Use Garlic to Boost Your Immune System

I am always amazed at the vast amount of naturally occurring substances – vegetables, fruits, herbs, roots, etc. – that are extremely beneficial to our bodies. Not only are many natural substances high in vitamins and minerals – what we usually think about when it comes to nutrition and eating healthy – but they also contain other special substances that are beneficial to the body in very specific ways.

One of my favorites is garlic. Garlic, a very strong tasting vegetable that’s in the same family as onions, is extremely beneficial to our bodies. It is very high in important vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C and manganese, contains decent amounts of other important vitamins and minerals such as calcium, vitamin B6 and selenium, and is a great herb/spice for seasoning your food (We use garlic powder and minced garlic on ’bout everything).

Garlic has also been studied extensively for evidence that it can improve blood pressure, decrease cholesterol, help prevent cancers (particularly digestive ones), decrease blood sugar (and help treat and prevent type 2 diabetes), and improve the function of the immune system. Yes, all of those benefits are packed in those little cloves. God’s creation is amazing.

The benefit I want to focus on in this post is the benefit that garlic provides of boosting the immune system. This is especially important right now, not only because it’s flu season, but also as we continue in this Coronavirus pandemic season as well (Feb 2021 at the time this post was written).

How does garlic boost the immune system?

Garlic does a lot to help the immune system. I specifically want to zero in on how garlic stimulates certain immune cells, and how it regulates and modulates the immune response.

Our immune systems are extremely complex and contain several kinds of cells, all of which play a certain role in keeping your body safe from microscopic invaders:

• Granulocytes – defend the body against parasites and bacteria
• Mast Cells – defend the body against parasites and play a role in allergic responses
• Monocytes and Macrophages – defend the body against bacteria; patrol the bloodstream for problems and let other immune cells know when there is a problem; recycle dead cells and cell debris
• Natural Killer Cells – detect and destroy virus-containing cells and tumor cells
• B Cells – produce antibodies to infectious cells
• T Cells – kill infected cells and recruit other immune cells

Compounds found in garlic stimulate several of these types of cells to do their jobs better, including better production of antibodies, enhanced ability to eat and destroy bad cells and bacteria, and more.

One of the main compounds in garlic responsible for these benefits is alliin, which converts to allicin when garlic is crushed. You know how strong and pungent fresh garlic is? That’s indicative of the allicin, which contains a lot of sulfur, and which breaks down even further into several other high sulfur compounds which give it the immune supporting properties I’ve previously mentioned.

Garlic compounds also play a role in regulating and modulating the immune response, which is very important. Why? Because there’s a such thing as an overactive immune system, which can actually be harmful to the body…more harmful than the viruses or bacteria invading the body, actually.

Let’s briefly talk about Coronavirus again. One of the biggest issues with Coronavirus is not the virus so much the virus as it is the body’s response to it. The immune system releases substances called cytokines, which promote inflammation and attract immune cells, in response to infections. In some who contract Coronavirus, the cytokine response goes haywire (known as “cytokine storm“), and the resulting excessive inflammation can be very destructive to lungs, heart and other bodily tissues and can lead to hospitalization or even death in some cases.

Garlic compounds have been shown in studies to help to modulate such extreme responses from cytokines and provide an anti-inflammatory effect.

NOTE: I am not claiming that garlic is a cure or treatment for Coronavirus or for anything else. It’s important, however, to realize that garlic has been suggested or shown in various studies to benefit the immune system in these days.

Make sure that you do your own research on the benefits of garlic for the immune system. My sources for this article are here, here and here.

How should I use garlic?

My family and I use garlic regularly because of its health benefits, and simply because we like it as a seasoning. I won’t recommend any specific dosage or anything like that, but I can tell you what we do.

During cold/flu season, and even during this pandemic, we use garlic as a prophylactic. We’ve liked to dice up 1-2 cloves of raw garlic, let it sit for a few minutes to maximize the healthy compounds, and either swallow it down with water (like you would do with a pill), or mix it in with a meal.

If we’re dealing with a viral illness of some sort, we do the same as before, except we might take quite a few more cloves – up to 6 in a day – until we’re over the illness. I’ve heard someone talk about taking a whole head of garlic a day when dealing with infection…WOW.

We also cook heavily with garlic. Specifically, we use a lot of garlic powder and diced garlic. Garlic in these forms doesn’t have as many health promoting properties as raw garlic does, but there are still some benefits present. And plus…garlic in these forms just makes food taste good.

NOTE: Raw garlic is very strong. It can burn your tongue, and some apparently can experience stomach upset when using it in large amounts, so use raw garlic wisely. Also, do not swallow whole garlic cloves. That’s a huge choking hazard.

Finally, it’s wise to talk to your doctor if you are thinking about using larger amounts of raw garlic, as it could possibly interfere with certain medications..

Hopefully by the end of this, you’ve started to understand how garlic can play a big part in boosting your immune system and overall health. Remember, garlic is but one example of the many natural substances out there that are very beneficial to human health, and thankfully, it is cheap and readily available.

Don’t wait on someone to give you permission to take care of your health. Do your research, and take care of yourself!

Related Resources

A healthy diet and a trim body are also very important for optimum immune health. Get your copy of my fat loss workbook which will help you develop eating habits that will result in weight loss and a healthier body.

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