How garlic affects the human brain — 5 facts

Garlic is not only one of the best natural antibiotics, but also an excellent product for maintaining a healthy brain and cardiovascular system.

Doctors recommend that it be included in the diet for atherosclerosis (including those provoked by obesity) and chronic fatigue.

Modern research confirms that garlic has neuroprotective properties ( 1 ), improves memory ( 2 ), and also increases attention and learning ability ( 3 ).

So how does it affect the human brain? Is it true that garlic can improve cognitive performance, prevent or stop the development of atherosclerosis and significantly reduce the likelihood of stroke? And how to use it correctly for the treatment and prevention of diseases? All the answers are in our article.

5 useful properties of a vegetable

To describe in detail the benefits of garlic, you should consider the components that are included in its composition and describe their effect:

1. Vitamins of group B. Normalize the work of the endocrine system, including the pituitary gland, hypothalamus (especially useful in diabetes mellitus or during pregnancy, when hormone control is important).
2. Zinc, copper, manganese, cobalt, iodine, phosphorus, ash. Each of these components is involved in a number of organic biochemical reactions. In combination, they normalize the biochemical composition of the blood, thereby reducing the likelihood of diabetes mellitus and atherosclerosis. And iodine deficiency, as practice has shown, reduces concentration.
3. Organic acids. Reduce sugar levels, improve the elasticity of blood capillaries.
4. Essential oils. Partially cleave "harmful" cholesterol and atherosclerotic plaques (which just consist of the same cholesterol and complex lipids). And allicin, which is found in large quantities in garlic, helps to break down fat cells.
5. Phytoncides.  They affect the expansion of cerebral vessels. That is why the use of garlic helps to reduce blood pressure and will be useful for hypertensive patients. But with chronic hypotension, it is better to abandon it (or use it in dried form, where there are practically no phytoncides). Phytoncides also make garlic is extremely beneficial for the heart and blood vessels .

In total, garlic is one of the best products for the prevention of diseases of the brain associated with the vascular system. This will help to avoid atherosclerosis, hypertension, and stroke.

Possible harm

It is not uncommon to find statements that garlic is harmful to the brain and that it allegedly contains some kind of poison that poisons the brain. And these rumors are due to the fact that it contains sulfone hydroxyl ions, which easily penetrate the encephalic barrier and act as the most ordinary toxins on the nervous system.

It is, however, the amount of those sulfone-hydroxyl compounds is so small that it is really harmful effects and poisoning will only occur if garlic is consumed 100 grams or more daily . And this is practically unrealistic.

In fact, similar toxic toxins can be found in almost any product. Pineapples contain an extremely aggressive acidic environment, onions contain a lot of allergens, and sunflower oil contains carcinogens (formed during heat treatment, for example, during frying). But all this is an extremely weak negative effect, which is incommensurable with the benefits that garlic brings.

Can it be used to clean blood vessels?

It is not only possible, but also necessary. And the composition of garlic includes organic acids and allicin, with the help of which the concentration of cholesterol is reduced, and already formed atherosclerotic plaques partially dissolve.

8 recipes garlic for cleaning blood vessels, see here.

The only caveat is that garlic should be consumed without heat treatment, that is, fresh . For those who have any difficulties with this, you can prepare various garlic tinctures . It turns out to be quite tasty, and most importantly – useful (do not forget that honey regulates salt metabolism and reduces the concentration of sodium, with an excess of which the walls of blood vessels thin).

You can also marinate garlic in vinegar with pepper – in this case, only the concentration of proteins and calcium decreases, but the rest of the micronutrients are preserved (you can marinate in the same way as regular onions).

How does it affect other organs and body systems?

Garlic is also useful for the gastrointestinal tract, endocrine system, and liver. In particular:

1. Normalizes the intestinal microflora. At the same time, the spread of harmful bacteria is suppressed, the positive microflora is cleaned and restored. This reduces the likelihood of constipation, diarrhea, stomach and duodenal ulcers, and dysbiosis.
2. Eliminates immunodeficiency. The vegetable contains essential oils and vitamin C, which stimulate the synthesis of leukocytes and antibodies. This is especially useful in winter, when epidemics of influenza and other acute respiratory infections are everywhere.
3. Cleanses the liver of toxins. And doctors also claim that its use minimizes the risk of free radical formation and helps to neutralize them. All this reduces the likelihood of the formation of tumors of the liver and gastrointestinal tract.
4. Promotes the elimination of toxins. And also &8212; has a diuretic and diaphoretic effect. At the same time, salt metabolism is normalized (which helps with diabetes mellitus or dehydration).
5. Improves prostate function. For men, this is one of the simplest options for the prevention of rectal dysfunction, prostatitis, and prostate adenoma. Also, the use of garlic normalizes the production of testosterone.

The only remark is that garlic is not recommended for children under 6 &8212; 7 years old. This is explained by the fact that the organic acids and essential oils contained in it are strong irritants. This can provoke the development of gastritis when the gastric mucosa is still thin and cannot normally protect the epithelium from aggressive substances.

Also pay attention to the photo:

Recipe for a medicinal infusion based on it

The simplest and most useful recipe for a folk remedy is  a mixture of garlic, lemon and honey .

It is prepared like this:

1. Grate 5 medium garlic heads on a fine grater (or pass through a garlic press);
2. Add the juice of 10 lemons (you will get from 300 to 400 milliliters);
3. Add 1 liter of honey (preheat in a water bath to 45 degrees);
4. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly, close them in a bowl with a gauze stopper and insist for at least 3 days.

The finished product should be consumed 1 tablespoon 3 times a day (during meals). Course – until the end of the prepared remedy (lasts for about 1 month). With its help, you can normalize the level of harmful cholesterol in the blood, and also improve the elasticity of blood vessels. The only contraindication is chronic hypotension.

Related videos

And now we invite you to familiarize yourself with the video:

In total, garlic not only cleanses blood vessels, but also reduces the likelihood of stroke and other similar diseases affecting the vascular system and the brain. How much should I eat it every day? Even 1-2 small teeth will be more than enough. The main thing is to use it fresh, and not as a spice or an additive to meat dishes.