Those are famous words from the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, often called the father of Western medicine.

He actually used to prescribe garlic to treat a variety of medical conditions.

Well… modern science has recently confirmed many of these beneficial health effects.

1. Garlic Contains a Compound Called Allicin, Which Has Potent Medicinal Properties Garlic is a plant in the Allium (onion) family.
   • It is closely related to onions, shallots and leeks.
   • It grows in many parts of the world and is a popular ingredient in cooking due to its strong smell and delicious taste.
2. Garlic Is Highly Nutritious, But Has Very Few Calories
   • Calorie for calorie, garlic is incredibly nutritious.
   • A 1-ounce (28 grams) serving of garlic contains :
     • Manganese: 23% of the RDA.
     • Vitamin B6: 17% of the RDA.
     • Vitamin C: 15% of the RDA.
     • Selenium: 6% of the RDA.
     • Fiber: 1 gram.
     • Decent amounts of Calcium, Copper, Potassium, Phosphorus, Iron and Vitamin B1.
     • Garlic also contains trace amounts of various other nutrients. In fact, it contains a little bit of almost everything we need.
3. Garlic Can Combat Sickness, Including the Common Cold
   • Garlic supplementation is known to boost the function of the immune system.
   • One large 12-week study found that a daily garlic supplement reduced the number of colds by 63% compared with placebo.
   • The average length of cold symptoms was also reduced by 70%, from 5 days in placebo to just 1.5 days in the garlic group.
   • Another study found that a high dose of garlic extract (2.56 grams per day) can reduce the number of days sick with cold or flu by 61%.
   • If you often get colds, then adding garlic to your diet could be incredibly helpful.
4. The Active Compounds in Garlic Can Reduce Blood Pressure
   • Cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and strokes are the world’s biggest killers.
   • High blood pressure, or hypertension, is one of the most important drivers of these diseases.
   • Human studies have found garlic supplementation to have a significant impact on reducing blood pressure in people with high blood pressure
5. Garlic Improves Good Cholesterol , Which May Lower The Risk of Heart Disease
   • Garlic can lower Total and LDL cholesterol.
   • For those with high cholesterol, garlic supplementation appears to reduce total and/or LDL cholesterol by about 10-15%.
   • Looking at LDL (the “bad”) and HDL (the “good”) cholesterol specifically, garlic appears to lower LDL but has no reliable effect on HDL
6. Garlic Contains Antioxidants That May Help Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia
   • Oxidative damage from free radicals contributes to the ageing process.
   • Garlic contains antioxidants that support the body’s protective mechanisms against oxidative damage.
   • High doses of garlic supplementation have been shown to increase antioxidant enzymes in humans, as well as significantly reduce oxidative stress in those with high blood pressure.
7. Garlic May Help You Live Longer
   • Effects on longevity are basically impossible to prove in humans.
   • But given the beneficial effects on important risk factors like blood pressure, it makes sense that garlic could help you live longer.
   • The fact that it can fight infectious disease is also an important factor, because these are common causes of death, especially in the elderly or people with dysfunctional immune systems.
8. Garlic May Improve Bone Health
   • No human trials have measured the effects of garlic on bone loss.
9. However, rodent studies have shown that it can minimise bone loss by increasing estrogen in females.
   • One study in menopausal women found that a daily dose of dry garlic extract (equal to 2 grams of raw garlic) significantly decreased a marker of estrogen deficiency
10. Garlic Is Easy to Include In Your Diet and Tastes Absolutely Delicious
    • The last one is not a health benefit, but still important.
    • It is the fact that it is very easy (and delicious) to include garlic in your current diet.