By Dr Pradeep Nagrath
The wonders of Garlic - this wonder herb has highly been esteemed since ages all around the globe for its overall healthcare properties. In Ayurveda, garlic has been regarded as a miraculous "curative" herb. Because of its Snigdha (unctuous), Pichhil (sticky) & guru (heavy) nature and Ushna (hot) ultimate effect, it has traditionally been used for suppressing vitiated or excited Vata (Air - One of the Tridoshas - Three humors or morbids, the other two being Pitta - Bile or digestive fire and Kapha - Phlegm or Mucous ). And because of its being katu (pungent) taste and Teekshan (acrid) nature, Garlic also helps in suppressing Kapha. Ayurveda also regards garlic as a powerful rejuvenative and detoxifying agent. Raw Garlic has been considered as a tonic for heart, appetite stimulant, and a blood purifier which has been used in almost all cultures, both orally as a traditional medicine, food & its supplements, as well as externally to combat various localized infections. Even modern studies have started confirming the age-old beliefs about the healing properties of this herb.
There is an interesting story in the ancient Hindu manuscripts about the origin of Garlic. It is said that when Lord Garuda, the giant eagle and personal carrier of Lord Vishnu, ran away after snatching the pot of "nectar - the elixir of life" from the hands of Lord Indra, the king of Heaven, some drops of nectar spilled from the pot and fell in the Himalayan region of the earth. The place where the spilled drops of nectar had fallen, a small plant grew in which all the divine properties of the nectar were found and it was named as "Rason". The name "Rason" means King of Rasas as this plant possessed five out of six tastes (Rasa). It is also believed to such an extent that this Rason possesses wonder properties to magically correct all physiological malfunctionings of the human body. This Rason is also known as Lahsun in hindi, Garlic in English, Allium sativum in Latin, which is used worldwide as a natural medicine as well as a taste builder for food items.
Garlic also had its reverence mythologically, in other cultures also. Balkans rubbed garlic on doorknobs and window frames to discourage vampires from haunting them, and they hung garlic on doors and windows so that nobody would take milk from their cows and the families would be safe from witches. In other parts of Europe, fisherman and seamen wore cloves of garlic to protect themselves from evil spirits and diseases, and mothers hung garlic on children to protect them from the demons of sickness. Garlic is mentioned in the various sacred symbols, and has also been found in the graves of the ancient Egyptian kings. There are numerous such references available on garlic which claim that it was grown in the hanging gardens of Babylon, and the Romans were given garlic to strengthen them before battle. The soldiers used to munch garlic as a snack also, and they named it as "the stinking rose". The Vikings ate large quantities of garlic before setting out on plundering expeditions, to boost their spirits and energy. The slaves building the Cheops pyramid approximately 5,800 years ago are even said to have gone on strike when they weren't given their ration of garlic.
There are numerous recipes of garlic suggesting various forms of its usage as pickle, paste, dry flakes, roasted or even as commercially prepared nutritional supplements. When we talk of supplement, we can call garlic as a real nutritional supplement, which besides containing 20 percent each of fixed oil & carbohydrates, is also rich in calcium, potassium and phosphorus besides possessing traces of iodine, sulphur, iron, chlorine, protein, alkaloid, Vit-B1, Vit-C, riboflavin etc.. Garlic also possesses a chemical constituent Allicin, as its active principle that has been found to be a strong antimicrobial. Most authorities agree that the best measure of the total activity of garlic is its ability to produce Allicin, which, in turn, results in the formation of other active principles that have been found useful as antiplatelet, antibiotic, and antihyperlipidemic. In hyperlipidemia patients, garlic lowers cholesterol levels and is said to reduce oxidative stress and low-density lipoprotein oxidation. Allicin also stimulates the large intestine by regulating bowel movements and being helpful in both constipation as well as diarrhea, thus stimulating metabolism and helping in the elimination of toxic food remnants from the body.
There are 62 varieties of Garlic found on this earth. The Himalayan Wonder Garlic is the only variety of garlic that grows in the snowy Himalayan Mountains and is shelled by nature itself as it grows in its own naturally encapsulated form. Himalayan Wonder Garlic is the only garlic variety that is palatable with strong medicinal qualities without the pungent acrid taste/smell. The reason it has more cystoids which is the garlic's natural ingredient that gives this garlic its natural buttery flavor. The Himalayan Wonder Garlic does not upset the stomach because it regulates the peristalsis movement in the intestines. Since ancient times, it is believed that dwellers of the Himalayan region and the mountaineers used to take Himalayan Wonder Garlic to raise their energy level, keep blood circulations at optimum level, increase oxygen carrying capacity of blood vessels and for detoxifying their body in extreme cold weather. Hardly any normal plant can survive in such thick snow bound high altitudes like Himalayas, but Himalayan Wonder Garlic has the inbuilt potential to withstand on its own and survive in such untamed surfaces. Unlike other processed garlic in the forms of capsules, pills, powder, soft gelcaps or even oily concentrates, Himalayan Wonder Garlic comes in the hard shelled, naturally encapsulated form where wholesome goodness and therapeutic virtues of garlic are naturally preserved and maintain a higher content of its natural properties than any other form of garlic.
There is hardly any other form of Garlic that can withstand such test of time like the Himalayan Wonder Garlic, as this is a unique & rare example of Indian Spiritual wisdom combined with proven scientific basis.
Garlic also had its reverence mythologically, in other cultures also. Balkans rubbed garlic on doorknobs and window frames to discourage vampires from haunting them, and they hung garlic on doors and windows so that nobody would take milk from their cows and the families would be safe from witches. In other parts of Europe, fisherman and seamen wore cloves of garlic to protect themselves from evil spirits and diseases, and mothers hung garlic on children to protect them from the demons of sickness. Garlic is mentioned in the various sacred symbols, and has also been found in the graves of the ancient Egyptian kings. There are numerous such references available on garlic which claim that it was grown in the hanging gardens of Babylon, and the Romans were given garlic to strengthen them before battle. The soldiers used to munch garlic as a snack also, and they named it as "the stinking rose". The Vikings ate large quantities of garlic before setting out on plundering expeditions, to boost their spirits and energy. The slaves building the Cheops pyramid approximately 5,800 years ago are even said to have gone on strike when they weren't given their ration of garlic.
There are numerous recipes of garlic suggesting various forms of its usage as pickle, paste, dry flakes, roasted or even as commercially prepared nutritional supplements. When we talk of supplement, we can call garlic as a real nutritional supplement, which besides containing 20 percent each of fixed oil & carbohydrates, is also rich in calcium, potassium and phosphorus besides possessing traces of iodine, sulphur, iron, chlorine, protein, alkaloid, Vit-B1, Vit-C, riboflavin etc.. Garlic also possesses a chemical constituent Allicin, as its active principle that has been found to be a strong antimicrobial. Most authorities agree that the best measure of the total activity of garlic is its ability to produce Allicin, which, in turn, results in the formation of other active principles that have been found useful as antiplatelet, antibiotic, and antihyperlipidemic. In hyperlipidemia patients, garlic lowers cholesterol levels and is said to reduce oxidative stress and low-density lipoprotein oxidation. Allicin also stimulates the large intestine by regulating bowel movements and being helpful in both constipation as well as diarrhea, thus stimulating metabolism and helping in the elimination of toxic food remnants from the body.
There are 62 varieties of Garlic found on this earth. The Himalayan Wonder Garlic is the only variety of garlic that grows in the snowy Himalayan Mountains and is shelled by nature itself as it grows in its own naturally encapsulated form. Himalayan Wonder Garlic is the only garlic variety that is palatable with strong medicinal qualities without the pungent acrid taste/smell. The reason it has more cystoids which is the garlic's natural ingredient that gives this garlic its natural buttery flavor. The Himalayan Wonder Garlic does not upset the stomach because it regulates the peristalsis movement in the intestines. Since ancient times, it is believed that dwellers of the Himalayan region and the mountaineers used to take Himalayan Wonder Garlic to raise their energy level, keep blood circulations at optimum level, increase oxygen carrying capacity of blood vessels and for detoxifying their body in extreme cold weather. Hardly any normal plant can survive in such thick snow bound high altitudes like Himalayas, but Himalayan Wonder Garlic has the inbuilt potential to withstand on its own and survive in such untamed surfaces. Unlike other processed garlic in the forms of capsules, pills, powder, soft gelcaps or even oily concentrates, Himalayan Wonder Garlic comes in the hard shelled, naturally encapsulated form where wholesome goodness and therapeutic virtues of garlic are naturally preserved and maintain a higher content of its natural properties than any other form of garlic.
There is hardly any other form of Garlic that can withstand such test of time like the Himalayan Wonder Garlic, as this is a unique & rare example of Indian Spiritual wisdom combined with proven scientific basis.
