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Garlic is one of those everyday ingredients that we use to cook and flavor meats and sauces. But if you really look at garlic beyond its sulfuric odor, you will realize that garlic has many health benefits that you may just find very pleasing.

For hundreds of years, garlic has been used to treat everything from wounds and infections to digestive problems. From Russian World War II soldiers who used garlic when they ran out of penicillin to mothers who buy over-the-counter garlic supplements, garlic has been front and center in the body's line of defense against all sorts of ailments.

Many studies show that there are numerous health compounds found in garlic that help to fight a range of illnesses. Compounds such as diallyldisulfide (DADS), s-allycysteine, diallyl trisulfide (DATS) and garlicillin, help to prevent and treat many ailments in the body.

Here are some of the many health benefits of garlic:

1. Garlic lowers high cholesterol
2. Garlic lowers high blood pressure
3. Garlic lowers blood sugar levels
4. Garlic boosts the immune system
5. Garlic fights against many cancers
6. Garlic fights fungus and bacterial really well
7. Garlic relieves asthma symptoms
8. Garlic may slow the aging process by protecting cells in the body
9. Garlic may help fight erectile dysfunction
10. Garlic thins and purifies the blood

To get the most out of the many health benefits of garlic, there are some things you must bear in mind:

You should bear in mind the way you cut/chop garlic. You should cut /chop garlic finely. By chopping garlic finely or by mincing, crushing or pressing garlic, you are releasing more of the potent health benefits of garlic. The more compounds you release, the better you can reap the rewards of the health benefits of garlic.

You can eat garlic fresh if you don't mind the taste or the smell. To lessen the taste of garlic you can cut a clove in half and rub it hard against the inside of a wooden bowl to lessen its strong taste and still keep all its health benefits.

You should always cook garlic lightly. That's because overcooking garlic will lead to less potent garlic compounds. The many compounds found in garlic that have so many health benefits will be lost if the garlic is overcooked.

You should try to prepare garlic differently at meal time. Why? Cooked garlic, raw garlic and even powdered garlic have different health benefits. So try to mix your garlic preparation according to the compound you want to reap.

You can take garlic supplements if you find the taste of garlic so offensive, but you still want to reap its many health benefits. There are many garlic supplements of which you can choose so you don't have to miss out on your chance for a better health.

Garlic is a potent weapon in the fight against illnesses that can wreak havoc on your good health. So don't be foolish and forget to add more garlic to your diet.

Learn more about this author, Tommy Fassbender.
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