps with weight loss
The health benefits of raw garlic can help restore normal blood sugar levels, which in turn reduces feelings of hunger. This is a common strategy for many people trying to shed extra pounds. It may also help with lymphatic drainage and blood circulation, both of which play a role in weight maintenance. Regular consumption of raw garlic has been linked to a reduction in hunger and a prolongation of satiety after eating.
8. may increase longevity.
Since it has been shown to reduce many chronic disease risk factors, it is natural that it may increase longevity. The potential anti-aging effects of this herb are difficult, if not impossible, to test in humans.
It’s counterintuitive that garlic could increase longevity, but when you consider its positive effects on cardiovascular health, it makes sense. What is also crucial is the fact that it is effective against infectious diseases, which are responsible for a disproportionate number of deaths in the elderly and in people with a weakened immune system.
It doesn’t take much effort to incorporate garlic into your current diet. It goes well with savory foods, especially soups and sauces. The pungent flavor of this herb can also be used to spice up dishes that are otherwise lacking in flavor.
The most common way to prepare it is to crush or press a few cloves of fresh garlic, then combine it with some extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt. This can be used as a healthy and easy salad dressing.
Keep in mind that garlic has some drawbacks, such as causing bad breath. Some people are also sensitive to it. Talk to your doctor before increasing your garlic intake if you have a bleeding disorder or are taking blood-thinning medication.
Disclaimer: This is for informational purposes only.
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Source : Healthline and BetterMe
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