Raw Garlic: Healing Properties and Medicinal Uses

Garlic, especially in its raw form, has been praised for its healing power and medicinal uses since ancient times. It was used for medicinal purposes by the ancient Greeks, Egyptians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Romans and Chinese. Today, numerous research studies document the extraordinary benefits of garlic on human health.
The healing properties of garlic are wide and varied, ranging from antioxidant, antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial properties to cancer-fighting and immune-boosting activity. Due to its healing properties, raw garlic has been used as a medicinal plant to prevent — and in some cases treat or even heal — various health complaints.
Although almost anyone can benefit from eating garlic, those who are looking for a natural way to reduce their risk of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, asthma attacks, bouts of cold or flu, abdnormal hair loss, or some skin conditions are likely to reap the most health benefits by regularly eating garlic. In this article, we look at the extraordinary healing properties of garlic and describe the most common medicinal uses of this natural "wonder drug".

Anti-Cancer Effects of Raw Garlic

Still not impressed with the healing properties and medicinal uses of garlic? Well, guess what, numerous laboratory tests have also found garlic and garlic extracts to exert strong anti-cancer effects. Also several epidemiologic studies support the idea that garlic — especially raw garlic — can help prevent certain types of cancer. According to a large-scale review of epidemiologic studies, the strongest evidence for anti-cancer effects of raw garlic pertains to stomach and colorectal cancers. This extensive review, which appeared in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2000, analyzed epidemiological studies published on stomach, colon, head and neck, lung, breast and prostate cancers since 1966.
Raw garlic appears to exert its anti-cancer effects through multiple mechanisms, including inhibition of free radical production, activation of enzymes that detoxify carcinogens, and regulation of cell-cycle arrest. In addition, garlic has been shown to induce apoptosis. Apoptosis, also known as programmed cell death, is the body's normal way of getting rid of unneeded or abnormal cells, but cancer cells employ mechanisms that allow them to evade apoptosis so they can grow uncontrollably at the expense of healthy cells and tissues.

Benefits for Insulin Resistant People

Research suggests that a healthy diet rich in garlic may be used successfully as a complementary treatment for insulin resistance, a physiological condition that remains a major medical challenge of the twenty-first century. Insulin resistance has been linked to a number of diseases and conditions including pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes, excess body weight (especially around the waistline), adult acne and heart disease. In insulin resistant people, the body's cells are no longer able to effectively respond to the actions of the hormone insulin.
According to a study published in the European Journal of Pharmacology in 2005, the health benefits of garlic for insulin resistant people may be linked to the presence of garlic oil and diallyl trisulfide in garlic. In addition to having wide-ranging healing properties documented in previous studies, these two compounds appear to improve the body's ability to effectively respond to the actions of insulin and thus fight insulin resistance.