Garlic is a very popular spice. This onion-like herb adds an aromatic and delicious flavor to food. It is used in a wide variety of dishes including rice, pilau, beans, beef, fish, chicken and several other stews. Garlic can be used in its whole form or it can be ground into powder.

Apart from the unique and savory taste it adds to delicacies, garlic offers a number of health and nutritional benefits. These include:

Prevention and treatment of common cold
Garlic cloves contain high amounts of a compound known as allicin. This com-pound helps in fighting the corona viruses which cause common cold.

According to a 2001 study published in the Advances In Therapy journal, daily consumption of garlic was found to be useful in preventing common colds as well relieving symptoms of common cold in infected people. The study revealed that dai-ly intake of garlic supplements could reduce the number of common colds by 63% in comparison to not taking the supplements. It also showed that daily supplements of garlic reduced common cold symptoms from 5 days to 1.5 days.

Reduction of cholesterol levels
Garlic helps to reduce the levels of cholesterol in the blood. It does so by diminish-ing the activity of the enzyme that produces cholesterol in the liver. Reduced choles-terol levels translates into lower risk of cardiovascular diseases such as atheroscle-rosis.

Reduced risk of heart disease
Apart from reducing cholesterol levels in the body, garlic helps to prevent heart dis-ease in other ways. It prevents the formation of blood clots which could block arter-ies and also reduces homocysteine. Garlic also lowers the blood pressure and there-fore the blood vessels get to relax, consequently improving microcirculation. Im-proved microcirculation is important for preventing cardiomyopathy in patients with diabetes.

Better bone health
Garlic is good for the bones because it is rich in nutrients which act as building blocks for bones. These nutrients include zinc, manganese, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin C.
Garlic can be effective in reducing the risk of estrogen-induced bone loss. A previous study that was conducted in England compared diet to X ray patterns and found that women who consumed garlic daily had better bone patterns compared to those who did not.

Cancer prevention and management
Garlic is effective in preventing cancer. According to a University of Minnesota re-search that compared the diets of 41,000 women, consumption of garlic was found to reduce the risk of getting cancer. The study revealed that women who regularly ate garlic with fruits and vegetables for five years had a 35 percent reduced risk of developing cancer in comparison to those who did not do so.

Garlic can also help to boost immune function in those who already have cancer. Researchers from Kyoto University in Japan found that consumption of aged garlic daily for six months helped to improve immune activity in cancer patients. They had studied various cancer patients.

Antibacterial properties
Garlic has antibacterial properties, this makes it effective in preventing and treating bacterial infections. Consumption of garlic is in particular effective in preventing bacterial-related food poisoning.

Garlic is also a natural cure for bacterial infections. Bacterial vaginosis is one of the illnesses that garlic can help cure. It is recommended that one takes 3-4 cloves of garlic per day so as to prevent and manage bacterial infections.

Help with acne and hair loss
For people who are battling acne, garlic can come in as an effective remedy. Garlic helps to treat acne due to its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Garlic also helps to stop hair loss as it stimulates the growth of hair.