Garlic is one of the healthiest foods around. Scientists have now proven that the medicinal plant has a particularly positive effect on the heart, although you might need to use perfume with a fine scent such as Francis Kurkdjian as eating garlic’s side effect can cause you having body odor.

Here, we reveal which ingredients are responsible for this – and what else they do in a healthy way.

This is what makes garlic so healthy

What we smell is what has the most effect: the sulfurs and compounds of leek oil also called allicin. The components of allicin, partly in combination with other ingredients of garlic, have an extremely diverse effect. They kill bacteria and fungi. You can detoxify. They protect the vessels. And they catch free radicals that accelerate skin aging. In addition, it has a lot of minerals to offer: Ten grams (about two toes) contain 62 mg of potassium, 3.8 mg of calcium, and 2.5 mg of magnesium.

This is three percent of the daily requirement. In addition, there are zinc, fluoride, and iodine as well as vitamins C and B9 (folic acid). And modern medical research deals again and again with the miracle tuber. Especially the preventive effects of garlic are far from all discovered. A study by Korean researchers, which for the first time was limited exclusively to garlic powder, is currently causing a stir.

 

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Studies on the effectiveness of garlic powder

The result: Preparations of garlic powder show clear effects to improve total and LDL cholesterol, fasting blood sugar, and blood pressure. An effect on HDL cholesterol – the so-called “good” cholesterol – is not given. For the current evaluation, the results of 27 clinical studies with a total of 1,649 participants were included. These included 22 studies on total cholesterol, 17 and 18 studies on LDL and HDL cholesterol, respectively, and 4 studies on fasting blood sugar. On 9 and 10 studies respectively investigated the influence on systolic (first value of the blood pressure measurement) or diastolic blood pressure (second value of the blood pressure measurement).

Further analyses also dealt with the dosage and duration of therapy, the type of patient, and the respective study location. Allicin is considered to be an ingredient in garlic powder that co-determines its effectiveness. Experimentally proven are bacteria-inhibiting, blood lipid, and blood pressure-lowering properties.

Perfect protection for the heart

For the active protection of the cardiovascular system, a high amount of allicin is necessary. Doctors, therefore, recommend using preparations with powdered garlic extract (up to 600 mg daily).