Health Benefits of Garlic for Cooking and Health

Table of Contents Getting Started Chapter # 1: Intro Chapter # 2: Nutritional Worth Chapter # 3: Selection and Storage Chapter # 4: Best Practices for Preparing Garlic Chapter # 5: Common Uses of Garlic Repelling Mosquitos: Repairing Glass: Natural Pesticide: De-icing: Fish bait: Health Benefits of Garlic Chapter # 6: Cancer Prevention Chapter # 7: Cardiovascular Health Chapter # 8: Antibiotic Chapter # 9: Hip Osteoarthritis Chapter #10: Reduces the Risk of Premature Delivery Chapter #11: Home Remedies Limiting hair loss: Treats cold: Treat Athletes foot & Splinters: Clearing acne: Conclusion References Author Bio Publisher Intro Garlic is a vegetable that needs no introductions; it has a reputation and popularity directly opposite to its size; almost everyone in the entire world knows about garlic and its benefits. The usual benefits include culinary & medical but garlic is also known to mankind as a tool in welcoming good luck, protecting itself against evil and warding off vampires! Garlic is a member of the onion genus and is known in the scientific community as Allium sativum. It is a close relative to the leek, chive, shallot, rakkyo and of course onion. The head of the garlic plant is the part that is generally used and referred to as garlic; each bulb consists of many small and independent, fleshy sections known as cloves. Both the bulb and the cloves are enclosed in premature, almost transparent sheets of pure white, off-white or purple/pink color. The cloves are the part that are usually consumed (raw or cooked) or used for medicinal purposes and are characterized by a firm texture. As soon as garlic hits the palate, it gives a hot, pungent taste with continuous flashes of sweetness. As the garlic is cooked, the hot and spicy flavor fades and is overshadowed by the sweet one. When it comes to cultivating, garlic does not give a hard time to farmers or hobbyists and can be grown round-the-year in mild climates. Moreover, garlic plants are not attacked by pests or insecticides and repel hares and other rodents that make it even friendlier. Garlic is native to the central Asian region and is one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world. It has been grown for more or less 5000 years and the oldest surviving records put the Ancient Egyptians as the first people to cultivate it which explains garlic's impact on their culture. In ancient Egypt, garlic used in preserving Pharaohs; it was also given to the builders of the ancient Pyramids as it enhanced their strength & endurance. This power-enhancing quality was also honored by the Greeks and the Romans who consumed garlic before any muscular sporting events such as chariot racing, etc. Garlic was spread around the world with the help of migrating ethnic tribes and explorers and by 6th Century BC garlic was being cultivated in regions of China and India. Throughout the millennia, especially after the Progressive era, garlic has gained unprecedented popularity in the scientific Western world due to its medicinal properties. Garlic has been used for treatments as small as disinfecting wounds and ear infections to lowering blood pressure, improving blood circulation and controlling sugar levels. Scientists are carrying ever increasing researches on its extracts and are disclosing its therapeutic worth to the world.