Garlic: what folklore called "camphor of the poor" is rich in natural medicine

For centuries, fresh garlic has been a seasoning staple for ethnic cuisines such as Asian and Mediterranean foods. But if you look beyond its culinary value, you'll find a host of health reasons to eat garlic regularly.

Inside a garlic bulb is a combination of water-soluble compounds, volatile oils, enzymes and a dozen other healthful constituents that make each clove more than just a tasty addition to a recipe. Garlic, both fresh and in supplement form, can chase away harmful plaque that lines arteries, improve healthy blood lipid levels, reduce your chance of developing certain types of cancer and fight off infections.

Find It Fresh

Fresh garlic comes in three forms: a head of garlic with multiple cloves; the large bulbous Elephant garlic, closely resembling leeks in flavor; and the solo garlic, which is bred to produce one large, mild clove. In addition, you may come across "young wet" or "new season" garlic, which is an immature, early-summer garlic. Even younger are garlic shoots, which can be used similarly to chives or spring onions for garnishing salads or adding to stir-fries.

When buying garlic, look for firm heads with papery skins, and avoid any with green sprouts. (Smaller bulbs equal stronger flavor.) Store in a cool, dry place (not in the refrigerator) to prevent either sprouting from air moisture or drying out in the heat.

Powerful Compounds

In its whole form, a garlic clove contains an odorless amino acid (yes, odorless) that's packed with a sulfur compound known as alliin. Whack a garlic clove with a knife, and you'll release the enzyme alliinase, which, when combined with alliin, emits a heady aroma and a compound called allicin. Allicin is one of many unstable sulfur compounds found in garlic, which only lasts a few hours. But from these compounds more stable ones such as ajoene and dithiins form, which have anti-clotting, antitumor, antifungal and antibiotic properties. In addition, garlic is full of antioxidants, flavonoids and selenium, which keep free radical damage to cells under control.

Based on his research, sulfur-chemistry expert Eric Block, PhD, recommends that to get the most allicin, ajoene and dithiins in your diet from fresh garlic, you must crush, cut or macerate the garlic with an edible vegetable oil, and let it sit for at least fifteen minutes before adding it to other foods. Cooking may destroy some of garlic's healthful compounds, but it can also promote the development of additional compounds with healthful properties.

Natural Medicine

Garlic's medical history is as robust as its flavor, especially for treatment of mild rises in cholesterol and cancer prevention. A review of five studies showed that it takes about one clove of fresh garlic daily to lower cholesterol by 9 percent for individuals with cholesterol levels of no higher than 200 md/dL. For cancer prevention, observational studies show that US women aged 55-69 who ate a lot of garlic on a daily basis had lower incidences of colorectal, esophageal and stomach cancers than women who avoided eating it.

Currently, the National Center for Complementary, and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is recruiting patients for studies to test which garlic preparations are most beneficial. (If you aren't averse to eating two raw garlic sandwiches daily, the researchers would love to hear from you.)

Although some brave souls admit to eating more than a few fresh cloves daily, physicians don't recommend eating too much raw garlic because it can harm the digestive tract and wreak havoc on your breath and your social life. So if raw garlic just isn't your thing, but you'd like to incorporate more of this beneficial herb into your diet, try out these tasty' recipes.

Southwestern Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

SERVES 6 TO 8

Don't let the 40 cloves in this recipe scare you off. After slowly baking the garlic with the chicken, you'll have a smoky, buttery and luscious sauce perfect for pouring over rice or topping chunks of whole-grain bread.

40 cloves garlic (almost 2 heads),
  unpeeled
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
10 chicken thighs
2 tsp. chipotle chile powder, divided
2 tsp. dried oregano, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup dry white wine
2 Tbs. honey
2 tsp. chile powder, divided
1 6-8-inch zucchini, cut lengthwise
  and then sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 6-8-inch yellow squash, cut
  lengthwise and then sliced
1/4-inch thick
1 4-oz. can diced green chilies,
  drained
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn

1. Heat a small saucepan of water to boiling. Lightly smash each garlic clove, and let them sit for 15 minutes. Parboil cloves for 1 minute, drain, rinse under cold water, peel and set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat.

3. Season one side of each chicken thigh with 1 teaspoon chipotle powder, 1 teaspoon oregano, salt and pepper.

4. Place chicken seasoned side down in heated skillet, and season the other side with 1 teaspoon chipotle powder, remaining oregano, salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes, until skin is brown, and turn over.