For generation, people are not only using garlic because of its medicinal value, but traditionally, people have rubbed their bodies with it, buried it besides their bodies in coffin, worn it around their necks, draped it on household walls and even prayed to it. This great bulb has a lot of benefits, because no other plant has been held out for so long as a cure for so many human ailments. That’s why garlic has been considered as the “Wonder Drug”. Garlic has been used medicinally for many years for treating bites, tumors, ulcers, snakebite, wounds, headaches, heart diseases, cancer, pimples, measles and many more. It also prevents infections such as the common cold, cough because of its Anti-bacterial, Anti-fungal and Anti-viral property.

As this proverb is very common that

“An apple a day, keeps the doctor away”.

In the same manner,

“A single bulb of garlic a day, keep diseases away”.

In general, it exhibits antioxidant activity, which is good for your skin. It also contains flavonoids, which is good for heart and body.

Garlic contains a range of compounds including “Allicin”, which is a pungent oily liquid that gives crushed garlic cloves their characteristic smell, and has been shown to be the antibacterial agent due to its active sulphur. Raw garlic is very smelly, so in order to reduce it smell, you can simply add it to your gravy, salad dressings, to soup, yummy pizza or just garnish it before serving or have it in your own style.

TIPS:

Garlic is just magnificent and phenomenal. I am providing few of the basics known and reliable home remedies for some specific ailments, which you could try at your home .

If you have cold and flu, then take small amount of garlic every day until the infection disappears. Garlic tends to reduce the frequency of colds and flu without any side effects. A suggested dose would be two or three cloves of raw or cooked garlic a day.

We all face horrid acne, blemishes, blackheads during our teens. If you want to reduce it, or if you just want to glow up your skin, then take two cloves of raw garlic regularly with warm water early in the morning. It works as a blood cleanser and clean your system internally. Do not eat chocolates, spicy or oily food during this treatment and rinse your face five times a day with cold water. Drinks lots of water daily to flush off toxic waste from the blood and urinate whenever you feel that your bladder is full .Else, apply a cut clove gently on the affected area only if you have no sensitivity to it.

If you have High Cholesterol Level, use garlic in your food. This is the better way for heart patients to reduce their cholesterol level. Modern medical science suggests one reason that garlic might reduce cholesterol , i.e. “Garlic is a proven anti-oxidant”. This property might help to prevent LDL (Low Density Lipo Protein) from being oxidized. In this way the cholesterol build-up that clogs the arteries could perhaps be reduced by garlic.

If you are very fat and want to loose weight, squeeze half lemon juice in one glass of luke warm water and drink it with two cloves of raw garlic regularly twice a day (morning and evening), for about three months. Avoid using starchy foods and fats. Do exercise regularly. You’ll amazingly fell a great change in your body.

If you have Wrinkles, and you want to use anti ageing cream, it would be better to use 3 cloves of garlic regularly as it has a powerful antioxidant effect, which help to protect the body against damaging “Free Radicals”. Remember, out skin is made up of collagen and it looses elasticity on yearly basis. Therefore, use garlic and do exercise regularly for the positive results.

If you have Earache, put two or three drops of warm garlic oil in the ears.

Take garlic to boosts the weight of babies in the womb. Thus, when they are born, they are heavier than they would have been if you hadn’t taken garlic. Some babies are born too small, so garlic is a definite boon in these cases too.

Use two raw garlic daily to reduce the risk of cancer, due to its Anti-Carcinogenic properties. It helps prevent cancerous compounds from forming and developing into tumors. It also inhibits the growth of tumors.

If any insect bites you at the seaside, you just crush the garlic and apply it to the affected area to reduce pain and to remove poison.

HOW TO TAKE GARLIC:

Crush two or three small cloves of raw garlic and eat it raw or boiled, before going to sleep. You can have it with a glass of milk or with water. Please do not take more than two or three raw cloves of garlic per day as it might makes your blood thinner and might cause serious ailments.

Contra-indications/precautions:

Do not consume more than three to four raw cloves of garlic a day.

Patients having heart and other problems should take medical advice before consuming it.

It’s best to avoid garlic before any surgery because it could probably disturb Anticoagulants.

If you are on any medication, always check with your doctor first before taking raw garlic.

Asthma patients should not use it as it worsens the symptoms of Asthma.

If you have sensitive skin, I recommend not using physically on the affected area. Raw garlic can burn delicate skin! Do not use directly on skin if your skin is sensitive or susceptible to rashes or other skin reactions without consulting your doctor first. People who are or may be allergic to garlic or any of its sulfur compounds shouldn’t try direct garlic application on skin too.

SIDE-EFFECTS :

Although, garlic is a natural Anti-biotic but a very small number of people have been known to exhibit Hypersensitivity to garlic. Garlic allergy includes skin rash, temperature and headaches. Garlic intolerance could result in Heartburn or Flatulence.

POINTS TO BE NOTED:

• It’s important to remember that the effect of garlic on cold and flu comes from Allicin and this can be obtained from crushed, raw garlic and is destroyed by over cooking.
• Garlic cloves cooked whole have very little medicinal value.
• Garlic with strong smell has more Sulphur in it, which is good enough for medicinal purpose.

FEW FACTS ABOUT GARLIC :

• Garlic helps to boost up our Metabolism rate. Thus help us to reduce our weight easily.
• Garlic helps reduce Atherosclerotic buildup (Plaque) within the arterial system.
• Garlic lowers or helps to regulate Blood Sugar.
• Garlic helps to prevent blood clots from forming, thus reducing the possibility of Strokes.
• Garlic helps to prevent Cancer, especially of the digestive system, prevent certain tumors from growing larger and reduces the size of certain tumors.
• Garlic helps to remove heavy metals such as lead and mercury from the body.
• Raw garlic is a proven natural antibiotic and, while far less strong than modern antibiotics, can still kill some strains of bacteria that have become immune or resistant to modern antibiotics.
• Garlic dramatically reduces yeast infections in body parts.
• It helps to make our immune system stronger against cancer, ulcers, hemorrhoids etc.

Source:  Ayurvedaforyou

Do you squint when reading from your computer screen? Do numbers and letters seem to phase in and out from time to time? Do you find it hard to focus? If so, you are probably experiencing deterioration of your eyesight. Eyes are often neglected by people and their eyesight often deteriorates prematurely as a result of this neglect. Here are a few tips to keeping your eyes healthy for longer and avoiding cataract operations later in life.

Stop Smoking
Smoking cigarettes can be very bad for your eyes, not to mention your heart, lungs and social life. A recent article in Reuters Health Information states that smoking increases the risk of developing cataracts, clouding the lens and impairing vision. If you stop smoking you have a far reduced risk of developing cataracts in later life, but only some of the damage done to your eye by smoking cigarettes is reversible. Give up, and if you don’t smoke, don’t start.

A study found that men who quit smoking had a 23% reduced risk of cataract diagnosis and a 28% reduced risk for cataract removal compared with those who carried on smoking.

Using computers on a daily basis, is probably more strenuous on eyes than any other part of the body. The most common complaints are eye fatigue, eyestrain, eye irritation and blurred vision. Computer users often complain of tired, burning, itchy or watery eyes, headaches, flickering sensations and an inability to focus.

UV Rays
Exposure to UV, whether from the sun’s rays or from fluorescent lights within a work place, causes eye damage. From a young age, children should be encouraged to wear sunglasses with a UV protection factor of 30 or above. UV exposure is the leading cause of cataracts.

Eye Strain
Eye strain can be caused by reading when tired, stress, glare on computer screens, bad posture and tiredness. The symptoms are headaches, blurry vision, sore, itchy or burning eyes. You can ease eye strain by placing your hands over your eyes or splashing them with cold water.

Eye Exercise
Like any muscle in the body, the eyes need to be regularly exercised to keep them healthy. Here are a few things you can do on a daily basis which may help:

• Roll your eyes from side to side.
• Close your eyes for three seconds, and then open them for three seconds. Repeat.
• Switch between focusing on an item that is close by for three seconds, and then an item which is far away for three seconds.
• Blink regularly and try not to stay focused on one thing for long periods.

Source: Article Base

Many people think cancer is entirely genetic and cannot be avoided, but that’s not true.

Healthy behaviors could prevent about half of cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society.

Here are 10 lifestyle changes, all based on the latest research, that can improve the odds against cancer. The tips come from Dr. Anne McTiernan of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

• Don’t smoke or use any other tobacco products. If you’ve tried to quit before, don’t give up — eventually something will work.

• Get screened for cancer regularly (colon, breast, prostate, cervix and skin should be tested — ask your doctor for intervals and age at which to start). Finding cancer early can greatly increase your chance for a cure and reduce your risk of dying from the disease.

• Keep your alcohol consumption low. This means no more than two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women. Keeping your alcohol intake to the minimum daily level doesn’t mean that you can “save up” all your drinks for a week and binge on Friday night with your weekly “allotment.”

• Protect your skin from the sun. Use sunscreen every time you go outdoors (preferably one with an SPF of 30 or higher that protects against both UVA and UVB rays). Keep covered with a broad hat and sunglasses.

• Keep a physically active lifestyle. You don’t need to be an athlete to get the benefit of exercise. Activities such as brisk walking, biking, dancing or any exercise that raises your heart rate and makes you sweat will be beneficial.

• Keep your weight in the normal range for your height. That means keeping to a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or less. (You can calculate you BMI with online calculators). Try to stay within 5 to 10 pounds of what you weighed at age 18.

• Avoid taking menopausal hormone therapy. If you need to take hormones, limit your use to less than five years.

• Consider taking medications, after consulting a doctor, for reducing cancer risk. There are several medications that have been tested and found effective for reducing risk for cancer.

• Avoid exposures to cancer-causing substances. Radiation exposures and some chemicals are known to cause cancer.Eat a cancer-risk-reducing diet. The role of diet in cancer is far from established, but research suggests that a plant-based diet is associated with reduced risks for several cancers, especially for colon cancer. Guidelines include: Keep your intake of red meat to no more than 4 ounces of red meat (about the size of a deck of cards) per day on average; avoid processed meats such as sausages and bologna; eat a variety of non-starchy vegetables and fruits every day, at least five servings; and minimize your intake of sugared drinks, juices, desserts and candies, refined breads and bagels, and chips.

Source: LiveScience