11 Proven Health Benefits of Garlic

“Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.” 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. Here are 11 health benefits of garlic that are supported by human research studies.

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. However, throughout ancient history, the main use of garlic was for its health and medicinal properties (1). Its use was well documented by all the major civilizations… including the Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans and the Chinese (2). This is what garlic looks like: The entire “head” is called a garlic bulb, while each segment is called a clove. There are about 10-20 cloves in a single bulb, give or take. We now know that most of the health effects are caused by one of the sulfur compounds formed when a garlic clove is chopped, crushed or chewed. This compound is known as allicin, and is also responsible for the distinct garlic smell. Allicin enters the body from the digestive tract and travels all over the body, where it exerts its potent biological effects (which we’ll get to in a bit).

Bottom Line: Garlic is a plant in the onion family, grown for its cooking properties and health effects. It is high in a sulfur compound called Allicin, which is believed to bring most of the health benefits.

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 (3):

• 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. This is coming with 42 calories,