Garlic and Shallots for your Immune System!

The humble garlic bulb is used in cuisines all over the world. We are most familiar with these vegetables for their ability to add flavor and excitement to many different dishes, but did you know that both Garlic and Shallots have incredible Immune boosting properties? Garlic (or Allium Sativum) and Shallots (Allium Hirtifolium) both contain vitamins, minerals and powerful phytochemicals that can help the body fight infections. When fresh garlic is chopped or mashed, Allicin is released and is responsible for the characteristic pungent odor especially associated with garlic. I personally love the smell of garlic, but what’s interesting about allicin is that it is a Sulfur containing compound that that has been shown to be an extremely effective anti-microbial agent. Studies have shown that aqueous preparations of Garlic have been effective against bacterial infections such as e-coli, H-pylori, shigella, and streptococcus, as well as viruses such as Influenza B, human rhino virus, and HCMV (human cytomegalic virus). Shallot preparations have proven to be effective against Staphylococcus, Salmonella, e-coli and the Common cold virus.

Why not put these powerful compounds to work for your Immune System??

1.) Use fresh garlic and shallots whenever possible.

2.) Chop or mash them right before using them in recipes.

3.) Put them into soups, stews, sautés, and roasts.

4.) Make dips and salad dressings with roasted or raw garlic.

a.) Try this recipe for easy tzatziki: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/claire-robinson/easy-tzatziki-recipe-1924366

b.) Or how about some Hummus? https://www.inspiredtaste.net/15938/easy-and-smooth-hummus-recipe/

c.) This salad dressing uses garlic powder, but you could substitute fresh garlic: https://www.thewholesomedish.com/garlic-and-herb-vinaigrette-dressing/

References:

https://innovareacademics.in/journals/index.php/ijcpr/article/view/18888/10949

B. J. DIVYA, B. SUMAN, M. VENKATASWAMY, K. THYAGARAJU, A STUDY ON PHYTOCHEMICALS, FUNCTIONAL GROUPS AND MINERAL COMPOSITION OF ALLIUM SATIVUM (GARLIC) CLOVES,,, Int J Curr Pharm Res, Vol 9, Issue 3, 42-45Original Article

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6271412/

Jan Borlinghaus,1 Frank Albrecht,1 Martin C. H. Gruhlke,1 Ifeanyi D. Nwachukwu,2 and Alan J. Slusarenko1,* Allicin: Chemistry and Biological Properties Journal Molecules,v.19(8); 2014 Aug PMC6271412

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3874089/

Peyman Mikaili,1 Surush Maadirad,2 Milad Moloudizargari,* Shahin Aghajanshakeri,2 and Shadi Sarahroodi3,Therapeutic Uses and Pharmacological Properties of Garlic, Shallot, and Their Biologically Active Compounds

Iran J Basic Med Sci. 2013 Oct; 16(10): 1031–1048