The precious cloves of health : Garlic

Today in my OPD as I counselled one patient after another back to back, I also met this queer gentleman in his early forties. A visibly plump, sharp, interesting and well spoken man, the gentleman spoke about how his LDL cholesterol and Triglycerides have been fluctuating because of his erratic lifestyle and how he has learnt to manage them with something as simple as garlic cloves. He went on to emphasise how nature has a cure for most diseases which modern medicine fails to tackle.

Although my profession is aligned with modern medicine, everyone (and that includes physicians) handling patients with lifestyle diseases and metabolic disorders knows that cure for lifestyle diseases is eventually improving and working on your lifestyle. It also triggered me into writing about this wonderful modified root that is a powerhouse of protective elements… the humble GARLIC.

Garlic by classification is a herb and is used widely as a flavoring in cooking. It has also been used as a medicine throughout ancient and modern history to prevent and treat a wide range of conditions and diseases.Garlic belongs to the onion genus Allium, and is closely related to the onion, chive, leek, and shallot. It has been used by humans for thousands of years and was used in Ancient Egypt for both culinary purposes and its health and therapeutic benefits.

Garlic is one of the most valuable and versatile foods on the planet. Today garlic is a widely recognized health enhancing supplement. Garlic promotes the well-being of the heart and immune systems with antioxidant properties and helps maintain healthy blood circulation. One of garlic's most potent health benefits includes the ability to enhance the body's immune cell activity.Garlic helps strengthen your body's defenses against allergies; helps loosen plaque from the artery walls; helps regulate your blood sugar levels; and is the best choice for killing and expelling parasites such as pin worms from the human body.

Go Ahead...Spice it up!!

 Traditional Indian food is simple, wholesome, nutritious, satisfying and well balanced. Indian cuisine is full of colour, flavors and texture. A typical Indian meal has a variety of pulses, grains and vegetables thrown in and topped with the magical ingredients called spices. As against the west which uses the dynamic duo of salt and pepper for seasoning, Indian food has plenty of spices that give it its distinct taste, flavour and character. But spices in food play a much bigger role than just enhancing taste.

To begin with, many spices are known to improve digestion of food. That’s because certain spices can reduce inflammation, stimulate digestive fire, and prevent flatulence .For instance black pepper can help increase the flow of saliva and gastric juices. Cardamom helps boost your digestive fire and removes flatulence. Coriander can relax the digestive muscles that cause discomfort from disorders such as Irritable bowel syndrome.