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Garlic is a common flavoring agent for cooking. So much so, that you may even have some in your home already. But did you know that it’s also good for improving your overall health and well-being? From boosting your immune system and heart health to its antioxidant nature, garlic seems to do a little bit of everything.

So, what makes garlic so good for you in the first place? What benefits can you expect to see? See if the following benefits convince you to overcome that garlic breath smell and elevate your health.

What Makes Garlic Medicinal?

Garlic has been used for thousands of years to heal and treat a variety of conditions. Why is it so special?

The power of garlic comes largely from compounds found in the vegetable. The whole cloves already contain the compound alliin, but the magic happens when you actually crush, slice, chew, or otherwise grind the garlic. This converts the alliin to allicin, a compound that’s responsible for garlic’s distinctive taste and smell.

It’s no surprise then that allicin is the main active ingredient in garlic.

This unstable compound transforms into other, more stable compounds that contain Sulphur. These are largely believed to be the reason behind garlic’s medicinal qualities and there are many studies that back this up.

What positive changes could garlic add to your life?

Boosting Your Immune System

Cold and flu season comes around every year so it’s important to keep your body as prepared as possible to fight back. It’s even more imperative right now with the pandemic going on to ensure your body is ready to take on these pesky viruses.

 In fact, if you’re interested in learning other ways to prepare your body for a pandemic or potential emergencies, there are a lot of ways to do just that (don’t worry, garlic is on the list!).

It’s no secret that viruses are behind the ill effects of both colds and the flu. That’s why it’s helpful to boost the number of T Cells found in your bloodstream, something that garlic can help with. T Cells are an integral piece of the immune system that fights viruses, so more T Cells means more defense.

 A study published by nutrition scientists in 2012 found that participants taking aged garlic extract not only experienced less severity when it came to cold and flu symptoms, but that those symptoms were also quicker to leave when compared to the people not using the garlic.

This superfood can also help your immune system by reducing stress levels. Whether it’s bills, work, or an unexpected mishap, life can be stressful. But constantly living under the burden of it can and will lower your ability to fight off viruses. And the last thing you want to deal with when you’re already under other stress is the idea of getting sick.

 Don’t worry though, garlic can help you here too!

It can fight off that stress and fatigued feeling by affecting your adrenal glands. It turns out that eating garlic alters your adrenal glands’ stress response. They’ll produce less stress hormones and that means you’ll start feeling less lethargic. Your immune system will be able to go back to fighting off viruses and bacteria in no time.

Anti-Cancer Properties

You read that right, garlic has even been found to have properties that aid in cancer prevention. That’s one of the reasons why it’s often included on lists of beneficial superfoods.

Garlic is antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and contains natural antioxidants. And while the role of garlic in cancer treatments is still being researched to find the scope of its effectiveness, its healing properties have already provided positive results in many studies.

For example, garlic has already proven its ability to assist in gene repair. This is especially important to note when discussing cancer, since it mutates important genes. By boosting DNA repair we’re able to combat some of that damage as it occurs.

A study as recent as 2018 shows that garlic enhanced the expression of tumor suppressor genes over the course of the experiment. It can change the cancerous cell’s behavior and lead to slowed growth and metastasis of the tumors.

Unfortunately, not all cancers will be affected by increasing your garlic intake, but you can potentially reduce your risk for:

• Pancreatic cancer
• Stomach cancer
• Breast cancer
• Colon cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Glioblastoma
• Rectal cancer
• Lung cancer

Heart Health

Increasing the amount of garlic in your diet also promotes a healthy heart. Research has found garlic to perform better than placebos at lowering total cholesterol levels and blood pressure, both of which are risk factors for heart disease, strokes, and heart attacks.

There’s also evidence that garlic supplements have the ability to reduce the thickness of your blood and lower platelet aggregation (a fancy way of talking about blood cells sticking together). People with hypercoagulability, a condition where a person’s blood is thicker and stickier than normal, can be prone to excess blood clots. Garlic’s capacity to both thin blood and reduce the number of sticky cells means they’ll experience lower risk for the dangerous clots.

Garlic also has a significant stabilizing effect on arrhythmias in animal studies. While it hasn’t been confirmed in humans yet, we know that there are many diseases related to irregular heartbeats that could stand to benefit from these results. Less stress on the heart can mean a longer, more fulfilling life.

Clear Skin & Combat Acne

Remember allicin, the stinky but delicious main ingredient of garlic? Thanks to its antibacterial properties, it can help fight off the bacteria that causes acne. It can also help the skin receive nutrients more easily by improving blood circulation, leading to a clear complexion. Garlic’s anti-inflammatory properties can reduce the appearance of blemishes, too.

There are also other vitamins and minerals found in garlic that’s good for healthy skin, like Vitamin B-6 and C, copper, zinc, and selenium.

At this point you’re probably thinking that you don’t want smelly garlic all over your face, even if it means clear skin. The good news is that you can get a lot of the benefits just from ingesting it. But if you want to get rid of a particularly annoying pimple, there are also topical treatments that incorporate garlic.

If you do go the topical spot treatment route, make sure to test it out on a small non-obvious area first to ensure there are no adverse effects. If it starts burning or stinging, wash the area immediately.

Clear Skin & Combat Acne

As we age, some areas of the brain connected to cognitive functions like planning, learning, and memory may shrink. Narrowing arteries can lower the amount of blood flowing to the brain. Inflammation and free radical damage can also take a toll on our brain over the years.

Garlic’s anti-inflammatory properties help to increase memory and cognitive functions by tackling these problems. It can prevent or slow decline due to Alzheimer’s Disease, another well-known memory loss illness.

We’ve already looked at garlic’s cancer prevention capabilities, but it’s worth noting that a 2013 study demonstrated its ability to protect against glioblastoma—the most aggressive and deadly form of brain cancer. A compound in garlic called dilly trisulfide (DATS) is not only effective at preventing tumor growth but also causes apoptosis (cell death) in active glioblastoma. As an added bonus it doesn’t have any adverse effects on liver function either, a potential side effect of other treatments.

Warning/Risks

Any time you’re looking to introduce a new supplement into your diet you should be mindful of interactions it might have with other supplements and medications you’re already taking. Consult with a doctor before adding garlic to your health regimen to make sure you’re taking proper doses and that it won’t have negative interactions with any health issues you have.

Excessive garlic consumption can cause side effects, with bad breath and body odor being the most common (good for maintaining that six feet of social distancing, but not all that great for your loved ones!). Eating raw cloves, especially on an empty stomach, can cause gas, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, acid reflux, and heartburn.

If you’re going into surgery, be mindful of garlic’s blood thinning properties as it may increase bleeding during the operation. Stop using the supplement at least a full week before the procedure and follow up with your doctor if you feel unsure.  

Summary

Garlic is more than just a smelly vegetable that makes food delicious. It’s been used as a medicinal supplement across the world for thousands of years. Its benefits have drawn enough attention that hundreds of studies have been done, solidifying its healing properties in science.

It contains important vitamins and minerals and provides health benefits for nearly every part of your body. Compounds inside like allicin and DATS are proven to assist and reduce the risk of many life-threatening illnesses.

The exact preparation and dose recommended differs from treatment to treatment. There’s ongoing research that is trying to discover the best way to maximize garlic’s healing properties.

Overall it’s an easy, inexpensive way to boost your physical health and defend against many viruses and diseases.

Meditation, prayer, laughing, and a good snuggle session are also great ways to heal—physically, emotionally, and spiritually!

Wheatgrass, Barley Grass, Spirulina, and Moringa – truly transformative! A Shutterstock Licensed Image.

In the 1960s and 70s, one type of grass was prevalent. While possession of even a tiny amount may have landed you in jail, your stash was vital to your social status, romantic entanglements, and personal well-being. Luckily, there are several types of grass and algae today that are equally or far more nutritious. These robust powder healers can remove toxins from your system, drastically reduce or eradicate inflammation, and improve your physical and emotional health. Whether consumed in shakes, shots, pills, or tinctures, wheatgrass, barley grass, spirulina, and moringa might be your new best grass buddies.

“Although few people have ever heard of it today, Moringa could soon become one of the world’s most valuable plants, at least in humanitarian terms.” — Noel Vietmeyer, US National Academy of Sciences

Wheatgrass

While it might taste like your front lawn, wheatgrass can be a powerful ally against inflammation, stress, and high cholesterol. This powerhouse of powder healers has 17 amino acids, eight of which are considered essential. And like all green plants, the chlorophyll in wheatgrass can boost your health in a variety of ways. With one of the highest levels of chlorophyll found in nature, wheatgrass has an insane arsenal of abilities:

• Removes fungus
• Detoxifies your blood
• Energizes your immune system
• Cleans your upper and lower intestines
• Heals your skin
• Reduces the incidence of liver and stomach tumors
• Provides symptomatic relief for arthritis and fibromyalgia
• Helps you lose weight
• Treats hemoglobin disorders, such as anemia and thalassemia
• Prevents and slows cancer growth
• As a natural deodorant, makes you a little less stinky

Other good sources of chlorophyll include green beans, parsley, spinach, mustard greens, alfalfa, spirulina, arugula, peas, and matcha green tea.

Barley Grass

The fiber in barley grass makes it a dominant player against high cholesterol. This ultimate type of powder healers also contains minerals like calcium (11x more than milk), iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and copper, which can improve bone health and production.

Infused with a variety of B vitamins, like B1, B3, B6, and B12, barley grass can enhance your body’s resistance to diseases and infections, drastically lower stress levels, and significantly improve your health. This grass also contains phytochemicals such as flavonoids and folate, which can protect your cells from carcinogens.

Barley grass also has bioactive compounds that include superoxide dismutase and bioflavonoids. These ingredients help barley grass remove free radicals from your body, which will help you reduce inflammation that can cause a variety of diseases, including arthritis, gout, and cancer.

“The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.” ― Ann Wigmore.

Spirulina

Spirulina is a cyanobacterium, a unique type of bacteria, most often called blue-green algae, the super-power behind many popular super-food powders. From one tablespoon of spirulina powder, your body will receive 4 grams of protein plus healthy doses of vitamins B1, B2, and B3, along with equally beneficial amounts of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium, and manganese.

This nutritious algae king of powder healers also has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. When our bodies endure oxidative stress and damage, our DNA and cells can experience degradation. Because it has phycocyanin, an active antioxidant, it can fight free radicals and reduce or extinguish your body’s inflammation. By taking small amounts of spirulina every day (4-8 grams), you can increase your antioxidant enzymes, and reduce oxidative damage, while reducing your chances of heart disease.

Spirulina also lowers your LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides, while elevating your HDL (good) cholesterol.

“Gram for gram, spirulina could be the most nutritious and well-rounded food on the planet, which stores almost indefinitely.” — Gabriel Cousens

Moringa – The Miracle Tree

It is often referred to as Moringa oleifera and is known as the drumstick, horseradish, and ben oil tree. The leaves of this precious friend are highly nutritious and wonderfully healing for your digestive tract. Native to the Himalayan mountains, and passed down through many lineages of healers, shamans, women, cooks, and doctors in India and Africa, this tree has fed and helped millions of people.

Traditionally, moringa lovers have added the plant’s pods of fleshy meat to tinctures, teas, soups, stews, and rice dishes. The leaves and seeds can also be added to salads to add flavor and nutrition. They can also be used as a spice or as a vegetable in place of spinach, green beans, and mustard greens. Every part of the plant is safe and consumable, including its stems, leaves, pods, seeds, flowers, and roots.

Recent years have brought to life a new trend where moringa powder is regularly added to smoothies and shakes. Some people swear by its healing abilities and will toss a tablespoon into a glass of water and throw it back. It has the same bite that you might find in a shot of whiskey, although without the drunk-like, numbing, or euphoric effects.

With beautiful bright green stems and leaves, and remotely related to broccoli, kale, and cabbage, moringa is a superhero shrub. It contains vitamins A and C, along with iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

The tree’s leaves contain phytochemicals and antioxidants, which, as noted above, provide anti-cancer, anti-arthritis, anti-inflammation, and other remarkable and healing attributes. Moringa has been used to cure everything from liver tumors to typhus and undernourished animals to toothaches.

Wheatgrass, barley grass, and moringa might comprise the powder-trinity that can finally improve your health and increase your life-force. These substances can be found online and in almost any plentiful food or supplement store.

Don’t let Western Medicine Discourage You from Powder Healers

While western medicine might snicker at nutritive powders, they are too busy to research the benefits properly. Only you can know what heals you. In many areas of health, nutrition, and medicine, it’s permissible, even preferable, to trust yourself.

Improving your health doesn’t have to be expensive. You don’t have to purchase trendy packages or combo-supplements from influencers at 10x the cost. You can ignore the hype and fancy logos and find your unique, personal path to wellness. While pharmaceutical companies might offer temporary relief of your symptoms, they also steal from rain forests and resell natural substances at 10,000x their value. It’s a scam.

With a little research and focus, you can build a personalized healing profile. You can empower yourself with knowledge and personal trials. While this might take a little time, many of the ailments we all tend to endure are curable through our own exploratory efforts. In the meantime, stay healthy and feed your body and spirit the light-filled foods they deserve!

Nurture and help your Liver and Kidneys. A Shutterstock Licensed Image.

You’ve finally decided to nurture your liver and kidneys. You might be looking for the best liver detox or how to successfully flush your kidneys and liver. You might be wondering, “What does the liver do?” or “What are the best herbs for kidney health?” This article will answer those questions and more.

Let’s Start With Your Liver

At around 3 lbs, your lovely liver is a large, meaty organ, almost the size of a football. This dark brown and reddish beast is protected by your rib cage and sits on the upper right side of your stomach. It lives just beneath your diaphragm and above your tummy. When you feel pain in your liver, it most likely comes from your upper right abdomen, mid-to-upper back, or within your right shoulder blade.

Your liver has a few adjacent relatives. Cousin Gallbladder sits directly under the liver, where you’ll also find parts of Aunt Pancreas and Uncle Intestines. This little system works hard to digest your food, absorb nutrients, and filter the blood that comes from your digestive tract.

While the liver regulates and detoxifies the chemicals going through your body, and metabolizes the drugs in your system, it secretes bile, which breaks down fats and carries waste to your intestines. All of this happens during digestion. When you eat, your liver goes to work.

Click to read How Sage And Similar Herbs Help Us Extinguish Toxins And Heal

Your liver produces proteins that are important in blood clotting, and it breaks down old and damaged blood cells. It metabolites carbohydrates and ensures your blood sugar levels remain constant. Your liver also stores vitamins and minerals and releases them when you need them most.

The liver is one of those organs that people tend to take for granted. We sometimes assume that it can handle anything. While this is almost true, we forget that the liver is a catch-all for everything we put into and experience within our bodies, including emotions. Even though it’s usually reliable, and our primary line of defense, the liver has limits.

Liver disease is severe and can stem from a variety of causes, including:

• Hepatitis
• Genetics
• Cancer and other growths
• Alcoholism
• Injecting drugs
• Tattoos
• Exposure to other people’s fluids
• Exposure to chemicals and toxins
• Diabetes
• Obesity

How To Improve Liver Function

Sometimes healing our livers is as simple as dramatically reducing our consumption of alcohol and drugs, avoiding risky sexual behavior, removing aerosols and toxic soaps from our homes, meditating, crying, forgiving others, protecting our skin, and eating natural, organic, whole foods.

If you’re serious about improving your liver function, you might consider taking some of these herbs, each of which has unique healing properties:

• Milk Thistle
• NAC N-acetylcysteine (NAC)
• Artichoke Leaf
• Marshmallow Root
• Parsley
• Chana Piedra
• Yarrow
• Ginger
• Turmeric
• Dandelion Root
• Yellow Dock Root
• Choline
• Molybdenum
• Tocotrienols (a type of vitamin E)
• Zinc
• Selenium

Ayurvedic medicine has also been successful in healing the liver, doing so for thousands of years. While it’s best to consult a physician or Ayurvedic practitioner before consuming these herbs, here is the list of Ayurvedic herbs often prescribed to cleanse the liver: Bhumyamalaki, Barberry, Kutki, Amla, Turmeric, Guduchi, and Amalaki.

Tell Me About My Kidneys and How to Heal Them Naturally

Your two kidneys are bean-shaped warriors who continuously protect you. How do they do it? They filter your blood, removing waste, drugs, acid, and excess water to produce urine. They help your body maintain a healthy balance of water, salt, sodium, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium in your blood. They also produce an active form of vitamin D, which feeds your bones.

With a million functional units called nephrons, your kidneys keep your nerves, muscles, and other tissues functioning correctly. They regulate plasma, extracellular fluid, ion concentrations, pH, toxins, and hormones. Your kidneys allow your body to control your blood pressure and make healthy red blood cells, and they filter your blood before its journey into the heart. Your kidneys play a significant role in your health.

Chronic kidney diseases can cause or stem from diabetes, cardiovascular disease, weak bones, high blood pressure, anemia, nerve damage, Glomerulonephritis, cysts, urinary tract infections, congenital disorders, drugs, and toxins. While not every kidney story has a happy ending, most kidney diseases can be treated successfully.

Herbs for Kidney Health

To keep your kidneys happy and healthy, you might consider adding some of these herbs, berries, roots, and supplements into your daily regiment. Be careful when ingesting these things as they can be toxic in any quantity. Consult a doctor the moment you believe your kidneys to be in jeopardy.

• Milk Thistle
• Parsley
• Juniper Berries
• Golden Rod
• Dandelion Root
• Gravel Root
• Corn Silk
• Marshmallow Root
• Vitamin B-6
• Omega-3s
• Potassium Citrate
• Gynostemma
• Grapes, peanuts, berries w/ resveratrol
• Cranberries
• Lemon, orange, beet, and melon juices
• Seaweed
• Teas: Fenugreek, Ginger, Mint, Nettle, Hydrangea, Tumeric, Sambong

When cleaning or healing your kidneys, Ayurvedic medicine suggests the following herbs: Brahmi or Gotu Kola (Bacopa monnieri), Shilajit, Punarnava, Manjishtha, and Varuna. When cleansing your kidneys, consider consuming lots of watermelons, leafy greens, roots, and teas with the herbs as mentioned above.

Liver and Kidney Flushes and Diets

What is the best drink to flush your kidneys and liver? What cleanses will bring my vital organs back to full strength? There are several natural liver and kidney cleanses and diets that will help improve the functionality of these critical organs. Here are a few suggestions:

• For 2-3 days, begin each day with a glass of water infused with a tablespoon of lemon juice.
• Enjoy a morning smoothie that includes one or more of the following: beetroot, apples, cucumber, spinach, banana, lemon juice, and grated ginger. You might follow-up your smoothie with a cup of green tea.
• For lunch, enjoy proteins like organic chicken and tofu, and veggies like red onion, green beans, and carrots. Add a little Greek yogurt, grapes, and some brown rice. Keep the meals trim and simple.
• For dinner, create a meal that includes a few of the following: a cup of coconut water, blueberries, kale, a small portion of tofu, sweet potatoes, celery, tomatoes, kidney beans, parsley, and garlic.
• Throughout each day of your cleanse, enjoy concocting your own teas with Dandelion root, Marshmallow root, Turmeric, and Ginger. Or select a few favorites from the liver and kidney herb lists above.
• As you come out of the cleanse, consider changing your daily routine to include some of the ideas in this list, mixed with things like Milk Thistle, Omega-3s, and other supplements mentioned above.

No matter how healthy you are, consider adjusting your diet to include kidney- and liver-friendly foods. You might focus on berries, citrus fruits, vegetables, brown rice, lean meats, including chicken and seafood. You might also consider avoiding processed foods, refined carbohydrates, sugar, artificial sweeteners, foods high in sodium, beef, pork, alcohol, and caffeine.

Be aware that the FDA has not announced its approval for the ideas in this article. Some people reported that they became sicker when ingesting some of the items on the above lists. It’s always essential to consult a nutritionist or doctor when drastically changing your diet or beginning to consume new herbs and supplements. As you research on behalf of your health, seek clinically studied and tested ingredients, and only take clinically recommended doses.

Wishing you lots of healing as you begin to nurture your liver and kidneys!