Today, we’re going to explore garlic, whether or not it’s helpful for gout sufferers, where this pungent herb came from, how it’s been used over the centuries, and how you can incorporate it into your lifestyle.
Benefits of Garlic for Gout
Garlic possesses many antioxidant properties that make it highly beneficial for gout sufferers. It is high in vitamin B1, B6, C, selenium, copper, manganese, calcium, phosphorus, allicin, and sulfur. If you’ve had gout for awhile now, you’ll know how important vitamin C is for your health. It assists in lowering uric acid in your body, helping you to avoid those dreaded gout attacks. In addition, the other substances found in garlic help to get rid of toxins, lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and excess blood sugar. Again, these are all symptoms related to gout condition. When these are addressed, it may significantly improve the patient’s health. Garlic also has anti-inflammatory properties which means that if you ever do experience a gout flare, you can take this powerful herb to reduce pain, swelling, and redness. Once diagnosed with gout, the patient has to take extra care of their kidney and liver health as these are at greater risk for experiencing complications if uric acid levels are not managed well. Garlic may help with your kidney health because it prevents injury or infection to this organ. Its effects on your overall health may also protect the kidney from getting damaged. With regards to the liver, garlic may help protect it from natural and environmental toxins. It also reduces fat accumulation in the liver by reducing total serum cholesterol in patients with high cholesterol levels. For those with liver cancer, garlic might just be what you need as the allicin in garlic has been found to fight human liver cancer cells. Another way that garlic may help with gout is by improving bone health, although this benefit is more evident in women. It does so by increasing estrogen production which helps reduce a woman’s risk for developing osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.
Other Benefits of Garlic
- Garlic helps fight the common cold
- Garlic lowers risk for heart disease
- Garlic may prevent Alzheimer’s and Dementia
- Garlic detoxifies heavy metals in the body
- Garlic improves athletic performance
- Garlic enhances you skin
- Garlic reduces lung cancer risk
History of Garlic
Garlic is one of the oldest cultivated crops and its origins is highly debated. It is believed to come from central Asia, South Asia, or southwestern Siberia. It would later be available in China, India, Pakistan, and Egypt. Crusaders also brought back this pungent herb in countries in Europe like France, Spain, and Portugal. In the United States, it wasn’t until the 90s that people increased their consumption of garlic after knowing about its beneficial properties. Garlic is available in many parts of the world so it’s no wonder why its use span centuries. Even back then, they didn’t just use garlic in their cooking, they used it in medicine as well. The Greeks, Egyptians, Chinese, and Romans are just some of the major civilizations in ancient history that used this powerful herb to treat a variety of conditions such as heart disease, impotence, low energy, and even the black plague. The famous Greek physician Hippocrates even prescribed it to his patients for various illnesses. For the superstitious, garlic was used to ward off evil elements. Residents would hang it on their doors and windows to ward off vampires. Some even wore it around their neck to protect against witches and the black plague. In ancient Egypt, they used to worship garlic as a god and even used it as a currency. Before burying the departed, they would place clay garlic bulbs in the tomb. Historians of today speculate that this was for appeasing the gods or equipping the dead with money for the afterlife.Ways to Incorporate Garlic into your Diet
- Add it to dishes
- Consume fresh garlic
- Use garlic powder
English 
French 
Spanish 
German