Raw garlic preserves allicin
The reason garlic has anti-cancer medicinal properties is simply that it contains a natural antibacterial substance called "allicin," which is the source of the pungent smell we perceive. Even when diluted 100,000 times, this allicin can instantly kill bacteria like Salmonella typhi, Shigella, and viruses like influenza. It is especially effective at killing *Helicobacter pylori*, the primary cause of stomach cancer.
When garlic is stir-fried or boiled, most of its allicin volatilizes or decomposes due to heat, significantly reducing its health benefits. Therefore, it is best to eat garlic raw. If you really cannot tolerate the spicy flavor, you can add minced garlic just before your dish is done cooking. This way, the spiciness is mellowed, and excessive loss of allicin is avoided. Alternatively, you can choose to eat candied garlic or pickled garlic.
Furthermore, you cannot get allicin by swallowing a whole clove of garlic because allicin does not exist directly. Instead, it is synthesized from two separate substances in garlic: alliin and the enzyme alliinase. Only by crushing or mincing the garlic can these two substances combine to form allicin. Therefore, it is best to crush or mince garlic when eating it, or chew it for a longer time, which also helps eliminate oral bacteria.
Five groups of people should not eat raw garlic
As a common vegetable and seasoning, garlic is certainly suitable for most people's daily consumption and is particularly beneficial for patients with tuberculosis, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and arteriosclerosis. However, if you have an eye disease, or suffer from cancer, liver disease, or diarrhea, you must not rush to eat raw garlic.
1. Patients with eye diseases
The ancients said: "Garlic cures all ills, but harms the eyes." Long-term and excessive consumption of garlic is harmful to the eyes. Ji Kang, in his "Discourse on Nurturing Life," stated that "pungent and greasy foods harm the eyes." Garlic is the most pungent of these, and it affects the clear orifices, connecting to the eyes, which can easily cause eye damage. Therefore, one should be careful not to eat too much garlic, especially those with eye diseases, who must avoid pungent foods during treatment.
2. Those who are weak and have "heat"
The ancients believed that eating too much garlic could deplete a person's *qi* (vital energy) and blood. The "Bencao Congxin" records that "garlic is pungent, hot, and toxic; it produces phlegm, stirs up fire, scatters qi, and consumes blood. Those who are weak and have 'heat' must not touch it." Therefore, people who are in poor health with weak qi and blood should take note.
3. Patients with liver disease
Many people eat garlic to prevent hepatitis, and some even continue to eat it daily after contracting the disease. This is incorrect. The "Compendium of Materia Medica" states that "long-term consumption of garlic damages the liver and harms the eyes." Garlic is hot in nature and can stoke the fire; it is pungent and highly irritating. For those with internal "liver fire," eating it will exacerbate the condition, and over time, it will naturally cause damage.
4. Patients with spleen deficiency and diarrhea
Raw garlic is highly irritating. Eating a small amount normally can aid digestion, but if you have non-bacterial enteritis or diarrhea, eating garlic will cause the strong irritation to aggravate the congestion and edema of the intestinal mucosa, promote exudation, and worsen the condition.
5. Those with serious illnesses should consume it with caution
Garlic is considered a "trigger food," which refers to foods that are particularly likely to induce certain diseases or aggravate existing ones. Consuming pungent foods like garlic and chili can cause significant side effects for people with serious illnesses or those on medication. It may not only trigger old illnesses but also render the medication ineffective or cause a chain reaction with the drug, affecting overall health.