Nutrition

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Chinese people have known of the health benefits of raw garlic for thousands of years. In China, apart from being used to flavor food, garlic is also traditionally used in teas and folk remedies. Why? Garlic is one of nature's strongest immune system boosters, and a powerful antibiotic, digestive aid and libido enhancer. As you'll see below, these are just some of the health benefits of raw garlic.

However, while the health and medicinal benefits of garlic are numerous, it can also overheat your system if you eat too much. According to Tradititional Chinese Dietary Therapy, garlic is warm in nature and a strong stimulant. Therefore, people who have excess heat in their body should first balance their system. Excessive internal heat comes from eating too many heating foods and drinks, e.g. meat, fried foods, coffee and alcohol. This causes symptoms like red eyes, bad breath, constipation, yellow urine, a yellow tongue moss and acne. If you have these kinds of symptoms, eliminate or greatly reduce the above items from your diet for a few weeks before you start eating garlic regularly, or it will just make your body hotter and your symptoms worse.

Below are some main health and medicinal benefits of garlic. Note: To get the full health benefits of raw garlic, you have to do just that - take it raw! Commercial garlic pills, tablets, oils and capsules, especially the odorless ones, are often devoid of the active enzymes that provide the benefits. Crushed, raw garlic may be mixed into virtually any meal, or put in gelatin capsules for easy swallowing, or drunk as a tea by simply crushing 1 or 2 cloves and adding hot water. These methods may not be very appealing, but do you want the benefits or not?

Health & Medicinal Benefits of Garlic

• Powerful immune system enhancer
• Antibacterial, antiviral
• Antifungal - effective remedy for yeast infections & candida
• Clears boils & infected sores
• Improves appetite
• Digestive aid - especially good if eaten with meat
• Increases libido - take several raw cloves a day
• Expells intestinal parasites & worms
• Reduces high cholesterol

Health Remedies Using Garlic Cloves

Below are some Chinese health remedies using garlic cloves as the main ingredient. These are common, traditional ways that Chinese people make use of the health benefits of raw garlic.

Garlic Tea:

Put 1 or 2 cloves of crushed garlic and 1 or 2 grams of loose-leaf green tea in a teapot. Add a teaspoon or two of unrefined brown sugar if you wish. Pour in boiling water that has been left to cool slightly. Stir the mixture and let it steep for several minutes before drinking. Afterwards, leave the ingredients in the pot, as you can top it up with more water once or twice throughout the day. This is a common folk remedy for killing germs and resolving toxins in the body.

Garlic Nose Drops:

This is a preventative for the common cold and sinus problems. Crush several cloves of garlic to obtain the juice. Mix with warm water at a ratio of two parts water to one part garlic juice. Lie down and use an eye-dropper to place a couple of drops into each nostril as soon as you feel any symptoms coming on. Continue for as long as necessary. If the drops overly irritate your nostrils, stop, or reduce the number of drops.

Garlic Paste:

Crush 2 garlic cloves and mix with several drops of pure sesame oil to make a paste for external application to boils,carbuncles and infected sores. Cover then reapply when the paste becomes dry and falls off. If the skin becomes overly irritated discontinue use or wait for a day or two and try again.

Maximizing the Health Benefits of Raw Garlic

To get the full health benefits of raw garlic, whether in salads, as tea, or in capsules, it's important you eat less refined, processed and canned foods, and more foods in as close to their natural state as possible. Afterall, what's the point in taking fresh, raw garlic to improve your health while, for instance, continuing to eat nutritionally-dead, toxin-producing junk foods?

Matthew Scott is a professionally trained Chinese medicine practitioner from Australia, living in China since 2000. His website http://chinese-holistic-health-exercises.com offers classic, time-tested exercises, self-help techniques and exercise programs for stretching, strengthening, toning, energy, relaxation, pain & more.

Reuters - People with HIV in the developed world are no more likely to die in the first five years following infection than men and women in the general population, British researchers said on Tuesday.

Many different sources were used for this article. I hope you find it both interesting and helpful.

Let's now take a further look at vitamins.

The first thing that should be realised, when it comes to vitamin B, is that all levels of this vitamin work interdependently and as a consequence the various levels must be correctly maintained for them to be effective.

Hemoglobin is the iron containing portion of red blood cells and its primary function is carrying oxygen from the lungs to the various tissues of the body. Vitamins B6, B12, folic acid, and biotin are all key ingredients when it comes to the maintenance of the correct levels of hemoglobin in the blood. Logically therefore, if there is a deficiency of any of these vitamins in the body then hair and skin would definitely suffer.

Fortunately, some of the most palatable and tasty foods contain these vitamins. Protein rich foods contain vitamin B6, and this is beneficial, as the body requires a sufficient level of protein to maintain hair growth as well. Vitamin B6 is also found in liver, chicken, fish, pork, kidney and soybeans and providing they are not fried they are relatively low in fat.

Whole grains, cereals, green leafy vegetables, orange juice, nuts, wheat germ and again liver all contain folic acid.

Fish, meat, poultry and general dairy products contain very good levels of B12.

If a person has a healthy gut it will contain good bacteria and consequently produce biotin. If there is serious malnutrition this could result in biotin deficiencies and this also applies if there is any serious intestinal disorder. If you are suffering from hair loss, and you are aware that you have a intestinal disorder you should consult with your doctor about possible solutions for biotin deficiencies as this will probably be one of the contributing causes.

A healthy collagen level, which is required to hold body tissues together is developed when there is an appropriate level of vitamin C. Poor quality hair growth such as split ends and hair breakage can be caused through a lack or deficiency of vitamin C. Citrus fruits, potatoes, tomatoes, fresh peppers, melons, berries and dark green leafy vegetables are all good sources of vitamin C. and the problem of poor quality hair growth can be reversed by an improved intake of these foods.

Correct levels of blood circulation to the scalp and an increased uptake of oxygen are normally present when there is an appropriate level of vitamin E. in the body. Vegetable oils, nuts, grains, green leafy vegetables and the majority of ready to eat cereals (which are normally fortified with vitamin E.) are all good sources of vitamin E..

With regard to vitamin E. deficiencies it is extremely rare to find this in the populations of North America and Europe. The exception to this is in most cases brought about by the inability to absorb oils and fats. When this does occur, dietary supplements can be used.

Mention was made earlier of hemoglobin and it should be mentioned here that the trace mineral Copper is required in the production of hemoglobin. Nuts, seeds, seafood, and again liver are very good sources of Copper. The mineral iron is also essential in the production of hemoglobin. It is not generally known that the mineral iron has two forms and these are known as heme and non-heme.

With regard to absorption of these two forms into the system heme iron is much easier. The majority of people accept that red meat is a very good source of iron but quite a lot of them are not aware that red meat contains non-heme iron and therefore there are difficulties when it comes to absorption into the body system.

This can also calcium supplements when it comes to iron supplements . One of the methods which can be used to overcome the difficulties in connection with the absorption of non-heme iron into the body's system is to include vitamin C. sources at the same time that non-heme food sources are being consumed.

Article written by Norman Holden editor and owner of hppt://http://www.YourSuccessZone.com a website about Hair Loss Treatment and Transplant Visit his website on a regular basis for up-to-date news and help.