How Garlic Can Help Students Make the Grade
What’s the best way to stay on top of the books at college aside from devoting time to study? Staying healthy! Only when students are on top of their health can they make sure to stay focused on their assignments. There are plenty of ways to promote health and wellness, such as proper exercise and maintaining a good daily diet.
Unfortunately, student budgets and hectic class schedules don’t always make this possible. However, one of the best ways to stay on track is through the use of certain food items. Fruits and vegetables have always been known to contain naturally beneficial properties for the human body. Garlic is one such food and is much more powerful than most people think.
Did you know that garlic has the power to provide a huge boost to the immune system? For centuries people have used garlic to fight all types of illnesses. In the case of college students, stocking up on fresh garlic during the winter months (or taking garlic supplements) is an effective way to ward off chest congestion, infections, coughs and colds.
Students on campuses like Stanford University are only a short car trip away from Gilroy, which is known for its popular Garlic Festival. What better way for newbies to introduce themselves to this food item than by enjoying garlic in a variety of different culinary dishes?
Aside from being a cure for the common cold, adding garlic into one’s diet is even potent enough to fight off certain forms of cancer (colon, bladder, stomach, prostate and breast cancer). How can one clove of garlic manage to be so strong against something as aggressive as cancer? One word: allicin.
What makes garlic so special is the allicin it contains. In fact, it is a very active compound within this herb (contrary to popular belief, garlic is not considered a vegetable). According to sites like http://www.allicinfacts.com, the presence of allicin alone is what is primarily responsible for all of the health benefits associated with eating garlic, including antibacterial properties. Back in WWI during battle, soldiers used crushed garlic and applied it to open wounds to kill harmful infections.
Allicin by itself is an oily liquid that is also very pungent—ever wondered why garlic smells the way it does? That’s because of the allicin it contains.
While this compound is the key player in what makes garlic so beneficial health-wise, it can’t take all the credit. Although the research is still fairly new, recent studies have found that the compound Ajoene is also present in garlic and has a few properties of its own that promote health and wellness: antifungal, antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidative.
This secondary compound is available not just in its natural state in garlic but in supplement form as well.
When taking supplements, it is important to follow the dosage instructions to a tee (never take more than what is recommended on the product label).